Cop who killed great-grandmother suspended without pay

A police officer who unlawfully killed an aged-care resident with dementia by shooting her with a Taser has been suspended without pay after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter. Senior Constable Kristian James Samuel White discharged his stun gun at Clare Nowland in a treatment room at Yallambee Lodge aged-care home in the southern NSW town of Cooma during the early hours of May 17, 2023. In video footage played at his NSW Supreme Court trial, the 34-year-old officer was heard saying "nah, bugger it" before shooting the great-grandmother in the torso. Mrs Nowland, who was holding a steak knife, fell backwards and hit her head before dying a week later in hospital. On Thursday, Justice Ian Harrison will hear an application by crown prosecutors to place White behind bars ahead of his sentence. Before the application, NSW Police confirmed the senior constable had been notified he had been suspended without pay after Wednesday's verdict. Police Commissioner Karen Webb was also in the process of going through procedures set out under legislation to remove White from the force. They include giving him at least 21 days to make submissions in response to the planned action. There were gasps in the courtroom when the jury delivered its guilty verdict after 20 hours of deliberations. Prosecutors immediately sought to detain the 34-year-old after his conviction, but Justice Harrison postponed the hearing for a day. The judge said he would need evidence about the conditions White would face in prison given he was a police officer. Officers are typically housed away from other inmates as they can be targets for other criminals behind bars. Defence barrister Troy Edwards SC earlier argued a jail sentence was not inevitable for White, given the wide range of possible punishments for manslaughter. The charge carries a maximum jail term of 25 years.