NEWTOWN, SYDNEY: Former child star Felix Dean, 26, who rose to fame as a child actor in the show ‘Home and Away’, has been put behind bars for allegedly assaulting four people, including three men and a woman. Currently, he is in the Junee Correctional Centre in the NSW Riverina district and has pleaded not guilty to all four charges.

The ‘Home and Away’ actor has been charged with assaulting two men and a woman in Newtown, Sydney on April 30, where he is said to have committed the crime between 9 pm and 9.15 am on the next day, per The Sun. He is also accused of assaulting another man in Botany on the evening of May 28. It is said that he assaulted him with the intention of robbing the man.

Who is Felix Dean?

Felix Dean is an Aussie actor who appeared as VJ Patterson in the hit show ‘Home and Away’ between 2007 and 2014, appearing in 831 episodes. He started his acting career in 2004 when he appeared in the TV movie ‘Jessica’ as Joey Thomas. In just one episode, he appeared as Todd McFarlane in the ‘All Saints’ TV series in 2006. His other notable work before landing the role in ‘Home and Away’ is in ‘Comedy Inc.’ where he appeared in five episodes. After leaving ‘Home and Away’ in 2014, he has not starred in any notable show or movie.

While he has not been in the news for his acting chops lately, Dean is making headlines for his non-thespian activities. In 2021, he was charged with assault of a tobacco shop employee with a hammer in Surry Hills. The employee suffered minor injuries in the head and underwent treatment on the spot. In October 2022, Dean was accused of assaulting and harassing a friend’s father. For the same crime, he was sentenced to prison in April 2023. Previously, he was accused of breaching community correction orders which he received after kicking a police officer during a coronavirus lockdown and stealing an iPhone from a store worker, per The Mirror.

'He struggled with addictions and his mental health'

Even though Dean was sentenced to prison, because of “special circumstances” owing to his mental health, he was eligible for parole and was immediately released. During the hearing of the October 2022 case in April 2023, Magistrate Ross Hudson read from the agreed facts given by Dean where it was said, "I note an explanation given in an apology letter to court, Dean says 'it is not lost on me that my actions have caused great deal of pain to my family.'”

The statement further reads, "'I was homeless, drunk all time, living a chaotic lifestyle, addicted to methamphetamine'. He says he recognises the need to change path he’s on."

It was also read at the court that while he was having a promising career, Dean started using controlled substances when he was 15. The statement said, while he had a "significant acting career between the ages of 8 and 16, and at that time, even with his acting career, he struggled with addictions and his mental health,” per The Mirror.