| Character Profile | List of appearances |
Sean Tate is the ex-boyfriend of Cindy Cunningham. Sean and Cindy began a relationship in 1999, and Sean lead Cindy to believe that he didn't mind the fact that Cindy was a teenage mother. However, Cindy left Sean to look after her daughter, Holly for a few minutes, and Sean purposefully ignored Holly. Holly ended up getting into the kitchen cupboards and made a mess, and Sean shouted at her. Sean locked Holly in the cupboard, witnessed by Cindy's brother, Max Cunningham. Sean tried to convince Max that it was not as it seemed, but Max still told Cindy - although she refused to believe him.
Sean also started physically abusing Holly, but Cindy believed that Max had given Holly bruises. The Cunningham family made clear that they suspected Sean, and Cindy was left furious with her family. Sean purchased a caravan and invited Cindy to move into it with him, which Cindy accepted, taking Holly with her. Max ended up telling his father, Gordon, what he had witnessed, which the Cunninghams saw as confirmation as to Sean abusing Holly. Gordon and Max attempted to find Cindy to try make her see that Sean was abusing Holly, but she refused to listen.
On bonfire night in November 1999, Sean deliberately burnt Holly with a firework. Due to the seriousness of the incident, social services soon got involved and attempted to convince Cindy to move out of Sean's caravan. Gordon and Max took Cindy and Holly back home, but Cindy ended up returning to Sean not too long afterwards, leaving Holly with her family.
Sean received a job offer in Tenerife, and offered Cindy the chance to bring Holly and move abroad with him. She accepted, but Holly was refused entry onto the plane as she didn't have a passport. Sean ended up leaving Cindy at the airport and left for Tenerife alone.