It's just a hunch, but I wouldn't be surprised if it comes out later that Shabnam was one of Dean's victims. It's been assumed that Shabnam was deeply ashamed of the incident and was silent about that and the resulting pregnancy due to her religious beliefs, and that could very well be the case. But I also wonder if perhaps she and Dean were kissing or doing other physical things that she was okay with in the club when he forced sex on her. Shabnam could have put the blame all on herself for "leading him on," not acknowledging she was raped due to her guilt. It would a very disturbing turn in all of this, but I could see it playing out this way.

I agree it is possible. Or she was so inexperienced she didn't even realise it was rape.

The only person out of Dean's supporters I can think of who was really nasty to her was Shirley but then again with Shirley being Mick's mum and Stan wanting a Shirley/Mick reconciliation, things are a bit difficult. Linda obviously loves Mick a lot.

I don't think Stan's grumpiness has anything to do with his belief in Dean's innocence. He's just generally grumpy due to his illness.

I don't think being a forgiving person is a bad thing.

Thanks for the examples.

I don't know of any rl examples but yes it could potentially happen though I expect it's rare.

It really isn't that rare.

I have a good friend who worked in the probation Service for years with Category A offenders. Another friend is a Criminal Barrister. The majority of the cases they have dealt with of very violent crimes, including sexual abuse, the criminal was themself abused as a child. And it isn't just them claiming it to get off the hooke, usually there is proof due to their parent having a criminal record themself or them having been on Social Services 'at risk' register or even having been In Care.

I'd say it is more likely for their to be a history of abuse than not in most cases.

But equally that is why it is important not to turn a blind eye and give them another chance because of sympathy for their upbringing because the cycle has to be broken or it will probably happen again when the children they've abused grow up.

I am not saying by the way it is inevitable for a victim of abuse to become an abuser. That would be deeply insulting to those that suffer abuse and manage to grow up to lead good, decent, worthwhile lives and of course there are millions of them.

But, statistically, the chances of a victim growing up to abuse are higher than somebody that hasn't been abused.

I understand that many won't understand how somebody could inflict that pain if they've gone through it themselves but they just get 'wired' differently. Same as people like kat who have been sexually abused, almost abusing themselves by making themselves sexually available to anybody whenever they get upset. It is learned behaviour patterns.

I think it's far too late for this route to be explored.the issue of what happened to Deanin prison should have been addressed when he began his obsession with Linda.

However the fact remains that if he was raped in prison, it still cannot in anyway be used as a reason for what he did. They have really dug themselves into a hole with this storyline

I think it can be used as part (emphasis on part) of the reason but not as an excuse. There is a huge difference.

Yes, I hope so

I still feel that Dean needs to die though. I read in Inside Soap today that there will be justice though.

I still think that mixing it up with the Stan storyline was the biggest mistake they made as both storylines would have been excellent as standalone storylines.

I agree to a certain point but sometimes in life these dreadful things do all happen at the same time. Stan couldn't exactly delay his Terminal Cancer by a few months due to his grandson raping his (grand)daughter in law.

The abused becomes the abuser only usually happens if that person has been the victim of prolonged abuse since childhood. Dean being raped as an adult, if that is what happened, would not be the trigger to send him on to rape someone himself, the fact is Dean has always had a messed up view of women. He spiked Stacey's drink to get her into bed and only lied about Sean beating up Patrick so he could shag Chelsea. Yet we know Dean had a happy childhood with Kevin so his issue with sex comes from something else. Perhaps its down to Shirley walking out on him and the lack of a maternal figure. It was afterall Shirley leaving him again that triggered his rape of Linda...

I've seen some speculation that he might have been raped before and if so that might explain why he doesn't consider what happened with Linda rape. A few months ago I think he was trying to convince himself that she wanted him or had come on to him but we're not seeing that now, just him being nasty.

I do think he belongs in prison but I would never wish for him to be raped or anyone to be raped. They threaten people with it all the time on crime shows which I don't like.

