Great-grandmother, 95, dies after being Tasered by police in Australian care home

A 95-year-old great-grandmother with dementia who was Tasered by police at a care home, has died.

Outrage swept across Australia and beyond after 5ft 2in Clare Nowland was Tasered by police at her care home in Cooma, New South Wales, last week.

NSW Police confirmed Ms Nowland died "peacefully" in hospital just after 7pm on Wednesday, surrounded by family and loved ones.

Senior Constable Kristian White, 33, has been charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm (GBH), assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault.

He remains suspended from duty with pay while investigations into the incident continue, and is expected to appear at Cooma Local Court on July 5.

Police had turned up to Yallambee Lodge care home last week after responding to reports Ms Nowland was carrying a serrated steak knife.

The great-grandmother, who had lived at the home for the past five years, was asked to put the knife down by officials but as she approached the doorway, a senior constable with 12 years of experience fired a Taser at her.

Police say her injuries were caused from her falling to the ground rather than directly from the Taser's electric shock but have refused to release the bodycam footage.

It comes after a family friend of the great-grandmother told ITV's Good Morning Britain on Monday that Ms Nowland might be the "oldest person on the planet" to have ever been Tasered.

Speaking on the show, Andrew Thaler said: "It's something that we are all struggling to put into words. It is quite simply unimaginable... She is 43 kilos (6.7 stone), 95 years of age.

"It is outrageous and, it is shocking... That is offset by an enormous outpouring of grief and well wishes and prayers from all around the world.

"We don't have those answers and that's partly why I'm helping to speak out, because that is an answer that everybody wants."

Mr Thaler revealed that Ms Nowland, who also has dementia, "lived in service" of her community, running a second-hand thrift shop charity that also gave out food and electricity vouchers in Cooma.

She also parachuted out of a plane for both her 80th and 85th birthdays.

Mr Thaler added Ms Nowland was "very strong with her church."

"She knew everybody in the town and everybody knew her," he said. "This is not how a life lived in service of the community should be taken."

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