By Sally Rawsthorne and Jessica McSweeney
Two police officers are facing assault charges after a 92-year-old man was admitted to hospital with a fractured elbow and significant bruising to his head and arms.
Ronald Hodge’s elderly wife had called triple zero twice on January 21, when two policemen were sent to their home in Picton in south-west Sydney.
The woman, who lives with dementia, said she was a victim of domestic violence. The officers arrested Hodge and handcuffed him, 9 News reported on Thursday night, and during this “interaction” he was injured.
Police have been called to the Picton home on multiple occasions by the 92-year-old’s wife. She has made “numerous” reports about being attacked and assaulted, which police had determined were not true, a police source not authorised to speak publicly said.
Hodge was admitted to hospital with his head and arm injuries. However, he was never charged over the incident and has since returned home.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb fronted the media on Thursday afternoon after Hodge’s family were told of the charges against the officers.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb at Thursday’s press conference.Credit: Edwina Pickles
The interaction of police with the elderly has dogged Webb’s time as commissioner since dementia sufferer Clare Nowland, 95, died after being Tasered by a NSW Police officer inside a Cooma aged care facility 12 months ago.
On Thursday, Webb told reporters that an internal investigation into the Picton incident was kicked off by routine reviews of all domestic violence callouts.
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.
Ronald Hodge was allegedly assaulted by two police officers during an arrest at his Picton home.Credit: Nine News
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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