| Character Profile | List of appearances |
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.
Biography
Arrival & Abortion
Becca arrived as an undergraduate in September 2001. She was a naïve fresher who forged a relationship with fellow student Jamie Nash. The pair began to date but he was a love rat who two-timed her with her best friend. When Becca found out she dumped him but despite this, Becca always saw a different side to Nash and shortly they got back together, but it didn't last. He was killed in the minibus accident on a potholing trip in November 2002, which also killed Theo Sankofa. Around the same time, Becca discovered she was pregnant with Jamie's baby. Feeling she was not ready for motherhood, Becca had an abortion against the advice of Jamie's sister, Jodie.
Marriage to Jake Dean
Becca embarked on a relationship with Alex Bell but things were complicated. Alex had a strained relationship with Anna Green, the mother of his son, Charlie Green. Alex used Becca to make Anna jealous which worked as Anna blamed Becca for the tension between herself and Alex. Sadly, for Becca this relationship ended when Alex decided to take a job in Hong Kong. Her next relationship was with Adam Morgan, who was recovering from the car accident caused by Mandy Richardson that had left him paralysed from the waist down. Becca provided unlimited support through Adam's time of need. Becca was upset when Adam accepted a place at a film school in New York. She begged him to stay, but her pleas were all in vain, as Adam left anyway. Becca also enjoyed a brief liaison with local firefighter Ben Davies, but that didn't last.
Becca and Jake experienced tension in their relationship, especially after Jake found out she had been visiting ex-student Justin Burton (who had an unrequited crush on her) in prison, as well as when Jake had an affair with Lisa Hunter that resulted in him passing on an STD. Although the affair ended when Jake realised he was madly in love with Becca, the guilt proved too much and his first marriage proposal became a confession. The two broke up but Jake was determined to win Becca back and did so with a knight in shining armour style proposal in the village. The two married although Becca still feared she was making a mistake up until the pair married.
Affair With Justin Burton
The marriage suffered problems almost immediately, as Becca feared she had made a mistake and Jake's possessive behaviour increased when she visited her pupil Justin in prison after being pressurized by his sisters, Mel and Sophie Burton. Jake also had money troubles following his parents’ disastrous mortgage, felt he had let Becca down, while Becca felt her marriage was a mistake, and felt trapped and alone. Becca made a best friend in Louise Summers. On Christmas Eve 2005 she went to Justin's house and admitted she was jealous when she thought she found out he had slept with Nicole Owen and this led to a passionate kiss. The next day, she went back after spending most of Christmas Day playing happy families with the Deans. They slept together and she later told him it was a mistake even though it was obvious she still had feelings for him.
Becca told Jake that it would be a good idea for them to start a family together, which she would later regret as having children with Jake became the last thing on her mind. She told Mandy she had an affair with a teenager, Mandy later found out the identity of her teenage lover. When Justin told her he was leaving, she begged him to stay. She later claimed this was from an academic viewpoint only. The affair with Justin started up again on St. Valentine's Day leading her to be torn between two men who both loved her desperately but in different ways. The shock news of her beloved father's death left her feeling more confused and distraught than ever. Becca's sister, Nancy, was very angry with Becca because she went to see Mr. Hayton before he died, when in fact, Becca had intended to go to see Mr. Hayton so that she could spend a weekend with Justin, which she later regretted. Becca fell pregnant and did not know who the father was. Meanwhile, Jake began violent streak towards Becca (and attacking Justin) after learning of their affair. Becca then slept with Justin again, and later attempted suicide before admitting her love for him. However, she decided to keep the child and raise it with Justin, who moved in with her - a decision that angered Nancy when she was not consulted first.
Prison & Giving Birth
Becca lost her job as a teacher after the school became aware of her relationship with Justin, and for a short while she and Justin struggled financially living off his child benefit and wages from his job at Il Gnosh. They were briefly engaged (Justin having proposed with a ring bought with Becca's credit card) until Becca finally tired of his immaturity and ended the relationship, kicking him out of the flat. Enraged by Becca dumping him, Justin went to the police and made false statements accusing Becca of child grooming, being a sexual predator and statutory child rape. He claimed that Becca had pursued him for months and forced him to have sex with her when he was only 15 years old.
Becca was arrested and charged, and the case went to court. Despite Nicole's evidence being torn apart and Jake giving evidence for Becca, she was found guilty and sentenced to up to two years imprisonment. She went into labour as the verdict was announced and gave birth to a boy named Charlie Dean. When Jake came to see Becca in prison, they agreed that Jake would care for Charlie until she was released from prison. However, at the end of the visiting session, she could not part with her newborn son and took Charlie with her to grow up in prison. As she walked off after abusing their agreement, Jake was left distraught and furious that his son had been taken away from him. Jake convinced Becca to change her mind, which she did. Becca discovered that Charlie had been kidnapped and took her anger out on Jake. Eventually Becca and Jake agreed that they wanted to be a family again when Becca was finally released. In prison, Becca made friends with Jacqui McQueen, who attempted to convince Justin to tell the truth to the police upon her release.
Exoneration & Murder
During a drunken night at the Loft, Justin admitted to Warren Fox how Becca had been falsely imprisoned, based on his evidence. A disgusted Warren ordered Justin to inform the police. Justin then went to visit Becca in prison and made a promise to tell the truth in an effort to secure her release. Whilst she was awaiting the decision about her release, Becca was involved in a fight with and was stabbed by her cell mate, Fran. She was rushed to hospital with Jake and Nancy by her side. Becca made Nancy promise she would sit her A levels and Jake told Becca he loved and forgave her, as she told him that she loved him more than Justin. Becca died of internal bleeding, her time of death being recorded as 11:45am.
Aftermath
Justin was as equally held responsible as Fran in the eyes of the other villagers, and was treated with severe contempt and a total lack of sympathy, despite the death of his two sisters three months prior to the accusations he made against Becca. Fran was sentenced to life imprisonment, which she served until her death in July 2018. Jake continued to look after Charlie, as did Nancy, but the pair had a feud which ended when Jake went to prison. Nancy ended up raising Charlie, as did her husband, Darren, when they got together in 2011.
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.
See also
- List of appearances
- Hayton family
