A troubled former Home and Away star had meth in his system when he lost control of a ute and struck a median at a busy intersection.
A troubled former Home and Away child star had meth in his system when he lost control of a ute and struck the median at an intersection, forcing other cars to swerve out of the way.
Felix Dean, 27, achieved national fame at just 10 years old when he was cast in Home and Away as “VJ”, the on-screen son of longstanding cast member Ada Nicodemou.
More recently, he has endured a public struggle with drugs and has been in and out of jail for the past four years.
Around 9pm on June 19 last year, Dean was driving a white Toyota HiLux ute along Bunnerong Rd in Matraville, in Sydney’s east, when he attracted the attention of police.
Former Home and Away star Felix Dean has been fined for driving with meth in his system.
The court was told Dean lost control of the ute and slid into a median in Sydney’s east.
He was seen braking harshly, causing the wheels to lock up, before he lost control of the ute and slid onto the grassy median at the intersection of Bunnerong Rd near Partanna Ave.
Drivers travelling in the opposite direction were forced to swerve around Dean to avoid a collision, according to the agreed facts.
When he came to a stop further along the road, officers approached him and noticed he was behaving in an unusual manner.
The court documents state the former Home and Away actor had enlarged pupils, exhibited highly anxious behaviour such as fidgeting, and repeated the same information to police.
He was given a roadside drug test and returned a positive result for meth.
Dean starred alongside Ada Nicodemou in Home and Away.
On Tuesday, Dean wore a prison-issued green T-shirt as he appeared in Waverley Local Court via audiovisual link from a custody cell, where he is being held for a separate matter.
He had previously pleaded guilty to driving with an illicit substance present in his blood.
Magistrate Rodney Brender noted it was Dean’s “first offence of this type” and he had committed it while on parole for matters including intimidation.
While the standard period of disqualification from driving is six months, Dean’s Legal Aid lawyer asked the court for a reduction.
“He has previously proven he’s able to comply with the road rules in NSW,” she said.
“Unfortunately he had been using methamphetamine and is now facing the consequences of this”.
Dean played VJ Patterson in the long-running show.
Mr Brender agreed to disqualify Dean from driving for four months and fined him $250.
Dean’s lawyer noted he is due to face court later this month after pleading guilty to a spate of offences including larceny and drug possession.
Dean has publicly struggled with drugs after starring on Channel 7’s Home and Away as a child.
He appeared on the show for three years and earned nominations for Best Young Actor at the 2008 and 2009 Inside Soap Awards for his work.
