Tasered 95-year-old grandmother dies in Australia; officer faces charges
- Clare Nowland, who had dementia, had been hospitalised since her skull was fractured when she fell on May 17 after an officer shocked her with a stun gun
- Constable Kristian White will appear in court on charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault
A 95-year-old Australian woman died on Wednesday, a week after a police officer shot her with a stun gun in a nursing home as she moved toward him using a walking frame and carrying a steak knife, in a tragedy that has outraged many Australians.
Clare Nowland, who had dementia, had been hospitalised in Cooma in New South Wales state since her skull was fractured when she fell on May 17 after Constable Kristian White shocked her with a stun gun.
Police announced Nowland’s death hours after reporting that White has been ordered to appear in court on July 5 on charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault. The charges are likely to be upgraded following her death.
White and another police officer had gone to Yallambee Lodge, a nursing home in Cooma that specialises in residents with higher care needs including dementia, after staff reported that Nowland had taken a serrated steak knife from the kitchen.
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95-year-old woman in critical condition after being tasered by Australian police
The violence against an elderly and incapacitated woman has sparked a national debate about the police use of stun guns in such circumstances and the competence of aged care staff. Police are allowed to use stun guns when lives are in danger.
