95-Year-Old Woman Dead After Being Tased By Police

A 95-year-old great-grandmother died in hospital after an officer accused of Tasering her at an aged care facility was charged with three counts.

Senior policeman Kristian White, 33, is scheduled to appear in court on charges of assault causing actual bodily harm, common assault, and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, which carries a maximum jail sentence of ten years.

He is scheduled to appear at Cooma Local Court on July 5.

The Police allegedly Tasered Clare Nowland after discovering her armed with a steak knife in her home at the Yallambee Lodge aged care facility in Cooma.

The 95-year-old died, according to the Guardian Australia, late Wednesday, May 24.

Karen Webb, the NSW police commissioner, said Nowland’s family had been informed of the allegations in what she called a “nasty incident” at a hurriedly organized press conference on Wednesday night.

She said, “The Nowland family have been informed of this development and our prayers and thoughts are with Mrs Nowland.”

As a result of the incident, the dementia patient suffered grave injuries, including a cracked skull.

Webb, who has refused to provide bodycam footage of the event, has stated that she will not watch it until investigators are done gathering evidence.

She said, “This has been traumatic for everyone in the police force.

“The community of New South Wales have trust in their police force … this is one incident out of over 2 million calls for assistance we get every year.”

According to Webb, the charges could be enhanced based on Nowland’s condition. She also expressed gratitude to the cops who “worked around the clock” to investigate the situation.

She justified White’s suspension without pay, saying that people are innocent until proven guilty.

“He’s afforded the same opportunity as any other resident and his employment will continue to be reviewed, but at the moment he’s still suspended from the workplace,” she said.

On Wednesday evening, NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley expressed her sympathies to the Nowland family.

“On behalf of the NSW Government, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the Nowland family for the loss of their dearly loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Clare Nowland,” Catley said.

“Our sympathies and thoughts are also extended to the community of Cooma, Mrs Nowland’s friends, as well as the residents and carers at Cooma Yallambee Lodge. We will continue to offer support to the Nowland family as they mourn this loss and we urge people to respect their privacy at this time.”