New details emerge on alleged NSW Police assault on elderly man in Picton, southwest Sydney

The son of a 92-year-old man allegedly attacked by police during an arrest says his father was left disabled for “about a month” after the alleged incident.

Two NSW Police officers were called to the home of Patricia, 90, and Ronald Hodge, 92, in Picton, south-west Sydney, at around 8.45pm on January 21 to a domestic violence incident.

Mr Hodge was arrested but suffered a broken elbow and significant bruising to his head and arms during the confrontation with officers.

Mr Hodge’s son, Bruce Hodge, who works as a surgeon in Port Macquarie, said his mother has since been moved to a dementia unit at a nursing home, while his father is now home alone.

“The biggest thing now is the separation and the confusion,” he told the BBC ABCadding that his parents have been married for 70 years.

‘It’s a shame because it has affected the relationship he now has with my mother.’

Mrs Hodge developed dementia about two years ago, but her condition had worsened in recent months.

Mr Hodge said his father was confused about what had happened and who was to blame after the incident.

Ms Hodge suffers from paranoia and had called the police about a similar incident a year ago.

But her son said the officers who arrived then “responded very well.”

He said his mother had a pair of scissors and was behaving somewhat aggressively towards the officers, who managed to calmly take the scissors from her and arrange for an ambulance to take her to hospital.

On the night Mr. Hodge was allegedly attacked, his wife called her son after calling the police.

Bruce said he tried to tell officers his mother was suffering from dementia, but was unable to reach them before his father was arrested.

His father was hospitalized after the arrest, leaving him “disabled” for about a month, according to Bruce.

Mr. Hodge was arrested, but during the confrontation with officers he suffered a broken elbow and significant bruising to his head and arms

He said he did not think the officers’ actions were “appropriate.”

Following an internal investigation, a senior male constable and a male constable, both attached to the South West Metropolitan Region, were charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and were ordered to attend court.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb told a news conference last week that she was “disappointed” by the alleged assault.

“Police respond to many domestic violence calls and often enter situations without knowing what they are walking into,” she said.

The police chief was asked whether elderly people can feel safe by calling for police help.

“We respond to thousands and thousands of calls in NSW every week, every year. And most of the time we get it right, almost always,” she said.

‘We respond to victims in a very empathetic, caring way.

“But if we as a manager, as leadership, have concerns that officers did not respond appropriately, then we will investigate that.”

Commissioner Webb said the elderly man had received support from NSW Police following the incident and officers had been in contact with his family.

She added that the officers involved were “experienced” but not “veterans.”

One of the officers will appear in Campbelltown Local Court on July 30.

The other is due to appear in the same court on August 6.

Both officers were suspended with pay and restricted to station duties after the internal investigation began on January 22.