AUSTRALIA – A police officer who shocked a 95-year-old nursing home resident with a taser, was found guilty of manslaughter in an Australian court Wednesday. A jury found Kristian James Samuel White guilty in the trial in Sydney after 20 hours of deliberation. White, who is on bail, could get up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced later.

Clare Nowland, a great-grandmother who had dementia and used a walker, was refusing to put down the steak knife she was holding when the officer discharged his taser at her in May 2023. Nowland fell backward after White shocked her and died a week later in hospital. Police said at the time that Nowland sustained her fatal injuries from striking her head on the floor, rather than directly from the device’s debilitating electric shock. White’s employment is under review and is subject to legal processes, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb told reporters after the verdict. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Photo: Senior Constable Kristian White arrives at the New South Wales Supreme Court, in Sydney. (AP)