2024-11-27 07:42:00
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — A police officer who used a stun gun on a 95-year-old woman at an Australian nursing home was found guilty of manslaughter in court Wednesday.
After 20 hours of deliberation, a jury found Christian James Samuel White guilty at his trial in Sydney. White is currently free on bail and could face up to 25 years in prison if sentenced.
In May 2023, Clare Nowland, a great-grandmother who suffers from dementia and uses a walker, refused to let go of her steak knife when police fired a Taser at her. He fell to the ground and died.
Police said at the time that Nolan suffered fatal injuries when his head struck the ground, but did not point to the direct impact of the device, which rendered him incapacitated.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb told reporters after the verdict that White’s employment relationship was under review and subject to legal proceedings.
“The court found that Claire Nolan died as a result of the actions of police officers. This should never have happened,” Weber said, while offering his “deepest condolences” to Nolan’s family. He added that state police reviewed policies and training on the use of Tasers in January but made no changes.
In a video played during the trial in the New South Wales Supreme Court, White can be heard saying an expletive before firing, after police asked Nolan 21 times to drop the knife. White, 34, told the jury he was told anyone with a knife was dangerous, The Guardian reported.
But after an eight-day trial, the jury rejected arguments from White’s attorneys that using the stun gun was an appropriate response to the threat posed by Nolan, who weighed about 100 pounds (45 kilograms).
Prosecutors argued that the use of the Taser was “completely unnecessary and clearly excessive,” local media said.
The case has sparked debate about how Australian police use stun guns.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Nolan was a resident of Yalambe Lodge, a nursing home in the town of Cooma. He is survived by eight children, 24 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.
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This story was translated from English by AP editors with the help of generated artificial intelligence tools.
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