Police Commissioner: Why we neglected one VERY important fact when we announced we tasered a 95-year-old great-grandmother
- Clare Nowland was tasered by police on Wednesday
- The original police statement did not mention that she had been tasered
A police chief has defended that he failed to mention that a 95-year-old woman was tasered by officers when a statement about the case was first released.
Clare Nowland is now receiving end-of-life care at Cooma District Hospital, in southern NSW, after being seriously injured last Wednesday morning.
Staff at Yallambee Lodge nursing home called police early last Wednesday after Ms Nowland, who suffers from dementia, weighs 43kg and uses a walker, took a serrated steak knife from the kitchen to a small treatment room.
Police officers and paramedics tried to get her to drop the knife before a senior officer fired his taser once as she slowly approached, Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter said Friday.
Clare Nowland is now receiving end-of-life care at Cooma District Hospital, in southern NSW, after being seriously injured last Wednesday morning
Mrs. Nowland fell backwards and hit her head on the floor.
The initial NSW Police statement on the matter said only that there had been an “interaction” between the great-grandmother and police, and did not mention that she had been tasered.
2GB radio host Ben Fordham questioned NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb on Monday morning to ask why the public had not been informed of what really happened in the original statement.
“We didn’t want the family to hear on radio and TV what happened to their mother,” Commissioner Webb replied.
The broadcaster then questioned whether it was about protecting Ms Nowland’s family, or “hiding something that could be embarrassing or embarrassing to the police?”
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb defended the decision to omit that Ms Nowland had been tasered by officers when an original statement was released on the matter
“We are not hiding,” the commissioner said, adding that she had seen the original statement.
“I thought it was appropriate, we were aware of the family,” she said.
Fordham then asked if she supported the decision to omit the Tasering from the press release.
“Yes, I have… the Nowland family deserves that,” Commissioner Webb said.
The commissioner said she would not be reviewing police footage of the incident and said her thoughts were with Ms Nowland’s family.
More to come