Dean was a cellmate of Justin Burton when he was held on remand from September to November 2005. Dean was serving a murder sentence, whilst Justin had been accused of the murder of Macki. Justin's insistence of innocence made him disliked and targeted by the other inmates, as well as by a prison officer. After Dean destroyed his letter to Becca Hayton and taunted him over the recent death of his step-brother Ali Taylor, Dean and Justin fought. Justin came out worse off and was taken to the dentist where he managed to escape through a toilet window.
Justin was found and ended up back in prison in October 2005. Despite no longer sharing a cell with Dean, Dean managed to track Justin down and continued to taunt him, resulting in the pair fighting. He later testified in Justin's trial, claiming that Justin confessed to killing Macki, but Justin was found not guilty.