An ex Home and Away star was suspected of being the master of a presumed drug trade union providing cocaine in Byron Bay, New South Wales.
However, it is not the very first time that an actor from Channel Seven has been engulfed in a controversy in headlines.
Here are the biggest scandals hitting Summer Bay from the crazy night at Kings Cross to Lincoln Lewis’ sex cassette confessions.
Home and Away premiered on Seven 33 years ago and quickly became a success in the United Kingdom, launching the careers of a slew of Hollywood actors.
The software, which had a spotless reputation before the turn of the century, has been dogged by scandals since the early 2000s.
Putu Winchester-Stanton
On Monday, it was revealed that 44-year-old former Home and Away actor Putu Winchester-Stanton was the mastermind behind an alleged drug syndicate supplying cocaine across Byron Bay, New South Wales.
Putu was one of seven men who were arrested on Thursday 22 April after a police raid over the Byron Shire. He was playing the show with the surfer Pogo.
The actor, who was born in Indonesia, was charged with ten counts, including selling a commercial quantity of a controlled drug and intentionally directing illegal activity.
Martin Lynes
Martin Lynes, a former Home and Away star, was sentenced to prison in 2018 for sexually assaulting a woman in his home.
He was given a maximum sentence of five years in jail, with a two-year and six-month non-parole period.
He was eligible for parole in February 2020 since his term was backdated to August 2017.
Martin portrayed Adam Sharpe, a mentor to Darryl Braxton, played by Stephen Peacocke.
Lincoln Lewis
In 2009, another sex tape controversy hit Home and Away, this time involving the show’s then-golden boy Lincoln Lewis.
After rumours circulated that his castmates had seen the footage, Lincoln confessed to making a sex tape with a former flame a year prior.
Several Home and Away stars and crew members reportedly encouraged him to try to get rid of the footage, according to The Daily Telegraph.
When you’re young, you do dumb things, he said at the time, confirming the tape’s presence.
But, as part of growing up, you learn from your mistakes. This blunder, as well as what I’ve learned from it, will go a long way towards making me a better person in the future.
Seven allegedly persuaded the then-21-year-old to seek counselling, but the actor eventually chose to remain on the show, which he did until 2010.
Jodi Gordon
In 2005, Jodi Gordon entered Home and Away as Martha MacKenzie, who used to be Burcin Kapkin’s character.
The troubled actress was involved in a strange cocaine scandal with bikie associate and Kings Cross hoodlum Mark Judge in August 2009.
After Jodi called Triple Zero under the false impression that armed intruders were threatening her life, police discovered the pair huddled in the bedroom of Mark’s Bellevue Hill house, triggering an emergency operation.
Jodi’s then-fiancé Ryan Stokes had previously reported her missing to Kings Cross police, bringing an end to a dramatic few days.
The unit’s resident confirmed that five men – at least two of them with weapons – were in his backyard and attempting to reach his balcony, according to News Corp at the time.
Armed police in bullet-proof vests responded in force, cordoning off the area while a search was conducted.
Police examined CCTV footage and discovered only Jodi and Mark hidden in a bedroom, with no signs of intruders.
During an interview with police after the bizarre incident, Jodi reportedly admitted to having taken cocaine earlier that night.
After the controversy, she and Ryan split up.
Joel McIlroy
In 2006, Joel McIlroy was nominated for a Silver Logie for his role as Flynn Saunders on Home and Away, the husband of Kate Richie’s character Sally Fletcher.
He reportedly stabbed a 29-year-old senior constable during a violent scuffle in Sydney’s Surry Hills in October 2019, resulting in the officer’s hospitalisation.
After being convicted of trapping the police woman in a cascade and beating her twice, Joel avoided the court trial. Instead, the Mental Health Act dealt with it.
Joel was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, a degenerative brain disease, in 2007.
During his 2020 trial, medical experts estimated that he would have about ten years to live, five of which would be spent in treatment.
Todd Lasance
Another Home and Away controversy erupted at the end of 2009, this time involving Logie winner Todd Lasance, who portrayed Aden Jefferies from 2005 to 2010.
He was apprehended on the night of the Home and Away Christmas party, after being seen ‘acting suspiciously’ in the bathrooms of Kit and Kaboodle nightclub in Kings Cross.
Todd had dinner with his fellow cast members after starting their night at Strike Bowling on King Street Wharf, and most of them later joined him at Kid and Kaboodle.
Officers said they saw a man [Todd] near the back of the club behaving suspiciously before he went into the toilets, according to News Corp. Later, police sniffer dogs arrived, with officers saying they saw a man [Todd] near the back of the club acting suspiciously before he went into the toilets.
Officers asked if he had anything he shouldn’t have, and it was confirmed that he took a small clear resealable bag containing white powder from his pocket.
After being arrested and charged with cocaine possession, the star was given a 12-month good behaviour bond, which was subsequently lifted following an appeal.
Johnny Ruffo
Johnny Ruffo, star of Home and Away and former X-Factor contestant, was embroiled in a controversy at the Four Seasons hotel in Sydney in 2014.
He was pictured seated at a table with white powder lines at a wedding.
The actor used a bank card to cut the material into 13 lines in one of the frames.
Johnny has never commented publicly on the images, and the Daily Mail Australia is not implying that any drug use occurred.
Dan Ewing
Dan Ewing debuted in the recurring role of Heath Braxton on Home and Away in 2007, before going on to work on a number of other high-profile series.
During a domestic dispute at their Northern Beaches home in 2011, he was charged with attacking his then-fiancée.
‘A 26-year-old man [later identified as Ewing] was arrested at the scene and taken to Manly police station, where he was charged with common assault,’ police said at the time.
Later, the charges were dismissed.
