Kristian White: Cop who alleged killed great-grandmother with taser faces court in person after being grilled by a magistrate for previously appearing through video link

Police await a crucial report that will reveal the cause of death of a 95-year-old great-grandmother who died days after she was allegedly tasered by a police officer.

Senior constable Kristian James White had previously appeared in court via audiovisual connection, but bail conditions imposed by the NSW High Court in July now require him to appear in person.

The 33-year-old wore a blue suit and white shirt with large reflective sunglasses as he attempted to evade reporters waiting outside Cooma’s local court on Wednesday morning.

Accompanied by his partner, he stood blank-faced outside the courthouse, refusing to answer questions as he waited to be allowed to enter the courthouse.

He is being charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault resulting in actual bodily harm and common assault for his alleged ‘excessive use of force’ against Ms Nowland at a retirement home in southern NSW.

The court heard that most of the evidence against Mr White has been collected and served on his lawyers, with the exception of a crucial report.

The court heard that the prosecution was still awaiting the post-mortem report, which will detail the cause of death and Ms. Nowland’s state of health at that time.

Magistrate Roger Clisdell suspended the case for four weeks so that the report could be completed by the coroner’s office and served on both sides.

“The suspect’s bail will continue automatically,” he noted.

The case will return to court on October 4.

Mr White bowed deeply and thanked the magistrate a number of times before leaving the courtroom.

He kept his lips tight as he left the courthouse and walked to the nearby police station, where he parked his car.

According to police allegations, the senior constable was called to the Yallambee Lodge nursing home in the early hours of May 17 after Ms. Nowland was found in the rooms of other residents.

She allegedly had two kitchen knives in her hand as she wheeled her walker into the rooms of three residents and leaned over their beds.

As staff tried to lure her out of one of the rooms, police allege the 95-year-old threw a knife at one of the caretakers who fell to the floor.

The carers called the police for help, so Constable White and a female colleague were taken from their beds and called back for duty.

Police allege that Ms Nowland went missing on two occasions from the nursing home grounds before officers arrived shortly before 5am.

They joined the desperate search for the great-grandmother and found her sitting in an office with a knife and torch in hand.

When asked to drop the knife, court documents state that she placed the torch on the desk before slowly rising to her feet using her four-wheeled walker.

The unnamed female officer reportedly said she could try to take back the knife in Ms Nowland’s hand and walked over to the older woman.

But when she tried to approach, the 95-year-old allegedly took her hand off the walker and pointed the knife at the officer.

According to the documents, in response, Officer White activated the Taser’s warning device and aimed it at the 100 lb (43 kg) woman’s chest.

“Clare, stop now, look, this is a Taser,” he is said to have warned the great-grandmother.

“Now drop it, drop it, this is your first warning.”

Agent White allegedly lit the device and started the audio before telling her, “Look, you’re getting a bag.”

The dementia patient reportedly raised the knife when Constable White said ‘stop it… no, go ahead’ and plunged the Taser into her chest.

She fell backwards and, according to police, “hit her head heavily on the wooden floor” of the nursing home.

Police allege Constable White responded with ‘a grossly disproportionate response’ by firing his Taser at the 95-year-old woman, in violation of standard operating procedures.

An expert interviewed by the police determined that the incident did not meet the threshold of exceptional circumstances justifying the use of a Taser against an elderly or disabled person.

Ms Nowland was found to have an inoperable hemorrhage in her brain and died days later at Cooma Hospital. She is survived by eight children, 24 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.

Ms Nowland’s family said the allegations against Mr White were ‘extremely shocking and shocking’.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has previously said the officer’s charges could be upgraded once the circumstances surrounding Ms Nowland’s death were better known.

He remains suspended with full pay.