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 BEV 'THE BUTCHER' BAKER
played by Maggie Dence
First Ep: 472
Last Ep: 477
Total Featured: 6 Episodes
Crime: Multiple Murderer, including social worker Rob Summerton
Sentence: Unknown
Work Area: Laundry and Kitchen
Cellmate: Myra Desmond
Close To: Lou Kelly, Marlene Warren
Current Status: Dead, suicide
Although she only ever appeared in five episodes, Bev baker goes down in Prisoner history as one of the scariest. Bev arrives at Wentworth already well known. Marlene recognises her as does PO Heather Rogers.
Eerie to the women, Bev makes no attempt to hide the fact of her murders, and even goes so far as to make jokes aboout them. She also freely admits there are more bodies to be found, not just the ones she was convicted for.
Due to PO Heather Rogers' brother being a police officer, Bev takes a slight interest in her.
Bev first interest is in young Marlene Warren. Marlene is very intimitated by Bev so, knowing this, Bev attempts to intimidate her further by saying "I think we'll be good mates, Marlene" and stroking her arm.
Being so frightful, Lou Kelly decides to try and get Bev on side by offering her in on the prison rackets. Although initially not interested, Bev does seem fascinated by the idea.
The women begin to find out a little later how creepy Bev is when she shoves her hand under the press whilest Myra's using it. PO Rogers walks in and thinks it was deliberate even with Myra in a panic apologizing, but Bev insists it was a simple accident. This is the first of many scary instances as Bev says she wanted to know "what it felt like".
Due to this Myra decides to see the Governor to request Bev be transferred as she feels the women aren't safe around her. Ann understands the plight but cannot do anything without solid evidence.
Bev's next bit of 'entertainment' comes at poor old Dot Farrar's expense. While sending Dot into the cold store to get some tomatoes, she purposely shuts the door and Dot and holds the handle so Dot cannot open it from the inside. Dot panics and collapses against some shelves. A few minutes later Chef Ray Proctor returns to the kitchen asking where Dot is, Bev simply replies "She's gone to get some tomatoes." Opening up the door Ray finds Dot stuck in the freezing cold. Dot insists the handle is buted or she was locked in there but Ray checks the handle and it's working fine. Dot knows Bev was the culprit but cuts her losses and says nothing. Bev cooly stirrs the by commenting "Dot! The tomatoes!"
Lou Kelly is next when they are discussing the rackets and Bev's method of payment to be involved. Lou is confused when Bev insists she wants no money for payment, then pain when Bev uses her fingernail to put a nice gash in Lou's arm. If Lou can get her more victims to play with, then she's in.
Bev's next bit of attempted fun is one of her weak points during her stint as shes tries to takeover the press. Not wanting to back-down a vote is taken and Bev loses in a landslide. Not wanting to look too bad she stab a pair scissors into the bench and admits to Myra: "I easily could of got it right between your radius and ulna."
Surprisingly, Bev does have one moment of niceness when Dot collapses in the laundry. With all her medical knowledge she diagnoses Dot condition in an instant and requests for an ambulance.
It doesn't last as not long after Bev is showing her strength by grabbing her 'so-called' friend Marlene around the throat until she nearly passes out. Yet again, Bev shows her creepiness by asking Marlene to describe how she is feeling.
Still trying to takeover as top-dog, Bev attempts to get Judy Bryant on-side by comparing one-another. Judy is disgusted by this as her killing of Hazel Kent was a mercy-killing. Bev insists she once committed a mercy -killing when she turned off and elderly man's life-support machine. Curious, Judy asks why and Bev replies: "He machine was distracting me from my crossword."
Bev's next thrill comes when she taunts cell-mate Myra who will kill who first, as neither will back-down. Bev proves this by waking Myra during the night by sticking a razor-blade to her throat and telling her to sleep with one eye open.
Around this time there is a strike going on in the prison and a handful of social workers filling in as officers. Bev whilst in the laundry and bored decides to kill the next person to walk in. A young social worker named Rita walks in and introduces herself, and makes a bad start by asking what they're all in for. Bev uses this to her advantage to grab a pair of scissors, to kill Rita but luckily Judy notices Bev and Myra stops it from happening.
Now with Bev in on the rackets she starts up her first raffle. Fifty cents a ticket, Five dollars to whoever wins, with only thirty tickets available. She also tells of a "consolation prize" for a second ticket drawn. When all the tickets are sold, Bev announces that Marlene is the winner and gives her the five dollars. a second ticket is drawn and it's Bobbie who wins the "consolation prize." Wondering what it is, Bobbie assumes it's shampoo or something similar. She goes to Bev's cell later to get her prize and is trapped in, Bev decides that Bobbie's "consolation prize" is going to be having all the barb-wire wounds on her hands she received when escaping re-opened with a razor-blade. Bev nicknames it a "full-manicure." When Myra gets wind of this incident, she immediatley puts a stop to it. This does not deter Bev and she continues to sell tickets, but also informing the women, especially Bobbie that no-one can with the "consolation prize" twice in a row.
When the second round of Bev's game is drawn, Myra stops Bev before she can draw the "consolation prize," we later find out she does still draw it and poor Judy is the next victim. When Bev informs Judy, Judy retorts "I never bought a ticket!" with Bev replying "i didn't want you to miss out." Judy's prize is a soldaring iron to the neck, but Bev misses out on the fun she wanted as Judy passes out instantly.
The women attempt to get their revenger on Bev by drugging her tea but it backfires when she's tells Marlene she doesn't have milk and Marlene is forced to drink Bev's tea instead. Whilst all the commotion of this is on, plus the strike, Bev makes her biggest attack yet when she meets social worker Rob Summerton in the corridor and stabs him through the heart with one of Dot's knitting needles. She hides the body under Dot's bed.
When found later with blood on her she's taken to the infirmary and steals a hypodermic needle. When Rob's body is found later, the hunt is on through the prison to locate Bev. When finally located casually leaning in a corridor, Bev injects herself with the hypodermic full of air. This leads to a coronary heart attack, killing Bev instantly. She got what she wanted in the end, a final high, ending the life of what many would say, one's of Wentworth's worst prisoners and most interesting but short-lived characters.
© 2006 Peter Strauss for On The Inside.
Not to be reproduced without permission.
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Classic Moment:
Rob Summerton is stabbed with a knitting needle by Bev
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