THE family of Clare Nowland has spoken of their frustration and disappointment over the sentence handed down to Kristian White.

Former NSW senior constable, Kristian White, avoided a jail term for the manslaughter of Cooma great-grandmother, 95-year-old Clare Nowland.

White was sentenced to a community corrections order for two years by Justice Ian Harrison in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, 28 March. One of the conditions of the order is to complete 425 hours of community service.

Mrs Nowland’s daughter Lesley and Lesley’s daughters, Kym Lloyd and Clare Aitchison, have told The Monaro Media Group they are ‘extremely’ disappointed White was not handed a custodial sentence.

“I feel cheated, my nana deserved better,” Clare said.

“Everyone has a nana, and we have had so many people reach out saying they can’t believe the sentence.”

Lelsey said the family is shocked by the decision.

“Our family is enormously disappointed that White only got a two year good behaviour bond for manslaughter,” she said.

“Fairness and justice was our only agenda. It’s an insult he was only placed on a corrective services order.

“What happened to my mum wasn’t an accident or mistake, the decision is upsetting.”

Kym Lloyd said the family believes justice has not been delivered. She said there was shock in the court room when White was handed a community corrections order.

“After 22 months the anxiety around it all hasn’t gone away,” Kym told this masthead.

“There was a lot of emotion in the court room. We could sense it wasn’t going our way during the closing remarks.

“The sentence is disproportionate. It feels like there is no penalty.”

Justice Harrison said the crime fell at the ‘lower’ end of objective seriousness for a manslaughter case.

Justice Harrison said White posed no risk to the community and a custodial sentence for a police officer would be ‘unduly onerous’ due to being placed in protective isolation.

Justice Harrison, in his further reasoning to not give a prison sentence, said White has already suffered some punishment through losing his employment and becoming an unwelcome person in the Cooma community.

Justice Harrison also said White was unlikely to re-offend.

White was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury in December 2024 for tasering 95-year-old Mrs Nowland in her Yallambee Lodge residence in Cooma.

White, a then Cooma-based senior constable, tasered Mrs Nowland on 17 May, 2023. Mrs Nowland was using a walking frame and holding a knife when White tasered her.

Mrs Nowland died a week later in Cooma Hospital.

The family told this masthead the support from the Cooma community has been overwhelming and much appreciated.

“Thank you to our community for its amazing support. We have had so many people reach out saying they are thinking of us, it’s very touching,” Clare said.

Lesley said this support has helped the family.

“There has been lots of love from Cooma. At the supermarket checkout, walking down the street, there has been so much support,” she said.

“We have definitely felt the love of Cooma.”

The Nowland family is hopeful an appeal into White’s sentence will take place.