Officer convicted of manslaughter for using taser on elderly woman with knife.

The tragic case of a 95-year-old woman being tasered by a police officer in an Australian care home has come to a sad conclusion. After much deliberation, the jury in Sydney has found Chief Constable Kristian White guilty of manslaughter. It all started when great-grandmother Clare Nowland, who resided at Yallambee Lodge care home near Canberra, left her room holding two steak knives.

Despite assurances from another resident that he did not feel threatened, Ms Nowland proceeded to enter his room and throw one of the knives at a staff member. The situation escalated when she approached Chief Constable White, clutching her walking frame and holding a knife. White, who is 34 years old, reportedly told himself "bugger it" and used a taser on her when she was about 1.5 to 2 meters away.

The result was catastrophic. Ms Nowland fell and hit her head, causing serious injuries including a fractured skull. Despite being rushed to the hospital, she passed away a week later. The jury heard that White believed a violent confrontation was imminent and made the decision to use his taser. However, the video footage shown in court revealed that he had told Ms Nowland to put down the knives a staggering 21 times before resorting to the use of force.

The guilty verdict has left Ms Nowland's family grieving and struggling to come to terms with the fact that she died at the hands of a police officer. She leaves behind eight children, 24 grandchildren, and 31 great-grandchildren. New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb offered her deepest condolences to the family and stated that the incident "should never have happened."

As for Chief Constable White, his position in the police force is currently under review and he will be sentenced at a later date. The guilty verdict serves as a reminder of the importance of using appropriate and proportionate force in any given situation, especially when dealing with vulnerable individuals. Let us hope that lessons will be learned from this tragedy and measures will be put in place to prevent such a heartbreaking incident from ever happening again.

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