Kevin Hawkins: Parents of Perth man stuck in Singaporean jail on terrorism charges make desperate plea

Kevin Hawkins is in deep trouble. Described by friends and family as the sweetest, most caring and most beautiful soul they know, the Perth man finds himself in a Singaporean jail facing terror charges of making bomb threats on a plane. The incident that led to his arrest, and his Perth-bound flight returning to Singapore under military jet escort, made international news. What wasn’t reported was that the bewildered 30-year-old, who has schizophrenia, suffered a serious episode on the flight having come off his medication. In the hours and days that followed his arrest, Kevin didn’t understand why he was behind bars. “He said to me, ‘Why am I here, Dad?’” his father, Frank Hawkins, recalled his phone conversation with his son after Kevin had been taken to Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health. He’s since been moved to Changi Prison. “I had to tell him, I said, ‘Look, Kevin, do you remember you saying you had a bomb in your pocket (on the plane)?” Mr Hawkins said. “It took a while for him to remember.” His distraught parents and many friends are horrified at the prospect of him facing a jail term of up to 10 years under the city-state’s anti-terrorism laws. “I’m crying a lot and having bad dreams about Kevin being in jail,” his mum Jennifer Serek said. She doubts he can survive and said he’d twice attempted to take his life since his arrest. Ms Serek, 63, was relieved to learn at least that he’s now back on his medication and in a better state of mind. She said Australian consular officials passed on a message from her son this week. “He said, ‘I’m fine, mum, and my court case is pending’,’” she said. “He’s just eager to get home. He said, ‘If everything goes right, Mum, I should be home in a few months’ time’. “He’s in a cell by himself. He says it’s lonely, so he’s just reading books all the time.” Ms Serek, from Gosnells, said her son’s condition meant he wouldn’t have realised the gravity of what he was accused of saying. “(With his illness) he can get paranoid and get voices in his head,” she said. Kevin and his wife Suraset had been visiting her family in Phuket and had transited via Singapore on the way home. Ms Serek said she’d spoken with her son on the phone towards the end of the four-week holiday, and he had sounded anxious and homesick. “He said, I want to come home. I don’t feel too good. I can’t sleep. He wasn’t his normal happy self. “He is the nicest person you could ever want to meet. He would help anybody out; he’s so kind and thoughtful.” Kevin, who has worked as a storeman at Crown Resort for the past seven years, had booked the Thai holiday as a surprise treat for his wife, who also works at Crown. He turned 30 while he was there. “Kevin and Suraset asked me to go on the holiday with them,” Mr Hawkins, who is divorced from his son’s mother, said. “Unfortunately, I had a mini-stroke and ended up in hospital for about four or five days. I just wasn’t capable of going. “Everything had been going so well for Kevin and Suraset. His work was going very well, and they had bought a house in Ellenbrook. “He said to me, ‘Dad, I don’t need any medication anymore, everything’s going fantastic’. “He said the pills used to make him feel pretty tired, a bit like a zombie. He said it made it harder to get the energy levels he needed for work, but basically, he just went cold turkey on all the pills and his counsellor.” According to eyewitnesses on the Scoot flight, Kevin had been acting strangely. “For the first 30 minutes of the flight, he sat there completely frozen. He didn’t move, he didn’t talk, he didn’t do a thing,” said passenger Nathan Kay from Albany. Mr Hawkins, 70, said his son’s demeanour had been noticed by a flight attendant who asked if he was okay. “From what I can gather, he went off to the loo, and when he came out, he was approached by the airline staff. And they asked, ‘Are you okay?’’ because he was very fidgety and anxious. He’s kind of fumbled in his pocket and gone: ‘I have got a bomb’. He didn’t yell it out. “In his mental state, he thought that by saying that the plane would land at Perth airport and an ambulance would be waiting for him to take him straight to hospital to get sorted. “It’s really awful because he’s such a top, top bloke. I don’t think anyone’s got a bad word to say about Kevin. “I did explain to him that this is a very serious charge (he’s facing). “He feels bad for the other passengers. He said, ‘I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have done it.’ It was obviously these voices (in his head).” Kevin had posted messages on Facebook at the time of the incident that clearly showed he was unwell and deeply troubled. Friend and work colleague Robert Sorbara said Kevin was adored by those who knew him and was clearly unwell at the time. “Kevin is the sweetest guy you could possibly meet in your life. He’s certainly not a terrorist,” Mr Sorbara said. “It breaks my heart knowing that he’s in a Singapore prison, alone and not in the best mental state. “I can’t stop thinking about him, and I get pretty emotional, and I have that helpless feeling. We miss him very much as a valued team member and friend.” Mr Sorbara said his mate was so diligent and hardworking in his job that Crown had given him a Shining Star Award. “A few months ago, he was voted in as the occupational health and safety representative for the warehouse. Before he went on holiday, he said to me, ‘Rob, please keep an eye on these issues and let me know when I get back if they have been resolved.” A Crown Resorts spokesperson on Friday said: “Crown is aware of an incident in Singapore involving a Perth-based team member. Given the matter is before the court, we are unable to make any further comment.” Kevin was charged under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations. Under the regulations, “no person shall communicate or make available by any means any information which he knows or believes to be false to another person with the intention of inducing in him or any other person a false belief that a terrorist act has been, is being or will be carried out.” If convicted, Kevin faces up to 10 years in jail or a fine of up to $580,189 or both. Friend Michael Kazich said he was desperately sad for Kevin and the sorry ordeal. “His life is potentially going to take a massive hit from this one stupid event,” he said. “He’s the embodiment of the words good and caring. He’s the furthest thing from a terrorist that someone could be. He wouldn’t even hurt a fly.” Another friend Paul Murphy added that Kevin was the “most beautiful, shiest, softest person in the world.” “Even though he’s done the wrong thing, and I understand there’s a legal process, it’s just awful, and I worry about him surviving in prison. He’s just not strong enough,” Mr Murphy said. “It’s just so upsetting. I keep stopping and thinking and having a bit of a cry, and it’s not just me. So many other friends have messaged me saying the same thing. “He is six foot eight inches, as thin as a bean pole, but is this timid, genuinely great guy.” A GoFundMe page was started but had to be taken down because the platform doesn’t allow fund-raising for people facing criminal charges. Despite having little money, Mr Hawkins said the family had scraped nearly $10,000 to pay for a lawyer in Singapore. “Myself and my ex-wife, we’re both on the pension. And we’re pretty much in the poor house, you know. I live in community housing (in Armadale).” He said the best solution would be to allow his son to return to Australia so he could return to work and pay any fine in increments. “But I don’t know if they’ll allow that,” he said. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it “was providing consular assistance to an Australian man who has been detained in Singapore.” “Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment,” a spokesperson said. 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