Explained: The row over the 95-year-old Australian woman who died after being tasered

The death of a 95-year-old woman who was allegedly tasered by police at an Australian nursing home has sparked a controversy in the country. Police in New South Wales posted a statement on Facebook that read, “Nowland passed away peacefully in hospital just after 7 pm this evening, surrounded by family and loved ones who have requested privacy during this sad and difficult time.”

The incident has led to demands for both the release of the police bodycam footage of the brawl and a state parliamentary investigation. Let’s take a closer look at the matter. Also read: Australian man dies just after reaching summit of Mount Everest, in what climbers call the ‘death zone’ An elderly woman with dementia tasered The great-grandmother, Clare Nowland, allegedly had a steak knife in her possession when she was discovered by officers at the Yallambee Lodge elderly care centre in Cooma. Police were called to Nowland’s care home in the New South Wales town of Cooma at around 4:15 a.m. due to complaints of a resident carrying a knife, according to NSW Police Force Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter, who spoke to reporters last week. “At the time she was tasered, she was approaching police. It is fair to say at a slow pace. She had a walking frame. But she had a knife,” he said. The incident resulted in serious injuries for the dementia patient, including a skull fracture, according to BBC. Two police officers’ body cameras recorded the event on video, but the footage hasn’t been made available to the public. The NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb said at a hastily scheduled press conference on Wednesday night that she would wait until the investigation was complete before viewing the bodycam footage of the incident, despite pleas for its release. “The community of New South Wales have trust in their police force … this is one incident out of over two million calls for assistance we get every year.” On Wednesday night, NSW police minister Yasmin Catley sent her condolences to the Nowland family. “On behalf of the NSW Government, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the Nowland family for the loss of their dearly loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Clare Nowland,” Catley said, according to CNN. “Our sympathies and thoughts are also extended to the community of Cooma, Mrs Nowland’s friends, as well as the residents and carers at Cooma Yallambee Lodge. We will continue to offer support to the Nowland family as they mourn this loss and we urge people to respect their privacy at this time.” Family friend Andrew Thaler said before the incident Nowland was frail and unable to stand unaided. She weighed just 43 kilograms and was five-foot-two (1.58 meters) tall and was suffering from dementia, reported the outlet. After charges were laid, he questioned why it had taken police so long to act. “Why has it taken so long? Anyone else would have been charged straight away,” Thaler said, as per the news outlet. The police officer charged According to The Guardian, senior policeman Kristian White, 33, who reportedly tasered Nowland, has been charged with assault causing real bodily harm, common assault, and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, all of which carry a possible 10-year jail sentence. He is scheduled to appear in a local court in Cooma on 5 July. Depending on Nowland’s condition, according to Webb, the charges might be increased. She defended removing White from duty unpaid and added that everyone is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. “He’s afforded the same opportunity as any other resident and his employment will continue to be reviewed, but at the moment he’s still suspended from the workplace,” she said. Also read: Threat or Prank: Why did 65 women in Australia receive used condoms in mail? The debate The use of stun guns by the New South Wales state police, which are conducted energy devices under the Taser brand, has also come under scrutiny as a result of the Nowland case. Despite the fact that they are a less lethal choice than employing weapons, they have occasionally proven to be more harmful than conventional policing measures. According to NSW police policies, tasers should only be used on elderly or disabled people in “exceptional circumstances.” It was a “shocking” incident, according to People with Disability Australia’s president Nicole Lee. “She’s either one hell of an agile, fit, fast and intimidating 95-year-old woman, or there’s a very poor lack of judgement on those police officers and there really needs to be some accountability on their side,” Lee said, according to ABC News. She told the outlet, the 95-year-old woman needed someone to defuse the situation, talk to her, and manage her with patience and compassion rather than using a Taser. She further claimed that police frequently use force against people with disabilities. De-escalation techniques for people suffering from psychosis, Alzheimer’s, dementia, psychosocial disabilities, autism, schizophrenia, or anything similar are clearly not sufficiently taught to police, according to Lee. She believes the aged-care industry needs to do more to prevent events involving persons with dementia without resorting to force. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.