He will be too difficult to redeem which is a shame but it has given Matt a lot to do. It's been an important storyline in regards to showing that rapists aren't necessarily big monsters lurking in alleyways and how hard it is to prove rape when someone can just argue it was consensual. I really hope they don't make the baby his just to stir up more trouble but I think they probably will so there can be access/bonding issues. In real life cases, rapists have gotten child visitation rights but I don't want another Mick & Dean fight.

Thanks KitKat - That's an interesting insight.

Again this is all true.

Although Dean spiking stacey's drink was put down to him wanting her to 'enjoy herself' it was still an incredibly dodgy thing to do. His interest in chelsea wasn't entirely healthy and resentment in general of girls preferring other men (Bradley, Sean mainly) was always there, albeit as subtext.

It was always noticeable and slightly odd that the most obviously handsome young male in the show was the least successful with women back during that first stint. I think maybe the idea was that despite the looks and attractive wide boy persona, there is just something 'off' about him that women pick up on and makes them wary. That can happen. They've then expanded on that this time round.

But he seemed to have a perfectly normal relationship with Carly as well as Pat and Denise who were both mother figures. So it doesn't extend to all women.

I think there was always something there, but maybe his experiences in prison focused it somehow. He blamed various women, Chelsea, shirley, maybe even partly Carly as didn't Sean leave Chelsea for her, for the circumstances that caused him to be there. Because he will never accept blame for his own actions - just like shirley in fact.

Just a theory.

But as i say, understanding part of how somebody got to think the way they do doesn't always excuse it.

I always saw Dean spiking Stacey's drink as having been idiotic and stupid. I thought he did it to give her a high and he came clean when Stacey wrongly thought Bradley tried to rape her.

he only changed after his first prison stint.

Wek"l have to disagree there. Ik. Not saying he did it intending to molest or rape her or that he would have if Bradley hadn't turned up but it was one step on from idiOtic to me, it was dangerous and showed the beginnings oof a worrying attitude to 'taking control' of other people's bodies and minds, especially women.

Wasn't Deano a bit of a fantasist himself when he first came into it - I can't remember the details but I'm sure he invented a completely different backstory for himself to Pat before he was found out. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong.

No, you're right, he had.

He told Pat that Kevin had died and that Carly didn't want him around. Pat questioned him later on about why he was so upbeat after his father dying and he ran out of the house like he was offended!

Ah, that's it, thank you! Did he ever give a reason why he did that?

It could just be that the guy has had hidden issues all his life which with a combination of experience (prison) and circumstance has got worse over the years and allows him to concoct these alternate realities to make his life easier for himself and to excuse himself from dealing with things that he doesn't want to deal with.

Exactly it just feeds the stereotype that is the abused becomes the abuser...why would a victim of rape put another person threw the same sort of hell.

Rationally and logically they wouldn't but it does happen. Not in all cases of course but it does happen.

Abused become abusers became a stereotype for a reason, there are a lot of times it has happened.

ETA: as pointed out earlier though, this is usually the case with prolonged abuse, usually in childhood which does not apply to Dean. I do actually hope that they don't try and use it (if indeed he was raped in Prison) as any kind of excuse for his attack.

I don't remember, but there are a few scenes on youtube. Here is the one in question:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndC83jLyRYo



I don't think they should go down that route with Dean either, but going by the spoilers I think that's why they will attempt to do. I'd love to know whether this was DTC's plan originally, or if they are suddenly backtracking after giving Matt a new contract.

So TPTB are trying to make us feel sorry for him???


http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2...o-shirley.html

Looks like it & this could be a very dodgy route for them to take.
Interestingly they're focusing on physical abuse in prison, not sexual. (my understanding is that this is relatively rare in modern day uK prisons anyway)
It DOES give off the feeling of trying to make Dean look like the victim & symathetic, which is a dangerous game for DTC to play.

I can only think that they are attempting to redeem him (which is impossible) by going down this route.

I don't know, we may not know all of the conversation. We didn't know what he was going to say to Chelsea in his last ep in 2008 so maybe they'll be something like that again?

It is a very dangerous game. The only reason I can think of for them doing that is because Matt has been given a new contract. I wish we were told either way!