Former New South Wales police officer Kristian White, who was found guilty of manslaughter after using a Taser on 95-year-old Clare Nowland, will not be imprisoned. Instead, he will serve his sentence in the community. Justice Ian Harrison, in his decision at the NSW Supreme Court, stated that the case falls within the lower range of manslaughter severity, deeming imprisonment an excessive punishment. White has been given a two-year community corrections order, including 425 hours of community service and regular check-ins with a corrections officer. The sentenced was attended by over 20 members of Nowland’s extended family in the half-full 290-seat courtroom.

White was convicted for the manslaughter of Nowland, who had dementia and was found disoriented with a serrated knife in her caretaker home in Yallambee Lodge, Cooma, on the early morning of May 17, 2023. Despite being frail, weighing only 47kg, and using a walker, she did not alter her course when White ordered her to drop the knife. In response to her non-compliance, White fired his Taser at her chest, causing her to fall and hit her head. She passed away a week later from inoperable bleeding in the brain without regaining consciousness.

Harrison previously mentioned during a sentencing hearing that a jail term for White was not guaranteed, highlighting the wide range of alternatives available, from a 25-year term to a non-custodial sentence.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/28/former-nsw-police-officer-kristian-white-sentenced-shooting-95-year-old-clare-nowland-ntwnfb