A distinctive leg tattoo helped police identify Home and Away child actor Felix Dan as the assailant who bashed an Uber driver on a busy suburban street.
The tattoo shows an attractive young woman with a heart on her cheek holding an ace of spades and a long-nailed finger to her lips in a ‘shhh’ gesture.
It was captured on CCTV footage at the scene of the crime and is visible in social media pictures of Dean.
Dean was just 10 when he got his big break on Home and Away, acting alongside Ada Nicodemou as her character Leah Patterson’s son VJ from 2007 to 2014.
Since being replaced in that role in the long-running television drama at age 17 by the older Matt Little he has not had another acting credit.
His life has apparently spiralled out of control in the past couple of years as he found himself unemployed, homeless and living off Centrelink
A distinctive leg tattoo helped police identify Home and Away child actor Felix Dan as the assailant who bashed an Uber driver in an unprovoked attack. Dean is facing a raft of charges over five sets of incidents including the alleged assault of a tobacconist with a hammer
Dean’s tattoo shows a long-haired young woman holding an ace of spades with a finger to her lips in a ‘shhh’ gesture. It was captured on CCTV when Dean assaulted an Uber driver in Sydney’s inner-west and is visible in social media pictures of him
Dean is now facing a raft of charges over five sets of incidents including the unprovoked attack on the Uber driver and the alleged assault of a tobacconist with a hammer.
He has already pleaded guilty to assaulting the driver with intent to rob him and to smashing another man’s window earlier the same night after being caught urinating outside his home.
The 24-eyar-old has also admitted driving his car through the security gates in a Sydney hotel underground car park, causing more than $7,000 damage.
He is facing 11 charges including assaulting police, affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence and larceny.
In the past 18 months Dean has been arrested four times by three police local area commands over offences allegedly committed in four Sydney suburbs.
On January 6 he was drinking with a friend in a park behind Newtown’s King Street when a resident caught him urinating outside his unit shortly before 9pm.
Dean played VJ Patterson in Home and Away from 2007 to 2014. Since being replaced in the role as a 17-year-old by the older Matt Little he has not had another acting credit. Dean is pictured with on-screen mother Ada Nicodemou
Dean is facing 11 charges including assaulting police, affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence and larceny
The resident had called out, ‘Come on mate, people live here, what are you doing?’ and Dean responded, ‘Do you want a fight?’
After the man dialled Triple Zero and showed the unemployed actor his phone screen, Dean picked up a bottle and smashed one of his windows.
About an hour later Dean was standing on a footpath in nearby Erskineville Road when an Uber driver drove past and turned into Wilson Street.
Dean ran in front of the vehicle, slapped the bonnet, opened the car door and began throwing punches at the driver’s head and face.
‘Get out of the car you f***king c***,’ Dean told the driver, who kicked him in the abdomen, closed the door and drove off.
The attack on the Uber driver was captured by CCTV cameras installed in the driver’s car and outside businesses in the area.
Dean was seen wearing a navy singlet with ‘California, Berkeley’ written on the front in large yellow letters, navy nylon Henley shorts and grey Asics runners.
Dean was nominated for Best Young Actor at the 2008 and 2009 Inside Soap Awards For his portrayal of VJ. He disappeared from the spotlight altogether after the gig
He was carrying a black satchel and according to a statement of facts had a ‘distinctive tattoo’ on his lower right leg just above the ankle.
‘The tattoo is black and white ink and depicts a female face with long flowing hair,’ the statement of facts said.
The Uber driver reported the assault at Newtown police station and investigators seized CCTV footage from the Bank Hotel, Town Hall Hotel and Vintage Cellars.
‘The accused was located as a person of interest in the matter,’ the statement of facts said.
‘Investigators conducted open source material enquiries and located images depicting the accused and notably the tattoo on his lower right leg.
‘Investigators observed the accused to closely resemble the CCTV footage, and his distinctive tattoo was consistent with the CCTV footage.’
The pictures of Dean and his tattoo are still on his Facebook page.
Dean was arrested at The Lurline boutique hotel (pictured) in Avoca Street at Randwick wearing the same shorts he had on when he assaulted an Uber driver at Newtown
Police viewed body-worn camera footage of previous interactions with Dean and saw him carrying a dark satchel over his shoulder and wearing grey Asics shoes.
When officers attended The Lurline boutique hotel in Avoca Street, Randwick they spotted Dean walking down a set of stairs wearing navy Henley shorts and grey Asics.
He was arrested and handcuffed but before being placed in a caged truck asked to return to the hotel to leave his mobile phone and other property in his room.
‘Police had a conversation with the accused and mentioned the blue coloured singlet with the yellow writing on the front,’ the statement of facts said.
‘The accused said, “Yeah, I have that here”.’ Dean then rummaged through a bag of clothes and produced the singlet, which was seized along with a dark satchel.
Taken to Maroubra police station Dean refused to be interviewed, provide a buccal swab for DNA comparison or take part in an identification parade.
‘During the arrest the accused simply stated throughout that he was perplexed and could not think of any reason why police would arrest and investigate him,’ the statement of facts said.
After allegedly assaulting a police officer Dean was granted bail on strict conditions including that he abide by a 6pm curfew and be subjected to random drug and alcohol testing. He is pictured with Home and Away on-screen mother Ada Nicodemou
Dean was granted bail and pleaded guilty in May to the attack on the Uber driver and breaking the window.
On September 18 he was arrested again at Paddington after allegedly failing to comply with a Covid-19 direction.
According to police Dean then assaulted a senior constable by kicking the officer in the leg. He is yet to enter pleas to those two alleged offences.
After that incident Dean was granted bail on strict conditions including that he abide by a 6pm curfew and be subjected to random drug and alcohol testing.
He was arrested again near the TSG Tobacconist in Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, shortly before midnight on October 11.
Police allege Dean attacked the tobacconist with a hammer and assaulted another man after stealing a iPhone from the shop.
Dean was then refused bail and has been in custody ever since.
He has not entered pleas to charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of common assault, larceny, affray and being armed with a weapon to commit an indictable offence.
He is due to be sentenced on December 7.
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