Lloyd Wilkes: Bunbury man charged with stealing after hiding from police under a pile of clothes denied bail

A man who was found hiding under a pile of clothes during a police search of a Bunbury home has been denied bail. Lloyd Mathew Wilkes, 35, appeared before the Bunbury Magistrates Court on July 1 after alleged previous bail breaches. He is facing charges of stealing, aggravated robbery, obstructing police officers and breaching bail. The prosecution told the court they opposed Mr Wilkes’ bail application, mentioning three previous alleged bail breaches and detailing the other allegations. On March 16, it is alleged Mr Wilkes and a co-offender attempted to distract staff at the BWS liquor store in West Perth to steal bottles of spirits. It is alleged he threatened physical harm on the store’s employees, saying “I’ll break your neck”, “I’ll come back” and “don’t move”, alongside pushing staff in an intimidating manner to avoid questioning when the situation escalated. The prosecution said some of the allegations may be supported by evidence captured on CCTV at the store, but allegations of threats to harm the staff members might not be supported by witnesses. The court was shown body-worn camera footage by the prosecution of police searching for Mr Wilkes in a Bunbury home, where they found him hiding under a pile of clothes and allegedly obstructing their investigation. The prosecution alleged he later attempted to escape through a window but was handcuffed soon after. Mr Wilkes’ defence counsel made submissions against revoking bail, stating a family funeral was the reason he allegedly breached his bail conditions and that he was afraid of being arrested, did not want to go to jail, was ”remorseful” and “just panicked”. Magistrate Joanne Andretich refused bail and said she was not satisfied bail with conditions would ensure his compliance with orders. Mr Wilkes was set to appear before the Central Law Courts in Perth on Monday for a committal mention.