Body-cam vision of the moment a 95-year-old woman was tasered at her nursing home has been played to the jury in the trial of a New South Wales police officer accused of manslaughter. Senior Constable Kristian white has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers argue the force he used was not disproportionate to the risk.
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00:00In a Cooma aged care home last May, police helped paramedics respond to what staff called
00:07an aggressive resident.
00:09Two little knives that she picked up from the kitchen drawer, and then raising them
00:16against the staff head.
00:18It was early in the morning, and 95-year-old Claire Nowland was eventually found in a treatment
00:23room with a knife.
00:24After retrieving it from the kitchen, she'd entered the rooms of other residents.
00:29Is she responding normally?
00:30Yes, she is, but she's known to be an aggressive client.
00:37In the treatment room, police body-worn camera footage played to a jury recorded repeated
00:41warnings, including from senior constable Christian White.
00:45We're not playing this game, Claire.
00:48Claire, put it down now.
00:49We're not wielding knives in here.
00:51She slowly tried to leave the room, and the taser's warning sound buzzed.
00:55See, you keep coming, you're going to get tased.
00:58After more warnings, stop, nah, bugger it.
01:01The video shows the taser being discharged, and Mrs. Nowland falling to the ground.
01:06She died a week later, after suffering an inoperable head injury.
01:10The Crown alleges Christian White's actions amount to manslaughter, either by criminal
01:15negligence or an unlawful or dangerous act.
01:18His defence lawyers argue he had a duty to prevent a breach of the peace, and his actions
01:23were not disproportionate to the risk of harm.
01:26One of the residents said in a statement that it wasn't the first time Claire Nowland had
01:30entered his room.
01:32He said he wasn't scared when he saw a knife, because she wasn't threatening.
01:36Other evidence shown to the jury includes images of her pyjamas, and small holes in
01:41them.
01:42Mrs. Nowland had shown signs of dementia, but was not diagnosed.
01:46The trial is expected to run for up to three weeks.