The officers were served court attendance notices on Wednesday and are now suspended with pay. One, a senior constable was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, while the other, a constable, was charged with the same offence as well as an additional charge of assault.
“What the court will need to determine is if there was excessive force used,” Webb said.
She described the officers as having some experience but “certainly not veterans” of the force.
Webb said she had watched the bodyworn video of the incident in the hour before Thursday’s press conference, after she was criticised for failing to do so during the Cooma Taser incident.
Nowland died in hospital in May 2023, a week after she was Tasered inside Yallambee Lodge, causing her to fall and hit her head.
Senior Constable Kristian White has been committed to stand trial in the NSW Supreme Court charged with manslaughter.
According to the police facts against White, Nowland was holding a knife and moving slowly towards officers using a walking frame at the time of the incident.
White is accused of pointing his Taser towards Nowland and telling her: “This is a Taser, drop it now, drop it, this is your first warning.”
White allegedly activated a warning light and sound, and said, “Clare stop” before adding, “See, you are going to get Tased.”
As Nowland allegedly stood with the knife raised, looking at the second officer, White is accused of saying “Stop, just … nah bugger it” before Tasering Nowland from about two metres away.
The two probes of the device struck Nowland in the chest.
White intends to contest the charges in a trial due later this year.
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