A 95-year-old grandmother suffering dementia has been tasered by police and is now in hospital.
The incident occurred in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) and has been described as “confronting” by the NSW Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter.
On the morning of May 17, staff at Yallambee Lodge in the regional town of Cooma called the police to attend to Clare Nowland.
Nowland, who uses a walking frame and weighed just 43 kilograms (94.7 pounds), had taken a serrated, steak knife from the kitchen.
“Negotiations commenced with Clare to essentially drop the knife. For whatever reason, Clare did not do that,” the assistant commissioner told reporters on May 19.
Cotter said Nowland was alone in a room with police negotiating at the doorway when she approached them with the knife in hand “at a slow pace.”
A senior male constable—with 12 years of experience—deployed the taser on Nowland causing her to fall and hit her head.
She is now at Cooma Base Hospital and is in critical condition.
The assistant commissioner spoke carefully and deliberately about the issue saying the matter was subject to a “very live and very serious investigation” and that the homicide squad was also involved.
“The reason why we carry weapons, and equipment is clearly for the principle of self-defence,” he said.
“[The taser] is there as a piece of equipment to defend yourself and if someone else’s life is in danger—where you think have a genuine fear or threat of being physically overpowered [and] where there is a violent confrontation occurring. Those facts have to be real,” he added.
Cotter would not be drawn on whether the officer’s actions were justified.
“Subjectively I can’t transport myself into the mind of the officer or officers,” he said.
Reaction From the Community
Andrew Thaler, a friend of Nowland’s family, said the state’s Police Commissioner Karen Webb should meet with the family face-to-face.“Detectives have told them there is body camera footage and that it’s confronting to watch,” he told AAP on May 19.
“It’s a big family ... the commissioner might be better to be there to help them deal with it and to make an account (of police actions).”
He was critical of the police officer’s handling of the situation.
“To allege she was brandishing a knife is the most absurd thing ... was she making toast, was she hungry? I think it’s a lie,” he alleged. “The police should never have been called.”
Meanwhile, the NSW Council for Civil Liberties said police should not use tasers on vulnerable people suffering serious mental conditions.
“Surely, there must be more appropriate ways to deal with non-compliant people who are suffering,” said President Josh Pallas.
While president of People with Disability Australia, Nicole Lee, said she understood why the police response to questions on the matter was reserved but admitted it was a “little bit dehumanising and a little unempathetic.”
“The police have responded in the way we’d expect them to respond,” she said in comments obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Snowy Monaro Regional Council, which operates the Yallambee Lodge, said staff at the facility had followed procedure.
“Council are supporting our staff, residents, and families during this difficult time,” the council said in a statement.
Yallambee Lodge is a 40-bed facility designed for people who can no longer look after themselves, according to the council’s website.
Nowland’s family have asked for privacy.
