Home and Away real bust-ups – brutal hammer assault, cop attack and sex crime
Home and Away is a soap filled with high-octane drama, from kidnapping to fights.
And it appears some of that is bound to spill over into real life, with plenty of actors from the Channel 5 show charged with vicious crimes over the years.
From one actress assaulting a child while out on the street to another attacking a shop worker with a hammer in a brutal incident, real life can be just as dramatic as Soapland.
READ MORE: Home and Away John Palmer star's love life – co-star romance to famous daughter
Daily Star takes a deep dive into some of the worst incidents over the years – and next time, let’s hope the drama stays in Summer Bay!
Police officer assault
Ex-Home and Away actor Joel McIlroy – best known for his role of Flynn Saunders – managed to avoid prison after being accused of assaulting a female police officer.
The actor, who has Huntington’s disease, was accused of “severely bashing” the officer, who was just 29 years old at the time.
A violent scuffle is claimed to have broken out when the officer was intervening in an arrest unrelated to McIlroy, with McIlroy accused of “viciously” shoulder-charging and punching the officer.
The injured police woman was taken to hospital via ambulance and was treated for soft tissue damage, and needed physiotherapy after suffering a dislodged vertebrae.
The Supreme Court heard that the actor’s Huntington disease, a degenerative brain condition, can cause poor impulse control, which can be contained using the right medication.
McIlroy said at his trial: “I’m still in a bit of denial that I’ve got a disease, to be honest.
“I'm happy to take medication for the sake of the safety of the people of New South Wales. I don't really have any anger towards the police.”
The soap star spent three months behind bars awaiting trial, and was granted bail of $10,000 (£5,689) in 2020.
He eventually avoided a full criminal trial and was dealt with under the Mental Health Act, with medical experts estimating he had around 10 years to live in 2020.
Five of those will be spent in care.
Brutal hammer attack
Life hasn’t been straightforward for Home and Away child star Felix Dean since he said goodbye to the character of VJ Patterson.
He was arrested four times between 2020 and 2021, with a list of crimes including driving his car through a security gate and attacking an Uber driver.
But he was eventually kept in prison custody in October 2021 after allegedly attacking a shopkeeper with a hammer – all while on bail for allegedly attacking a police officer.
The actor is said to have entered a tobacco shop armed with a hammer before hitting a worker with it, police said. The employee suffered minor head injuries and was treated by paramedics at the scene.
Dean was charged with affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of common assault and armed with intent to commit indictable offence.
His charges also included shoplifting and breach of bail.
He was on bail for two previous assaults – kicking a police officer in the leg and attempting to assault and rob the Uber driver – with a strict 6pm curfew.
After the hammer incident, Dean was refused bail, and was sentenced to 19 months in prison with a minimum term of 11 months, backdated to July 2021.
Sex crimes
In 2018, Home and Away actor Martin Lynes was sentenced to five years behind bars for sexual assault.
The actor played Adam Sharpe between 2012 and 2014.
A judge told Martin he would spend at least two years and six months in prison after the court heard graphic details of how he groped, bit and attacked his victim in February 2016.
Prosecutor Rebeka Court said he put “his hands over [the victim’s] mouth and around her throat and dug his fingers into her face”.
She added: “When the complainant lay on the couch Lynes grabbed her by the head with both hands and started banging her head up and down on the couch."
He was found not guilty of two other charges – assault occasioning actual bodily harm and having sexual intercourse without consent.
Assaulting child on street
Former Home and Away star Dee Smart pleaded guilty last year to assaulting a child on the street – before yelling at them: “Look what you’ve f***ing done!”
Smart played the role of Lucinda Croft in the soap in 1991 and 1992.
She appeared at Downing Centre Local Court in July 2022 after being charged with common assault.
A witness called the cops on Smart after seeing her hit the child over the head and shoulders several times, with Smart admitting to “just snapping and hitting and punching” the victim.
Police told the court: “The accused then began to swear at the victim, using words to the effect of ‘look what you've f**ing done’.”
The court also heard that the child was left screaming, before Smart threw a plastic spray bottle which hit them in the ribs.
She was eventually handed a two-year community corrections order for the assault.
Protest arrest
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In a rather more sedate scandal, Home and Away star Isabel Lucas has been threatened with arrest for her environmental activism over the years.
The blonde bombshell, who played Tasha Andrews in the Channel 5 soap, had Japanese police issue her with an arrest warrant after she took part in an anti-whaling protest in 2009.
She and her group were charged with "interfering with international commerce" after paddling across nets to stop dolphins and whales being slaughtered.
That didn’t stop her joining a protest in her hometown of Byron Bay against the Adani coal mine, standing side-by-side with locals.
She held up a large banner reading: “Say no to taxpayer $$$ fast track climate change.”
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