Taser-death inquest told officers had 'plenty of time' to deal with 95yo

Clare Nowland, who had dementia, died in Cooma Hospital after being tasered in an aged-care facility. (Supplied: NSW Police) Clare Nowland, 95, was tasered by former NSW Police senior constable Kristian White in her aged care home in May 2023. An inquest into her death has been told officers at the scene had "plenty of time" to deal with her dementia-related aggression. Representatives from NSW Police are the next witnesses due to give evidence. Link copiedShareShare articleA senior NSW Ambulance officer has told an inquest into the death of Clare Nowland that emergency services could have taken more time when responding to the 95-year-old's dementia-related aggression. The great-grandmother was tasered by then-NSW Police senior constable Kristian White on May 17, 2023 and died a week later from associated injuries. White deployed his taser within a three-minute exchange with Mrs Nowland at the Yallambee Lodge aged care facility in Cooma, where she was a resident. The NSW Coroners Court today heard from NSW Ambulance officers Martin Nichols, Alan Morrison and Sheryl Baker, who have specialist roles in clinical practice, clinical education and professional engagement. Senior counsel assisting the coroner, Sophie Callan, asked Mr Morrison that after reviewing the body-worn police camera footage, what he would have done differently if he was a paramedic responding to the incident. "I would have highly emphasised that we have plenty of time," he said. Clare Nowland, 95, was a nursing home resident in Cooma (Supplied) The great-grandmother had been found wandering the facility using her four-wheeled walker, initially holding two knives and entering the rooms of other residents. A staff member called Triple Zero (000) and two police officers and two paramedics were sent to the scene, where they found Mrs Nowland in a nurse's room with one knife. They attempted to get her to stay still and drop the knife, but within the space of three minutes White said, "Nah, bugger it" and deployed his taser. He was found guilty of manslaughter by a NSW Supreme Court jury in 2024 and sentenced to a two-year community correction order with 425 hours of community service. A NSW Supreme Court jury found Kristian White guilty of manslaughter in 2024. (AAP: Bianca De Marchi) Ms Callan asked all three ambulance officers whether police and paramedics could have stood back from Mrs Nowland and had a discussion, given her limited mobility. Mr Morrison said the priority of NSW Police was to ensure public safety, while the primary role of NSW Ambulance was clinical care and patient advocacy. "The context on who will take the lead depends on what is found when assessing the situation … and the understanding of what the needs are in that situation," he said. The NSW Ambulance witnesses also told the court of various training modules and courses required for paramedics, which covered mental health, dementia and patient advocacy. Clare Nowland was tasered at the Yallambee Lodge aged care facility in 2023. (ABC South East NSW: Floss Adams) NSW Police Mental Health Command Superintendent Kirsty Hales also gave evidence after reviewing body-worn camera footage of the incident. She told the court it was difficult to critique a job in hindsight, but there was an opportunity for "time and distance to be taken and for that communication to continue". Superintendent Hales suggested that emergency services could have shut the door to the room Mrs Nowland was in, or contained her within the facility, and then come up with a plan on how to remove the knife safely. She said it was "optimal" for a single person to be talking to a person "detached from reality" or with a "cognitive impairment". Yesterday, Ms Callan told the court that many of the facts surrounding Mrs Nowland's death were not in dispute. She said the focus of the inquest would be on how aged-care staff and emergency personnel responded to people experiencing dementia, and if any recommendations should be made to help prevent such a situation in the future. Day one of the inquest heard from a paramedic and a police officer who were at Yallambee Lodge alongside White in the early hours of May 17, 2023. Paramedic Anna Hofner described White's deployment of the taser as "excessive". Senior Constable Jessica Pank said she was not surprised that White drew his taser after multiple unsuccessful attempts to get Mrs Nowland to drop the knife, but was surprised he deployed it and did not believe it was justified. Representatives from NSW Police are also expected to give evidence today. The inquest is being held over three days at the Queanbeyan courthouse. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesDonald Trump tells Xi Jinping they will have 'fantastic future' in bilateral meetingLIVE

Taser-death inquest told officers had 'plenty of time' to deal with 95yo

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Taser-death inquest told officers had 'plenty of time' to deal with 95yo

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