Leon Kenneth Bropho pleads not guilty to trying to kill Bonnie Garlett, beating her with brick, dumbbell

Horrific new details regarding the shock stabbing of a Willagee mother have emerged with a WA court told her partner allegedly beat her with a brick then told her he wanted to watch her “brains come out” just weeks beforehand. Leon Kenneth Bropho also allegedly told Bonnie Garlett to wipe the blood off her face before the police arrived after he allegedly struck her multiple times to the face and head with a dumbbell last year. The harrowing allegations were revealed as the 34-year-old pleaded not guilty to trying to kill Ms Garlett when he allegedly stabbed her multiple times with a pair of scissors at their Willagee home on September 29. The mother-of-three was found by police outside her house covered in blood with serious stab wounds after she tried to seek help from her neighbour. Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court was told four weeks before he allegedly plunged the weapon into Ms Garlett’s neck, chest and lungs Mr Bropho allegedly unleashed a torrent of abuse onto his on-and-off-again partner. Prosecutor Mimi Yeung told the hearing on September 1 last year Ms Garlett was lying on the couch of their Jules Court home when the accused allegedly hit her several times across the head with a dumbbell. She said Ms Garlett then tried to get away from him and moved to the bed where Mr Bropho allegedly struck her with a brick then allegedly told her to “lay the f... down” and that he was “going to open your head up with a brick and watch your brains come out” while their seven-month-old baby lay beside her. The court was told Mr Bropho alleged struck Ms Garlett again with the dumbbell during the early hours of September 2 causing injuries to her right shoulder, body and face. Ms Yeung told the court the alleged offences took place in the context of a family and domestic relationship and that the attempted murder charge also took place in the same context. She said the State wanted to join the charges together, so the complainant only has to testify once in relation to all the allegations adding it was in the interests of justice to do so. But Mr Bropho’s lawyer Ian Hope opposed the application arguing the two sets of offences did not have a sufficient connection to amount to a course of conduct. Magistrate Danielle Davies disagreed saying that in her view there was enough to warrant the charges being joined together and for only one trial to take place. Mr Bropho is facing five charges – four in relation to the alleged assaults that took place on September 1 and 2 – and the attempted murder charge on September 29. During the hearing, the father-of-three pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He is expected to appear in court again January.