Becca Dean

Rebecca Margaret "Becca" Dean (née Hayton) was the daughter of Charles and Margaret Hayton, the sister of Nancy Hayton, the wife of Jake Dean as well as the mother of Charlie Dean. She was murdered by her prison cellmate, Fran Hathaway, in February 2007. She had been sentenced to two years imprisonment for sexual activity with a minor, but the claimant, Justin Burton, admitted to lying. Becca was stabbed shortly after being released, and died in hospital. She was officially exonerated posthumously in July 2007.
== Biography ==
=== 2001-2002: Arrival ===
Hollyoaks Community College student Becca arrived in the village in September 2001 for an interview with Tony Hutchinson about moving into his student accommodation. Tony accepted her application and Becca quickly befriended her roommates, Chloe Bruce, Eve Crawford, Jamie Nash and O.B.. Jamie moved out after clashing with Tony, but Becca kept in contact and the pair began a relationship - but Becca was unaware that Jamie was also dating Eve! After discovering Jamie's infidelity, Becca broke up with him and began dating Alex Bell, who initially used Becca to make his ex-girlfriend Anna Green jealous. However, after Anna gave birth to her and Alex's son Charlie, Becca realised that she was being used and ended her relationship with Alex.
In April 2002, Becca discovered that she had gonorrhoea and accused Jamie of transmitting it to her. She ultimately lead a witch-hunt directed at Jamie, especially after Ellie Hunter underwent a test after sleeping with Jamie that turned out to be positive. However, Becca's friend Mandy Richardson discovered that Ellie was the carrier. Jamie decided that he wanted to reunite with Becca and fought for her, eventually winning her over. However, after Alex and Anna broke up, Becca offered a shoulder to cry on which turned into more. She chose Alex over Jamie, unaware that he had been offered a job in Hong Kong. Becca was left adamant on travelling with him but Jamie refused, leaving her at the airport as he left alone.
Jamie proved to be a shoulder to cry on from Becca and they reconciled once more, with Jamie supporting Becca as she began working as a teaching assistant at Hollyoaks Comprehensive College. However, in November 2002, Jamie was left seriously injured during a potholing expedition in the Yorkshire Dales when the van he was driving was flipped during a landslide. Becca raced to his bedside where he awoke from his coma, telling her how happy he was with her before dying of his injuries. Merely a week later, Becca discovered that she was pregnant. However, feeling incapable of being a single mother, Becca underwent an abortion in December, to the devastation of Jamie's sister Jodie.
=== 2003-2005: Relationships and Career ===
In March 2003, Becca began to grow closer to Adam Morgan, having revealed her feelings for him in the past. A few months later, Adam and Becca moved into 5 Oakdale Drive, Flat 1 with Mandy - who Becca had since become best friends with - and Tony, her partner. Becca was left devastated when she learned from Darius Campbell-Danesh that Adam had been offered a place at a film school in New York. She told Adam that she didn't want to leave the village, but he decided that he couldn't turn down the opportunity and left in July 2003.
After graduating from HCC, Becca became an English teacher at Hollyoaks Comprehensive College. She initially struggled with students Craig Dean and Josh Malone. With Josh behaving very inappropriately in particular, Becca wondered if she was fit to be a teacher, especially when she nearly physically lashed out at him. However, after fighting back by the book, Josh soon calmed down with her. Meanwhile, Becca caused complications in her friendship with Izzy Cornwell after nearly sleeping with her husband-to-be Ben Davies. On Izzy's second hen night, she collapsed during a fight with Becca.
In 2004, Becca began a relationship with gardener Jake Dean. Their relationship ran rather smoothly (despite Becca's dislike for Jake's mother Frankie) - even when Becca and Jake's father Johnno were caught in a compromising position. Still living with Mandy and Tony, Becca was caught in the middle of their various problems, supporting Mandy through her miscarriage; but their friendship hit the rocks when Becca witnessed Mandy violently lashing out at Tony. Becca and Tony's fear of Mandy made her seek counselling and they all soon reconciled.
Becca became suspicious of Jake in January 2005 when he began 'overcompensating', but Jake managed to talk her around. He also proposed to her, and she accepted. Meanwhile, Becca was having trouble with Justin Burton, her student that she also tutored outside of class, who had been left smitten by her. Becca's suspicions about Jake were revived when she discovered that Ben - his best friend - had hit him, resulting in him confessing to having an affair with Lisa Hunter. Just as Becca was about to come around, Jake broke the news to her that he and Lisa had both tested positive for chlamydia. She then ended her engagement to Jake and kicked him out.
=== 2005-2006: Affair with Justin ===
With Becca now single, Justin's advances became worse, with Becca receiving a seductive photo and the pair sharing a kiss. After outrightly rejecting Justin, Becca decided to give Jake another chance. In amidst her problems with both Jake and Justin, arrived Becca's sister Nancy Hayton. As Jake and Becca reconciled, Nancy eagerly attempted to impress Becca so she'd allow her to move in. Becca introduced Jake to her parents Charles and Margaret and the meeting went well, until Frankie let slip that they both had chlamydia! Regardless, the pair prepared for their August wedding, despite Justin's sabotage attempts and Frankie deciding to make the wedding a double wedding with her fiancée Jack Osborne.
