The family of a 95-year-old grandmother who was Tasered to death by a police officer have applauded prosecutors’ decision to appeal her killer’s sentence.
Former NSW Police officer Kristian White was sentenced to a two-year Community Correction Order by the NSW Supreme Court on Friday for the manslaughter of Clare Nowland in May, 2023.
The great-grandmother had been armed with a knife inside her Cooma, southern NSW, nursing home when she was Tasered, causing her to fall and hit her head.
Ms Nowland suffered from dementia and relied on a walking frame.
CCTV footage of her confrontation police showed White spent less than three minutes talking with her before firing the Taser.
White later told the court he’d felt threatened by the 95-year-old.
White was handed a two-year community corrections order and ordered to complete 425 hours of community service for killing Ms Nowland.
The Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on Wednesday revealed it would appeal the decision.
Former NSW Police officer Kristian White avoided jail time for the manslaughter of Clare Nowland (pictured)
Ms Nowland’s eldest children (pictured) welcomed news the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions would appeal the sentence
Her two eldest children, daughter Lesley Lloyd and son Michael Nowland, were devastated by Friday’s verdict.
When asked by Nine News if he believed White deserved a prison sentence, Michael said: ‘Absolutely. For a deliberate, inhumane act that he did, absolutely.’
Ms Lloyd claimed her family would ‘never’ come to terms with Ms Nowland’s violent death.
‘At 95, we could accept our mother would die but to go the way she has is just unacceptable,’ she said.
‘It’s just something I’ll never ever get over.’
The siblings also shared a new clip of their mother just hours before her death.
It showed Ms Nowland enjoying a cuppa and expressing how content she was in life.
Mr Nowland and Ms Lloyd dismissed White’s claim he was intimidated by their mother, insisting she was a kind-natured person.
Ms Nowland (pictured) suffered dementia and relied on a walking frame at the time of her confrontation with police
White (pictured) was handed a two-year community corrections order and ordered to complete 425 hours of community service for killing Ms Nowland
‘He had control of that weapon, he loaded the weapon, and he pointed the weapon and discharged the weapon … it’s a deliberate action that needs to be punished,’ mr Nowland said.
‘We’ve just got to get a sentence that matches the crime … all we want is justice.’
More to come…
