Albany woman Josephine Anne Hodge pleads guilty to assaulting Albany grandmother and mistreating her pet dog

A woman assaulted an Albany grandmother inside her home before turning on her dog in an attack that made the older woman fear for her life. Josephine Anne Hodge, 44, appeared in Albany Magistrate’s Court on Monday, pleading guilty to aggravated common assault against Heather Rowe, 76, at her Spencer Park home on August 28 last year. Albany grandmother speaks out after terrifying assault Hodge also pleaded guilty to the ill-treatment of an animal under the Animal Welfare Act, after she pinned Ms Rowe’s dog Nemo to the ground. In court on Monday, Hodge’s defence lawyer Raymond Muir asked the court to order pre-sentence and psychological reports ahead of her sentencing. “Ms Hodge has expressed grief and trauma ... it’s only fair to conduct a report to give background information on events she’s experienced,” he said. Magistrate Dianne Scaddan granted the lawyer’s request and extended Hodge’s bail. Days after last year’s assault, Ms Rowe told the Advertiser she could feel her hair being ripped from her scalp as she was attacked. The grandmother said she was chased along the street with blood streaming down her face before she took refuge in a neighbour’s home. Ms Rowe was taken to hospital on the night with blurry vision and cuts around her left eye and nose. Hodge is due in court on August 5.