The struggles of a former House and Away star have been laid naked as he was jailed for assaulting three individuals and making an attempt to steal a automotive utilizing a wine bottle as a weapon.
Felix Dean appeared in Sydney Downing Centre Native Court through audiovisual hyperlink on Monday the place he pleaded responsible to assault with intention to rob, three counts of widespread assault, and breaching a earlier court order.
The 26-year-old was sporting jail greens and an anxious expression he was sentenced to no less than a 12 months behind bars for the drug-fuelled crime spree.
The court heard he was utilizing drugs and “closely intoxicated” when he approached a stranger for “unclear causes” outdoors a restaurant in Newtown, in Sydney’s inside west, on April 31.
Dean, who shot to fame portraying the younger character VJ Patterson on the hit present House and Away, shouted “I’ll smash you” on the man as they walked previous one another on the road.
When the stranger rotated, Dean pushed him backwards a number of metres earlier than making an attempt to strike him within the face.
One other man intervened and Dean shoved him forcefully within the chest earlier than throwing a punch, which the person ducked.
He and Dean “squared as much as each other” and adopted boxing stances whereas they tried to hit one another, in keeping with the agreed details.
A lady then tried to interject, however Dean shoved her within the again and she or he stumbled. The 2 males restrained the actor till police arrived.
Lower than a month later, Dean tried to steal a person’s luxurious automotive whereas wielding a wine bottle as a weapon.
The agreed details reveal he approached the proprietor of an Audi A5 as he was sitting in his automotive in Botany, in Sydney’s south, on the night of Could 23.
“Get the f*** out of the automotive c*** and provides me your f***ing keys,” the previous child star demanded.
When the sufferer instructed him to “f*** off”, the agreed details state Dean grabbed a full wine bottle out of his satchel and swung it in direction of the automotive proprietor, who leant again to keep away from being hit.
The person agreed at hand over the keys however then kicked the actor within the face and the chest, inflicting him to desert the carjacking try.
The violent incidents each occurred whereas Dean was serving behaviour bond for a earlier matter of violence, the court was instructed.
The paperwork reveal the 26-year-old had been convicted final 12 months for grabbing the arm of a schoolmate’s dad and demanding he pay his son’s $300 debt.
His lawyer Phoebe MacDougall instructed the court on Monday Dean didn’t dispute the details of the offences.
“He largely doesn’t bear in mind the occasions, given the drugs he was on on the time, being meth and alcohol,” she mentioned.
Ms MacDougall defined the child actor had change into hooked on illicit drugs following a traumatic occasion at college which “considerably altered his persona throughout his adolescence”.
In an announcement supplied to NCA NewsWire, Dean defined he “resorted to drugs to deal with robust feelings” following the disturbing incidence at college.
“Not solely coping with that, however I used to be additionally residing on the streets, with the disgrace of realizing I used to be recognised due to my time as an actor on TV,” he mentioned.
Regardless of this, the actor mentioned he was capable of “come up with (his) substance abuse points” and end college as a result of he was “forming (his) personal id outdoors House and Away”.
“Mr Dean, outdoors his addictions, is a really charismatic and good younger man,” Ms MacDougall instructed the court.
She mentioned he was very inspired by the prospect of partaking in rehabilitation and had tried to enrol himself in a custodial program.
The court heard the 26-year-old has been recognized with substance abuse dysfunction, depressive dysfunction, and post-traumatic stress dysfunction.
Justice of the Peace Robert Williams acknowledged the actor wanted “fairly substantial therapy” for his addictions, psychological well being, and his administration of stress and anger.
Nonetheless, he highlighted the earlier issues of violence on Dean’s felony document.
The Justice of the Peace accepted not one of the 4 victims have been injured within the assaults, however mentioned the “severe offences” would have nonetheless precipitated the victims to worry for his or her security.
“The court wants to contemplate the security of the group,” he mentioned.
He sentenced Dean to twenty months imprisonment with a non-parole interval of 1 12 months.
“I wish to apologise to the many individuals I’ve damage and to my mom who has stood by me,” Dean mentioned in an announcement to NCA NewsWire.
The child actor maintained his time on hit cleaning soap operas House and Away had been a “constructive expertise” however admitted he continues to wrestle with the fallout of fame.
“Ten years on, when even the character has been changed by a number of actors, I’m making an attempt my finest to beat the challenges I’ve outdoors of the present,” he mentioned.
“I want nothing greater than to be afforded the chance to take action with out the scrutiny of the general public and the media.”
It’s been a very long time within the limelight for Dean, who rose to prominence when he was solely 10 years outdated.
He acquired his massive break within the position of VJ, the on-screen son of longtime House and Away solid member Ada Nicodemou.
Dean starred on the Channel 7 present between 2007 and 2010, and was nominated for Greatest Younger Actor on the 2008 and 2009 Inside Cleaning soap Awards.
He will likely be eligible for launch from jail in Could 2024.