Becca and Jake began having marital problems almost immediately, fuelled by their financial problems and Jake's discomfort in Becca visiting Justin at Longmere Prison as he awaited his trial for the murder of Stephen 'Macki' Mackintosh. She testified in Justin's trial in November 2005 and after his release following a not guilty verdict, turned to him for comfort as she began regretting marrying Jake. She ultimately gave into her feelings for him on Christmas Day 2005 and the pair shared a kiss. Despite rejecting him afterwards, the pair began their affair on Valentine's Day 2006, with Becca confessing to Mandy.
After Charles suffered a heart attack, Becca planned to visit him without Nancy, taking Justin so they could continue their affair in a hotel. However, Charles suffered a second heart attack, which proved fatal, leaving Becca feeling guilty. Becca continued the affair regardless, with Nancy's best friend Nicole Owen catching them in the classroom but deciding to keep quiet. Becca's troubles continued when she discovered that she was pregnant and didn't know if Justin or Jake was the father. She decided to flee the village with Justin, but news of the death of Mandy's baby Grace Hutchinson prevented her from leaving.
=== 2006-2007: Revelation, Repercussions and Death ===
On Nancy's birthday, Nicole came clean to Nancy about what she had witnessed. Nancy ultimately turned on Becca and Justin, especially upon realising that her affair was the reason she couldn't visit her father, and led her to come clean to Jake. Jake also reacted badly, attacking Justin and leaving Becca. Justin then moved into the flat, angering Nancy. As the school had been made aware of the affair, Mrs. Webster met with Becca and fired her with immediate effect. The pair had big financial struggles, living off Justin's child benefit and Il Gnosh wage, and Becca's wage at fast food restaurant Chickin Pickins.
Justin and Becca's relationship turned sour as a result, with Becca regretting the affair as Justin proved to be immature and rash. After he proposed to Becca with an engagement ring he had bought on her credit card, Becca decided to end things with him. Infuriated, Justin went to the police station and reported Becca, claiming that they had first slept together when he was fifteen. Becca was ultimately arrested. Her trial was held in December 2006, where she was sentenced to two years imprisonment. Immediately afterwards, Becca went into labour and gave birth to a son, Charlie. Still unaware of Charlie's paternity, Becca and Jake agreed that Jake would be Charlie's father.
Nancy started a campaign to get Becca's release, whilst Jake and Becca made plans to get back together. Meanwhile, Becca made friends with Jacqui McQueen in prison, who - upon her release - also tried to make Justin tell the truth. A drunken Justin eventually admitted the truth to Warren Fox, who ordered Justin to tell the police. However, as Becca was set to be released, she was attacked and stabbed by her cellmate Fran Hathaway. After a successful surgery, Becca suffered a blood clot and died of a heart attack in hospital.
=== 2007-2023: Death Aftermath ===
Fran was sentenced to life imprisonment for her murder of Becca, although she was already serving another life sentence. Most of the villagers turned against Justin, including Jake, Nancy and Louise Summers - who was living with the Valentine family with Justin at the time. Meanwhile, Nancy and Jake initially struggled to cope with raising Charlie. Nancy continued her campaign for Becca's exoneration and Becca was posthumously cleared of charges in July 2007, with her family offered £11,000 in compensation. In January 2008, Justin was revealed as Charlie's biological father, but Jake remained Charlie's legal father. In June 2009, Justin visited Becca's grave before going on the run for Warren's death.
In February 2012, Nancy's fiancé Darren Osborne planned a surprise Valentine's Day wedding for Nancy, only for Margaret to scold him as it would be the anniversary of Becca's death. In July 2018, Fran's daughter Brooke Hathaway arrived, revealing that Fran was dying and asking for her forgiveness over Becca's death. After Nancy agreed to forgive Fran, Fran died of a cardiac arrest. In December 2022, Nancy attempted to comfort Eric Foster over the death of his sister Verity Hutchinson by mentioning Becca, but he discovered that she had been accused of pedophilia and turned on Nancy - serving as one of his motivations for holding a siege at The Dog in the Pond in January 2023.
== Appendices ==
=== Residences ===
Address 	Duration
12 Hingham Road 	September 2001 to 2003
5 Oakdale Drive, Flat 1	2003 to 20th December 2006
Longmere Prison 	20th December 2006 to 15th February 2007
=== Employment History ===
Job 	Duration
Hollyoaks Community College student 	September 2001 to July 2003
Hollyoaks Comprehensive College teaching assistant	22nd October 2002 to July 2003
Hollyoaks Comprehensive College teacher 	9th September 2003 to 14th July 2006
Chickin Pickins employee 	2006
== Background Information ==
* Becca's parents were initially referred to as "John" and "Andrea Hayton", with her sister being named "Zoe Hayton".
* Hollyoaks: The Good, The Bad & The Gorgeous incorrectly gave her DOB as 1982.
== Quotes ==
== See also ==
* List of appearances
* Hayton family
== Gallery ==
Becca dean.jpg
Becca justin.jpg|Becca and Justin begin an affair
Becca stabbed.jpg|Becca is stabbed in prison
Becca Dean gravestone.jpg|Becca's Headstone
Category:Hollyoaks characters
Category:2001 debuts
Category:2007 departures
Category:1982 births
Category:2005 marriages
Category:2007 deaths
Category:Deceased characters
Category:Murder victims
Category:Hayton family
Category:Dean family
Category:Students
Category:Teachers
Category:Hollyoaks High School employees
Category:Residents of 12 Hingham Road
Category:Residents of 5 Oakdale Drive, Flat 1
Category:Longmere Prison inmates
Category:Ex-convicts
Category:Book characters