Police officer charged after allegedly punching 70-year-old woman
A Victorian police officer has been stood down from duty after he allegedly punched a 70-year-old woman while in hospital.
Sylvia Villani was being treated at the Northern Hospital in April when the alleged assault took place, and she said it came out of nowhere.
"I threw a bit of bread on the ground. I had my leg in a plaster," Villani told 9News.
"I was in a wheelchair and he punched me," she claimed.
After the alleged attack, she sustained a broken eye socket.
"I can't walk, I can't sit, I'm buggered," she said.
"I don't know why he did it.
"I did call him some nasty names, I wasn't happy, (but) I didn't deserve it."
Villani's son, Rick, told 9News that he was only alerted about the incident after receiving a call from doctors who told him that three police officers went to the hospital for a separate incident before his mother was allegedly assaulted.
He claimed that his family has been left in the dark.
"I know my mum's got mental health, and she's not perfect," he said.
"They've treated me, my wife and my mother with no respect."
Victoria Police have stood down the 26-year-old male officer who was on duty when the incident occurred, after an internal investigation.
The officer has been charged with one count of recklessly causing injury and will appear before court on September 9.
Images: Nine