Father and 8yo son allegedly bash elderly man in unprovoked attack in Rockingham

WARNING: This story contains a graphic image.

A 91-year-old man has suffered serious injuries after a father and his eight-year-old son allegedly bashed him in Rockingham.

The victim, named Peter, was sitting in the passenger seat of his friend's car parked outside the Cruising Yacht Club on Val Street around 9pm on Friday August 19, when the boy allegedly opened the door and punched him several times in the head.

The elderly man was unable to close the door and it's alleged the boy's father, a 37-year-old man, approached the car and struck the victim several more times in the head.

Police say the man and his child are not known to the victim and the alleged attack was unprovoked. 

Peter left the scene and later went to Rockingham Hospital due to his injuries.

The 37-year-old Rockingham man was arrested a short time later.

"It will be alleged at the time of his arrest he refused to comply with a lawful request to provide his name or any identifying details to the attending
officers," a WA Police spokesperson said.

"It will be further alleged he resisted arrest and had to be carried to the police vehicle where he was placed in a secure pod.

"It will be further alleged while in custody at the police station the man threatened to harm police officers and their families, and on several occasions attempted to fight officers."

The man has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, failing to comply with a request to give police personal details, obstructing public officers and disorderly behaviour in a police station or lockup.

He was refused bail and appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday August 20 and is next due to appear in Rockingham Magistrates Court today.

The eight-year-old boy has not been charged due to the age of criminal responsibility in WA being 10.

"My 91-year-old dad and his 86-year-old female friend were leaving the Cruising Yacht Club, in Rockingham, to go home, after a nice night out with friends. As they were getting into their car my dad was assaulted," Peter's daughter Debbie said in a statement.

"There was no warning that the assault was about to take place. No previous interaction or conversation between him and the people who assaulted him. He had never seen them before.

"Unfortunately, nobody managed to get to them in time to stop the assault.

"Dad and a number of friends get together most Friday nights, at different venues in the Rockingham area, to have a dance, sing-along and catch up. They have been getting together for approximately 15 years and have never had an issue before this.

"Dad said that he didn’t want to go out again, but his friends have said they will now leave venues at the same time to make him feel safer.

"We are all so confused, especially dad, why the assault has happened. After having stitches to his eye lid, confirmation of several fractures and many appointments for specialists to come he is a lot more cautious when he is out and about and would like others to be aware of their surroundings also.

"We would like to thank the officers from the Rockingham Police station, who showed such compassion and care while taking their statements and one officer who checked on dad regularly while he was in the emergency department waiting to be tended to."