Senior Constable Kristian James Samuel White used his Taser on great-grandmother Clare Nowland at the Yallambee Lodge aged-care home in the southern NSW town of Cooma in the early hours of May 17, 2023.
The 95-year-old hit her head on the floor when she fell and had an inoperable bleed on the brain, dying at Cooma Hospital a week later.
White is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court where he pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in front of a jury on Monday.
Clare Nowland threw a knife at a carer and raised another knife against police, jurors heard. (HANDOUT/SUPPLIED)
While there is no dispute the 34-year-old discharged his Taser and this led to Mrs Nowland's death, the officer has stood by his actions.
Defence barrister Troy Edwards SC said his client had a duty to protect others from injury or death and to prevent a breach of the peace.
However, crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC told jurors that the use of force here amounted to criminal negligence and that a reasonable person could foresee the likelihood of serious injury.
The 95-year-old had symptoms of dementia and had previously been aggressive to staff, jurors heard.
About 3am on May 17, she grabbed two steak knives from a kitchen and was going with her four-wheeled walker from room to room disturbing residents.
She threw a knife at a carer and when confronted by staff, police and ambulance officers two hours later, raised her other knife against them, jurors heard.
White gave several warnings and his partner tried to kick out the wheels of her walker before the 34-year-old said "bugger it" and discharged his Taser.
When the trial resumes on Tuesday, the jury will be played CCTV footage of the moments surrounding when the taser was used in an incident which lasted only two or three minutes.
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