Casey Braxton

Casey is the son of Darryl Braxton and Ricky Sharpe, and was named after Brax’s late younger brother. Ricky discovered she was pregnant on the same day that the elder Casey was killed after being caught in the crossfire of Brax’s feud with Jake Pirovic. Jake had intended to shoot Brax, but Casey was struck instead and died in his brother’s arms. Brax became consumed with getting revenge on Jake, and it was only after Ricky revealed that she was pregnant that he finally abandoned his plans. Although Brax had previously worried about becoming a father because of his own upbringing, he and Ricky embraced the pregnancy and were delighted when an ultrasound revealed they were expecting a boy. However, Brax was later falsely accused of murdering Dean Sanderson. He initially agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter in return for an eight-year sentence, but changed his mind and pleaded not guilty. When evidence threatened to implicate Ash in the crime, Brax confessed to Dean’s murder and was sentenced to twenty years in prison. Brax was therefore behind bars when Ricky went into labour. Unable to contact the rest of the family, she ended up relying on John Palmer to get her to hospital, where Denny Miller and later Kyle Braxton supported her through the birth. Ricky refused to choose a name until Brax had met his son. After first speaking to Brax on the phone, Ricky took the baby to visit him in prison. Brax met his son for the first time and he and Ricky decided together to call him Casey in memory of Brax’s brother.

Ricky initially struggled to adjust to motherhood and became insecure when Kyle and Ash seemed more comfortable looking after Casey than she did. With Brax still in prison, she depended heavily on friends and family for support, including Marilyn and John, and later asked Kyle to be Casey’s godfather. At Casey’s naming ceremony, Ricky dressed him in a shirt made from one of Brax’s old shirts, while Kyle promised to always be there for him. Casey’s first months were also overshadowed by danger surrounding his father. Brax became embroiled in a conflict with fellow inmate Gunno, whose associates were threatening his family, and eventually arranged to escape during a prison transfer. Ricky learned of the plan and decided that, if necessary, she and Casey would go on the run with him. However, Gunno’s men ran the prison vehicle off the road and into a river. Brax disappeared after the crash, presumed dead. Brax had actually survived, but realised that Gunno believing him dead was the best way to keep Ricky and Casey safe. He instructed Ash not to tell anyone he was alive and secretly returned to Summer Bay briefly for one last look at Ricky and Casey before disappearing again. Ricky found it difficult to cope with both Brax’s apparent death and the demands of caring for Casey. At one point she admitted that looking at her son reminded her of Brax, while Marilyn, John, Kyle, Ash and others regularly stepped in to help. With Ricky believing Brax was gone for good, Nate Cooper increasingly became part of her and Casey’s lives. Although Ricky initially tried to arrange babysitters so she and Nate could have time alone, Nate was keen for Casey to be included and gradually became an important father figure to him.

At the beginning of 2016, Ricky finally learned that Brax was alive. She and Kyle followed a possible lead on his whereabouts, leaving Casey with Josh Barrett, but returned to find him unwell. Nate diagnosed Casey with viral meningitis and he was taken to hospital. Ricky decided that finding Brax was no longer her priority and resolved to concentrate on Casey and her future with Nate. Brax then unexpectedly returned to Summer Bay. He explained to Ricky that he had remained hidden because he believed she and Casey would be safer if Gunno continued to think he was dead, and asked her to take Casey and go on the run with him. Ricky refused, having committed herself to Nate, although she agreed that Brax could see his son. The following day, Nate prepared to take Ricky and Casey home. Once they had returned to the house, Ricky found Brax waiting for them and he was able to hold Casey again for the first time since disappearing. Their reunion was interrupted by Nate’s unexpected arrival, and Brax eventually left Summer Bay once more. Before leaving, Brax bought a car for Casey for when he was older. The gift later caused tension between Ricky and Nate, but Ricky continued to build a future with Nate and eventually married him, with Casey accompanying her and Kyle to the wedding.

