A police officer in Australia who allegedly tasered a 95-year-old woman with dementia in the chest at a nursing home appeared in court on Wednesday, facing charges of assault and grievous bodily harm.
The officer, Senior Constable Kristian White, 33, was one of two officers who responded to a call from the staff of Yallambee Lodge, an aged care facility in Cooma, a town in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, on May 17. They found the woman, Clare Nowland, holding a steak knife and using a walking frame to slowly approach them, according to the police.
Despite repeated requests for her to drop the knife, Ms. Nowland did not comply. The female officer who accompanied Mr. White allegedly offered to “take it off her”. But Mr. White allegedly replied “bugger it”, and discharged his weapon into the chest of the 43-kilogram (95-pound) woman, the police said.
Ms. Nowland fell backwards and hit her head, fracturing her skull. She died a week later in Cooma Hospital surrounded by her family. She was a mother of eight, grandmother of 24, and a selfless and committed member of the Snowy Monaro community, according to a statement from the local council.
Mr. White has been suspended from the police force with full pay as enquiries continue. He appeared in Cooma Local Court via video link on Wednesday, and his charges could be upgraded after further investigation.
The magistrate, Roger Clisdell, expressed his disgust at the case and the prosecution’s handling of it. He told the court he felt “absolute disgust” that the prosecutors had allowed Mr. White to appear via video link without asking him.
“I didn’t agree to it,” Magistrate Clisdell said. “Dumbo here, sitting on the bench, just has to suck it up.”
He also dismissed a detention application made by the prosecution and criticized them for only giving him a redacted version of the police facts.
“Am I not trustworthy enough to see the unredacted copy?” he asked.
The incident has sparked outrage and criticism from all sides of politics and the public, raising questions about the use of force by the police and the care of elderly people with dementia.
The police minister, Yasmin Catley, said she had not seen the body-cam footage of the incident and did not want to politicize the investigation.
The police commissioner, Karen Webb, said she had not seen the footage either and wanted to have “a complete picture” of what happened before she looked at it. She defended the integrity of the force and said this was “one incident out of many, many calls for service”.
The aged care home where Ms. Nowland lived is also conducting its own inquiry into the incident and said it aimed to provide “the best care possible” for its residents.
Ms. Nowland’s family said they were standing together in “profound love and affection” for their beloved matriarch and hoped for justice.
Relevant articles:
– Tirade over cop charged with tasering 95yo great grandmother, The Australian, 7/5/2023
– NSW police officer appears in court charged with tasering 95yo dementia patient Clare Nowland, ABC News, 7/5/2023
– Charges laid against police officer accused of tasering 95-year-old Clare Nowland, ABC News, 24/5/2023
– NSW Police Reveal Why They Tasered A 95 Y.O. Woman W/ Dementia, Pedestrian TV, 24/5/2023