‘Frail’ great-grandmother, 95, was holding steak knife when she was Tasered, police say

Aged care house employees had referred to as emergency companies after Nowland was seen with the serrated knife.

“The call was along the lines of one of the patients, Clare, has a knife in her possession,” NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter stated.

“Negotiations commenced with Clare to essentially drop the knife but for whatever reasons, Clare did not do that,” he stated.

“One of the police officers who attended, a senior constable, activated his Taser, which struck Clare, whereby she fell to the ground, striking her head.”

She was handled by employees and paramedics on the nursing house earlier than being rushed to Cooma Base Hospital, the place she is at the moment in “ill health” and lapsing out and in of consciousness.

“I am not in a position to talk about her diagnosis or her prognosis except to say she is in a critical condition and her friends and family surround her,” Cotter stated.

Nowland is well-known in the neighborhood and has a household of youngsters and great-grandchildren supporting her.

When requested what risk degree Nowland offered the officers with, Cotter stated the aged girl was “approaching police”.

“It is fair to say at a slow pace,” he stated.

“She had a walking frame, but she had a knife.

“I can not take it any additional what was going by anybody’s thoughts with using a Taser.

“That is for them to talk to.”

The senior constable who fired the Taser has about 12 years of expertise and is now not on obligation.

“We are very concerned about the incident and that’s why we have the investigation underway,” Cotter stated.

“His duty type will be under review … at this stage, he is not operational, he is not in the workplace,” Cotter stated.

A vital incident investigation has been launched and shall be led by the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad, as is commonplace.

Cotter confirmed the constable’s actions shall be examined from a legal perspective.

“Any member of the police force is not above the law, our actions, no matter what we do and wherever we do it, we are always under review.

“Criminal actions might be taken.

“We are concerned about the matter, that is why we have commenced the investigation we have.”

The investigation has been nominated as a degree one vital incident, essentially the most critical investigation of its sort.

“The criteria is that an injury that leads to death or imminent death, and with exceptional circumstances attached to it, leads it to be classified as the highest level of investigation we can do internally around the matter.

“The coverage states that at a degree one vital incident, the Homicide Squad are concerned.”

Cotter said both officers had their bodyworn video activated and he had seen the “confronting footage”.

“It types a big and integral a part of the investigation and it isn’t within the public curiosity to be releasing that,” he said. 

He confirmed the Taser was deployed once and should be primarily used for self-defence or to protect colleagues and members of the public.

Nowland’s ability to access the knife in the nursing home will also form part of the investigation.

“We deal with this matter with excessive significance,” Cotter said.

The family have asked for privacy at this time.