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Inquest to probe cop's fatal tasering of grandmother
The inquest will examine police Taser use, dementia care and emergency response training after a jury found Kristian White guilty of manslaughter.
A three-day inquest into the death of 95-year-old Clare Nowland began Wednesday at Queanbeyan Coroners Court, examining the circumstances surrounding her 2023 death after being tasered by police.
Former senior constable Kristian James Samuel White fired his Taser at Nowland, a 48kg great-grandmother with dementia, at Yallambee Lodge on May 17, 2023, after saying "nah, bugger it."
Testifying on Wednesday, intensive care paramedic Anna Hofner said she felt "absolute shock and disbelief" when White deployed the stun gun, calling the force not "proportionate to the magnitude of the incident."
The death "rocked her family, the local community and the broader NSW community to its core," counsel assisting Sophie Callan stated, as the inquest examines dementia training and de-escalation strategies.
Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan will examine systemic improvements, including the "pause point" concept, to prevent future tragedies, with the inquest expected to conclude Friday.