Lathem Junior Hawkins charged over alleged hammer attack in Dudley Park

A man allegedly involved in a violent attack on his partner and 15-year-old stepson at their Dudley Park home has been denied bail. Lathem Junior Hawkins, 34, appeared via videolink before Rockingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday, June 21, charged with two counts of threatening to kill, one count of common assault, one count of unlawful assault and one count of criminal damage. Police prosecutor Sen. Const. Jessica Anderson alleged Mr Hawkins’ partner had locked herself and three young children inside a bedroom at the family home after fearing for her safety about 1.45am on June 18. Mr Hawkins allegedly used a plumb hammer to smash open the door. Once inside the bedroom, he allegedly hit his partner once to the face and used the hammer to strike her on the left shoulder. While doing this, he allegedly said he was “going to kill her”. Fearing for the safety of his mother and siblings, the 15-year-old stepson used a shovel handle hidden in the wardrobe to hit Mr Hawkins once in the face in an attempt to stop the attack on his mother. Mr Hawkins left the home a short time after but returned and allegedly again tried to hit the victim and her son, yelling out that he was “going to kill them all and slit their throats”. He allegedly made numerous attempts to injure the 15-year-old with the knife. When police arrived, Mr Hawkins was allegedly in the kitchen still holding the knife. Lawyer Amir Murad said Mr Hawkins’ partner remained supportive of him and was willing to provide a statement to the court to assist with Mr Hawkin’s bail application. Magistrate Linda Keane said that even with the support for Mr Hawkins, she couldn’t be satisfied with the level of protection over the partner and three children. “I am not granting bail today; those are extraordinarily serious allegations and I’ve got to say that if the partner remains supportive of him, that could very well be a risk factor with respect to the children,” she said. The matter was adjourned to July 19 for a bail risk assessment.