Coronial inquest into death of tasered 95yo Clare Nowland begins

Clare Nowland, who had symptoms of dementia, died in Cooma Hospital after being tasered. (Supplied: NSW Police) An inquest into the death of Clare Nowland, who was tasered by a police officer in 2023, has started in the NSW Coroner's Court. The inquest is expected to focus on dementia training for aged care staff and emergency services. The three-day inquest in the Queanbeyan Coroner's Court will continue until Friday. Link copiedShareShare articleA coronial inquest into the death of Clare Nowland is underway three years after the 95-year-old was tasered by a serving NSW Police officer in her Snowy Mountains aged care home. The great-grandmother was a resident at Cooma's Yallambee Lodge in May 2023, when a staff member called Triple Zero (000) to report that she was wandering the property and entering other residents' rooms. Paramedics and two police officers, including former senior constable Kristian White, found Ms Nowland a room, holding a steak knife against her walker. CCTV footage captured Clare Nowland walking around the facility before she was tasered. (Supplied) Within three minutes, White drew his taser, said "nah, bugger it" and discharged the weapon at the great-grandmother. Ms Nowland fell, hit her head and died in hospital one week later after suffering an inoperable brain bleed. At the time she weighed 47.5 kilograms and had symptoms consistent with dementia. Kristian White was found guilty of manslaughter in 2024. (ABC News: Keana Naughton) White was found guilty of manslaughter following a jury trial in the NSW Supreme Court in November 2024. He avoided jail time over the death and was instead sentenced to a two-year community correction order and required to do 425 hours of community service. At the time, Justice Ian Harrison said White's crime fell on the lower end of objective seriousness and was not premeditated. He also noted that White showed remorse. A subsequent appeal by Crown prosecutors to review that sentence was dismissed. Clare Nowland was a resident at the Yallambee Lodge aged care facility in Cooma. (Four Corners: Sissy Reyes) A three-day inquest looking into Ms Nowland's death has begun in the Queanbeyan Coroners Court in southern NSW. Coronial inquests are designed to look at the manner and cause of a death, and to make recommendations to improve public safety. In this case, the facts regarding the cause of death are not in dispute. The inquest will be held in the Queanbeyan Courthouse over the next three days. (ABC South East NSW: Isla Evans) Kristian White's actions on the night of May 17, 2023 — when he deployed the taser on Ms Nowland — were found to be excessive and not reasonably necessary. White was removed from the NSW Police Force after the trial in 2024. The inquest is expected to focus on the guidelines and training given to aged-care staff, police and emergency services in dealing with people experiencing dementia. It is also set to look at the way those people communicate with patients and how they de-escalate situations. Witnesses representing police, ambulance and dementia training and advocacy groups are expected to give evidence. Representatives for the Nowland family, the local Snowy Monaro Regional Council and the aged care provider are also expected to take part. Clare Nowland's family wants the inquest to lead to change. (Supplied) Ms Nowland's eldest son, Mike Nowland, previously spoke to the ABC's Four Corners program about the family's concerns about gaps in police training and policies around taser use, and said he hoped the inquest would lead to change. The inquest before Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan is expected to continue until Friday. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesProperty investors targeted in 'ambitious' budgetTopic:Government and Politics

Coronial inquest into death of tasered 95yo Clare Nowland begins

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