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| Actions of police officer who shot 95-year-old with Taser ‘inexcusable’, Clare Nowland’s granddaughter says | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Kim Lloyd tells court ‘immediate repulsion’ has not dissipated for Kristian White, who fatally shot dementia patient with Taser in 2023 | |
| The granddaughter of a 95-year-old dementia patient who was shot by a police officer with a Taser has said she feels “repulsion” for the officer’s actions, which were “inexcusable, unimaginable and unforgivable”. | |
| Kristian James Samuel White was found guilty of manslaughter after shooting Clare Nowland with a Taser at Yallambee Lodge aged-care home in the southern NSW town of Cooma in the early hours of 17 May 2023. | |
| He is facing a sentence hearing in the NSW supreme court on Friday, during which prosecutors are expected to argue he should serve time behind bars. | |
| Nowland’s granddaughter Kim Lloyd directed her victim impact statement at Kristian White, who sat in the dock across the courtroom with his head bowed. | |
| She told White his reckless decision to fire his Taser at her grandmother was “inexcusable, unimaginable and unforgiveable”. | |
| “The immediate repulsion I have for you has not dissipated, and I don’t believe it ever will,” she said. | |
| “Your actions were disgracefully unfair and unjust.” | |
| Michael Nowland, the eldest son of Clare Nowland, told the court of the trauma of losing his mother. He said he fell into a state of shock at the “inhumane act” perpetrated on his mother. | Michael Nowland, the eldest son of Clare Nowland, told the court of the trauma of losing his mother. He said he fell into a state of shock at the “inhumane act” perpetrated on his mother. |
| “This was unfathomable,” he said. | “This was unfathomable,” he said. |
| “Who in their right mind would do this to a frail 95-year-old lady?” | “Who in their right mind would do this to a frail 95-year-old lady?” |
| “To this day I am traumatised by this gutless coward act. This continues to cause me sleepless nights and anger, blaming myself as to how I could have negated this act and protected my mother.” | “To this day I am traumatised by this gutless coward act. This continues to cause me sleepless nights and anger, blaming myself as to how I could have negated this act and protected my mother.” |
| Michael Nowland described his mother as “the most caring person in the world”, who was not allowed to die with dignity. | Michael Nowland described his mother as “the most caring person in the world”, who was not allowed to die with dignity. |
| “The Nowland family want justice and fairness.” | “The Nowland family want justice and fairness.” |
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| White’s barrister had previously argued a jail sentence was not inevitable given the nature of his offending. | White’s barrister had previously argued a jail sentence was not inevitable given the nature of his offending. |
| In his sentencing submissions, crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC rejected assertions from White’s lawyers that Nowland’s manslaughter was “at the lower end” of those offences. | |
| “This was a serious criminal offence. It’s a conviction for manslaughter and the death of a person is, on any level, a serious offence. | |
| “The offender’s case that there was an imminent threat… was plainly rejected by the jury. None of the responders there were in any danger.” | |
| At the time of the incident, Nowland was holding a knife and was not compliant with requests from staff, a court was told during a trial in November. | At the time of the incident, Nowland was holding a knife and was not compliant with requests from staff, a court was told during a trial in November. |
| After being shot with a Taser by White, she fell to the ground and fractured her skull, dying in hospital a week later. | |
| Despite White arguing he felt the great-grandmother posed a threat at the time, a jury unanimously found him guilty of manslaughter. | Despite White arguing he felt the great-grandmother posed a threat at the time, a jury unanimously found him guilty of manslaughter. |
| He was sacked from the force almost a week after the verdict but later launched legal proceedings challenging that decision. | He was sacked from the force almost a week after the verdict but later launched legal proceedings challenging that decision. |
| Supreme court judge Ian Harrison refused a motion in December for White to be taken into custody, finding it possible he ultimately would not see the inside of a jail cell. | Supreme court judge Ian Harrison refused a motion in December for White to be taken into custody, finding it possible he ultimately would not see the inside of a jail cell. |
| Harrison noted at the time he did not want to “cause distress or frustration” to those who see nothing other than a sentence of full-time imprisonment appropriate for White. | Harrison noted at the time he did not want to “cause distress or frustration” to those who see nothing other than a sentence of full-time imprisonment appropriate for White. |
| “I should not want to give unwarranted hope to Mr White that he will avoid a sentence of full-time imprisonment,” the judge said at the time. | “I should not want to give unwarranted hope to Mr White that he will avoid a sentence of full-time imprisonment,” the judge said at the time. |
| “I am simply not comfortable making … a decision as a bail authority with respect to Mr White based on a conclusion that he will be sentenced to imprisonment to be served by full-time detention.” | “I am simply not comfortable making … a decision as a bail authority with respect to Mr White based on a conclusion that he will be sentenced to imprisonment to be served by full-time detention.” |
| Police and paramedics were called to Nowland’s nursing home after the great-grandmother grabbed two steak knives from a kitchen and raised them against residents and staff before throwing one at a carer. | Police and paramedics were called to Nowland’s nursing home after the great-grandmother grabbed two steak knives from a kitchen and raised them against residents and staff before throwing one at a carer. |
| White pulled the Taser’s trigger after three minutes of negotiations to get her to put down the remaining knife. | White pulled the Taser’s trigger after three minutes of negotiations to get her to put down the remaining knife. |
| He was heard in video footage played at his trial saying “nah, bugger it” before shooting Nowland with a Taser in the torso. |