Kristian James Samuel White’s tasering of 95-year-old Clare Nowland in 2023 has been described in court as “inappropriate and inhumane”. Photo: Gail Eastaway.
Almost two years on from the fatal tasering of Clare Nowland in south-east NSW, a court has heard details of how her death continues to affect her family.
On 17 May, 2023, Ms Nowland was holding a steak knife in a small office room at Yallambee Lodge in Cooma, NSW, while she used her mobility frame to slowly walk towards police officers, paramedics and staff standing in the corridor outside the room.
Kristian James Samuel White was one of the officers present.
She did not drop the knife or stop moving when the officers repeatedly told her to, then was tasered by White while he stood about two metres away from her outside the room’s doorway.
She fell over, hit her head on the ground and died from her injuries seven days later.
The tasering was captured on camera. White can be heard saying, “Nah, bugger it” before firing at the great-grandmother, who had been suffering from symptoms consistent with dementia.
White pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in his NSW Supreme Court trial, but it ended with jurors finding him guilty in November 2024. Justice Ian Harrison refused to remand White in custody ahead of his sentencing, continuing his bail.
During a sentencing hearing on Friday (7 February), multiple statements from Ms Nowland’s children and other relatives were tendered to the court, wherein they spoke of their ongoing pain and trauma.
In his statement, Michael Nowland, Ms Nowland’s eldest son, described White’s tasering of his mother as a “gutless, coward act”.
“I could not process how a normal human being, let alone a police officer, could perform such an inappropriate and inhumane act on a frail old lady,” he said.
He said his family was seeking “justice and fairness”, and that he would “never forgive” White for his actions.
One of Ms Nowland’s daughters, Gemma Murphy, described Ms Nowland as “a loving mother, a caring friend and a cherished member of the community”, as well as a “beacon of love and strength”.
Another of Ms Nowland’s daughters, Lesley Lloyd, teared up as she recounted visiting her mother while in hospital.
“I couldn’t help her. The best I could do was stay with her, reassure her of where she was and that she had a head injury,” she said.
Kim Lloyd, one of Ms Nowland’s grandchildren, said White had “changed our lives forever” and his tasering of her “nan” would “forever have me in shock and disbelief”.
“Your actions were disgracefully unfair and unjust,” she said.
Clare Nowland was tasered in Cooma when she was 95 years old. Photo: Supplied.
In his submissions, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC called for a sentence of imprisonment and said it was not at the lower end of seriousness.
“The offender’s case that there was an imminent threat … was plainly rejected by the jury,” he said.
Mr Hatfield told the court that White had shown “limited contrition and remorse” for his actions, arguing that was reflected in his appeal against his dismissal.
White had been suspended from duty with pay in late May 2023, several days after the tasering. After the guilty verdict, he was suspended without pay.
He was then dismissed from the police in December 2024, but said later that month that he would seek a review of this decision.
“His position seems to be that he was justified in doing what he did, [that] he shouldn’t be punished for it at all,” Mr Hatfield said.
“You don’t get the benefit for contrition and remorse in those circumstances.”
Mr Hatfield also described a letter written by White as a “perfunctory” statement, rather than a “genuine expression of remorse”.
However, White’s defence barrister Troy Edwards SC characterised the letter as a “heartfelt, truthful expression of how he feels about the fact he killed Ms Nowland”.
He referred to a report written by a forensic psychologist, saying his client “appeared genuine in his remorse”.
Mr Edwards also argued the court should consider White’s perception of the danger posed by Ms Nowland, and that he had “an honestly held belief that he was meeting the threat”.
Justice Harrison will hand down White’s sentence at a later date.
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