Senior Constable Dean George Valesini faces allegations of assaulting Ronald Hodge, a 92-year-old man suspected of having dementia, following a reported domestic incident in a home southwest of Sydney.
The accusations stem from an incident on 21 January when Constable Valesini and another officer responded to two emergency calls from an elderly woman at a Picton residence around 9 pm.
Upon arrival, the officers arrested and handcuffed Hodge, who was later taken to the hospital with a fractured right elbow and significant bruising on his head and arms. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb suggested in June that Hodge might have dementia.
“It’s a complex situation when dealing with an elderly person who may have mental decline, whether due to dementia or another cause, which prevents them from properly communicating their concerns to the police,” Webb commented.
After an internal investigation, both officers were charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Additionally, the constable faces an extra charge of common assault.
Valesini did not attend the initial court hearing at Campbelltown Local Court on Tuesday. His lawyer, Michael Burns, stated that the 36-year-old would plead not guilty.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, taking over the case from the police prosecutors, has been granted additional time to present all evidence to Valesini and his defence team. Valesini, a resident of Spring Farm, has not had any bail conditions imposed, and Crown Prosecutor Brendan Donnelly did not seek any such measures during Tuesday’s hearing.
The case is scheduled for a subsequent hearing at Downing Centre Local Court on 24 September. The other constable involved in the alleged assault will have his case heard at Campbelltown on 6 August.
This incident involving Hodge follows the death of a great-grandmother with dementia in May 2023, after she was tasered by a police officer at her Cooma nursing home while holding a knife.
Another instance where training and knowledge of dementia could have averted yet another case of harm by police. This has to stop !