Slaithwaite Killer Christopher Hawkins was a ‘ticking timebomb’

Oct 31 2009 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A CRIMINAL psychologist has labelled a father who murdered his son a “ticking timebomb” waiting to explode.

Laura Richards said Christopher Hawkins showed warning signs that he was capable of extreme violence before he stabbed four-year-old son Ryan to death in Slaithwaite.

She added that questions should have been raised about his behaviour before he was allowed to take his son’s life on September 23, 2007.

Ms Richards made the conclusions in a documentary about the murder that will be aired on television tomorrow.

She interviewed members of Ryan’s family, Huddersfield police and former friends of Hawkins for Killer in the Family, which will go out on the Crime and Investigation Network..

According to Ms Richards, jealous behaviour, violence towards other family members and written threats all proved Hawkins was a danger.

“It all adds up to a ticking timebomb,” she said.

“Questions should have been asked at this point and, using the latest risk assessment I have developed, Hawkins would undoubtedly have been seen as a potential killer.

“Murders do not just come out of the blue. We must ask these questions when we get the chance so that we can identify high risk cases and manage them properly.”

Hawkins, who was 47, stabbed Ryan nine times and his sister Donna, who was 14, more than 20 times in a frenzied attack at Royd Street in Slaithwaite.

It came nine months after Ryan’s mum, Val Gee, left him because of his violent behaviour.

Val, now 43, told the programme Hawkins had a reputation for fighting when she met him more than 20 years ago.

He was first violent towards her one Christmas Eve, when he punched her during a night out, but she wanted to believe it was an isolated incident.