Dylan Penders is a young man who April Windsor met whilst she was living on the streets after running away from home. He is a known drug user and is currently April's boyfriend.
Biography[]
2024-2025: Homeless, meeting April, rehab[]
In late 2024, Dylan was living in a squat in Leeds with a girl named Becca who he was close to and several other homeless people. In December, Dylan saved April Windsor from a pervert and took pity on her, seeing she hadn't been on the street long so he brought her to the squat. He and Becca took care of April, teaching her how to survive on the street and later learned she was pregnant. In January 2025, Becca was stabbed while chasing a thief and Dylan was devastated by her death, he refused to go the funeral and got high, to April's concern. Later, it became clear that Dylan was working as a prostitute to support his drug habit which caused him to argue with April. In February, Dylan was arrested when police raided the squat but April got away.
On 3rd March 2025, Dylan was happy when April visited him at the squat but he was attacked by her father Marlon Dingle who had followed her. The next day, Dylan turned up outside April's house as she had invited him, though he was tackled by Ross Barton who believed he was a thief and Marlon was uncertain about letting him stay. Dylan suffered through spice withdrawal for the next few days and snapped at April as she tried to help, putting him at odds with Marlon and Ross. When Ketamine went missing from April's stepmother's vet practice, everyone accused Dylan of the theft. He denied it but the drugs were found in his pocket, leading to April turning her back on him and Marlon throwing him out.
Dylan then returned to Leeds, where he bought spice from a dealer and overdosed. Marlon visited him and confessed he planted the Ketamine, then offered to pay for Dylan to go to private rehab. Dylan agreed to this on the condition that he could say goodbye to April, which Marlon allowed and Dylan told April not to contact him. Dylan later wrote April a letter, which Marlon tried to keep from her but eventually told her about.
2025 to present: Return, dealing with Ray, spending time with April[]
After leaving rehab, Dylan moved into a hostel but had to leave as there was so much drug use there. Dylan then fell in with a man called Ray Walters, who helped him out and Dylan felt indebted to Ray, so when he was ordered to scope out Butlers Farm with another lad, Dylan agreed. They checked the farm for a weed crop that Ray believed Robert Sugden was hiding from him. However, the job was interrupted by young teen, Kyle Winchester, who lived on the farm and a terrified Kyle stabbed Dylan in the leg with a pitchfork before his stepmother, Moira Dingle appeared with a shotgun, driving Dylan and the other boy away. Dylan was badly injured and lurked around the village while he recovered, staying in the cricket pavilion and stealing clothes from washing lines until April found him. She was concerned about him, but Dylan pushed her away when she interrogated him about his injury. April refused to give up on him and returned with supplies for Dylan, which he was grateful for as he confided in her.
Tension escalates when Moira Dingle grows suspicious of him after the farm break-in. Kyle identifies Dylan as having been involved, and Moira confronts him, even threatening him with a pitchfork. The incident leaves Dylan shaken and with further injuries, which he tries to hide. Despite this, he remains caught in Ray's schemes, torn between wanting to protect April and being unable to break free from Ray's control.
This also highlights his struggle to find stability. He avoids moving into a hostel due to its reputation for drug use, and he receives some support from villagers such as Paddy and Mandy, who help to patch him up and offers him a place at Tenant House. Still, his secrecy and divided loyalties place strain on his relationships, particularly with April's family, who remain wary of his influence.
By October, Dylan is deeply entangled in Ray's operation, burdened by guilt, secrecy, and fear. His relationship with April becomes both a source of strength and a vulnerability, as he tries to shield her from the truth while knowing that her own involvement with Ray has already put her at risk.
Quotes[]
"Or maybe it's cos you're t'biggest perv around? Yeah, that's right, scuttle back under your rock, you perv!" (First line, saving April from a known pervert)