A 92-year-old man was left with a fractured elbow and significant bruising to his head and arms after an alleged assault at the hands of two police officers.
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The two officers had responded to two triple-0 calls from an elderly woman reporting a domestic violence incident at a home in Picton in NSW after 8.45pm on Sunday, January 21.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said on June 13 that police arrested and handcuffed her 92-year-old husband, and during that arrest the man was injured.
He was taken and admitted to hospital with a fracture to his right elbow, and bruising to his head and arms.
It will be alleged that an elderly man was injured as a result of his interactions with the officers.
Ms Webb said an internal investigation was launched the day after the arrest.
Subsequently, on the night of Wednesday, June 12, two officers working in the South West Metropolitan Region were served with court attendance notices.
A male senior constable was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, while a male constable was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and another count of assault.
"What's become apparent the next day [after the arrest] - and part of our processes is that 100 per cent of our response to domestic violence is reviewed the next day - during that routine review of those matters, this matter came to light, and that's why an investigation was kicked off that has led to the charges of the officer[s]," Ms Webb said.
The commissioner said she understood the elderly man's wife had dementia.
Ms Webb said she believed it was the first time police had been called to that address and officers "didn't know what they were walking into".
Police were wearing body cameras and Ms Webb confirmed she had seen the footage, but said she could not comment because the matters were before the court.
"What the court will need to determine is whether there was excessive force used in that interaction," she said.
Both officers will face Campbelltown Local Court, one on July 30 and the other on August 6.
The two officers were restricted to station duties when the internal investigation started and were suspended with pay from Thursday.
No one has been charged in relation to the alleged domestic violence incident police were responding to on the night in question.
Ms Webb said the elderly man and his family had had support from NSW Police since the incident.
It occurred after the commissioner ordered a review of police training, especially of how officers should deal with people with dementia, following the death of 95-year-old Clare Nowland in Cooma in May 2023.
Police officer Kristian White has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter after he allegedly tasered Ms Nowland when responding to an incident at an aged care home.