Police officer who Tasered 95-year-old great-grandmother guilty of manslaughter

An Australian constabulary serviceman who Tasered a 95-year-old great-grandmother successful a attraction location has been recovered blameworthy of manslaughter.

Kristian James Samuel White was recovered blameworthy of sidesplitting Clare Nowland, who had dementia and utilized a walking frame, by a assemblage successful Sydney who deliberated for 20 hours earlier convicting the 34-year-old.

Senior Constable White, who could look up to 25 years successful situation aft his condemnation astatine the Supreme Court successful New South Wales, utilized the limb against her successful May 2023 aft she reportedly refused to enactment down a steak knife.

Ms Nowland, a nonmigratory of Yallambee Lodge, a nursing location successful the municipality of Cooma, fell backwards aft being Tasered and died a week aboriginal successful Cooma Hospital.

Police said astatine the clip that Ms Nowland sustained her fatal injuries from striking her caput connected the floor, alternatively than straight from the device's debilitating electrical shock.

Video footage of the incident, which was played successful court, shows officers telling Ms Nowland, who weighed astir 100lb (45kg), to enactment the weapon down 21 times earlier White discharges the weapon.

He says "nah, bugger it" moments earlier firing.

Ms Nowland was survived by 8 children, 24 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren, ABC reported.

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NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb expressed her "deepest condolences" for Ms Nowland's household and said: "The tribunal has recovered Claire Nowland died arsenic a effect of the actions of a constabulary officer.

"This should ne'er person happened."

The state's constabulary reviewed its Taser argumentation and grooming successful January and nary changes to it were made, she added.

White's employment, however, is nether reappraisal and is taxable to ineligible processes.

White told the assemblage helium had been taught that immoderate idiosyncratic wielding a weapon was dangerous, The Guardian reported, portion his lawyers argued during his eight-day proceedings that his usage of the Taser was a proportionate response.