Tom Hawkings could never be described as the brightest pick of the crop. His clear speech impediment and lumbering, awkward body giving one the impression he is the brawn to his brother Jack's brain.

He would follow his brother's lead and instruction to the letter - sometimes a little too close to the letter. Tom fears failure the most, and so is eager for precise, if simple, instructions to complete any task - so long as it involved physically moving or destroying things.

His reputation as thug grew from an increasing need to defend his brother from the less desirable acquaintances with whom he managed to cross paths in his day-to-day dealings. As Tom became more capable, so Jack became more daring, leading to numerous altercations with rival individuals and gangs, to the point where the Hawkins brothers had to choose carefully who they dealt with and how they travelled through the dark and shadowy underworld of London street crime.

Whenever Tom finds himself in a situation without his brother, he follows a standard edict to do exactly as he is told, for that way he can never be truly to blame for anything that may occur.