After the wedding, Nate became enough of a father figure to Casey that the youngster surprised him by calling him “Dada”. Ricky was unsettled by the moment, knowing that Brax was still alive and remained Casey’s father. Brax himself stayed on the edges of Casey’s life and later sent him a card for his first birthday. Ricky and Nate’s marriage eventually broke down, with Nate recognising that Ricky had never completely stopped loving Brax. He contacted Brax and asked him to return to Summer Bay. By then, Brax had been cleared over Dean’s death after someone else confessed. He returned and asked Ricky to make a fresh start with him. This time, she accepted. Nate offered to look after Casey while Ricky packed and said an emotional goodbye to the child he had expected to raise as his own. Ricky, Brax and Casey then left Summer Bay together.

The family subsequently settled in remote Western Australia, where Brax ran a cattle station.

By 2026, a now 10-year-old Casey was particularly eager to follow his dad into station life. He enthusiastically helped Brax with jobs around the sheds and negotiated for permission to join the muster the following year. Their relatively peaceful life was disrupted when Dean Thompson contacted Brax and asked him to shelter Tane Parata, who had gone on the run after being framed for drug possession. Ricky was reluctant for Brax to become involved in anything that might threaten the life they had built, but Brax eventually agreed to hide Tane in a shack on the property. Casey was immediately curious about their mysterious guest. He felt sorry for Tane and tried to take him food, and continued asking his parents questions about him. As Brax and Ricky gradually relaxed the rules, Tane was invited to spend time with the family, including joining them on a fishing trip. During the trip, Brax admitted that he hadn’t been around much when Casey was a baby, while Tane showed the family a photograph of his own son, Archie. However, Brax remained determined that Casey shouldn’t inadvertently expose Tane’s whereabouts, and when Casey took a photograph that included him, Brax made him delete it. Tane’s presence ultimately forced Brax to confront the fact that his own legal situation had never been properly resolved. Although someone else had confessed to Dean’s murder years earlier, Brax had already escaped custody by that point and had never formally surrendered himself. After Cash Newman and Jo Langham tracked Tane to Western Australia, Brax asked Cash to find out whether he was still wanted. When Cash confirmed that Brax’s case was still open, Brax began questioning whether keeping his family in hiding was fair on Casey. Ricky pointed out that their son had never known anything different, but Brax wondered whether Casey deserved a more normal life.

Brax, Ricky and Casey consequently travelled back to Summer Bay, although they initially hid out at Tane’s house while waiting for Brax to resolve his legal situation. Casey was excited by the idea of a holiday, but quickly discovered that remaining hidden meant he had to stay indoors, avoid speaking to anybody and even stay out of the pool. Being confined to the house soon became too much for him. When Casey spotted Remi Carter falling in the street outside, his instinct to help overrode Brax’s strict instructions. Casey ran outside and helped Remi back to his feet, only to panic and race back inside when John appeared and asked his name. Brax was initially angry with Casey for disobeying him, but Ricky pointed out that their son had only broken the rules because he saw somebody who needed help. Brax accepted that she was right and apologised. Brax then decided to turn himself in. Before leaving, he explained to Casey that he had got into trouble a long time ago and needed to tell the police what had happened. Casey was worried about what might happen to his dad as Brax hugged him and Ricky goodbye. As Brax left Tane’s house, he passed John, finally confirming the identity of the mysterious family John had been trying to uncover. With the secret now out, Ricky properly introduced him to Casey and explained that John was the man who had got her to hospital on the day Casey was born.

While Brax was being interviewed by the police, Ricky tried to take Casey’s mind off his worries by showing him around Summer Bay. They properly introduced themselves to Remi, who thanked Casey for helping him after his fall, before Ricky took him to Salt and explained that she and Brax had once run the restaurant. Brax was released for the night before appearing before a magistrate the following morning. He returned to Ricky and Casey with the news that no further action would be taken against him, meaning the family no longer needed to hide or follow the strict rules Brax had imposed. Brax and Ricky celebrated with a kiss, much to Casey’s disgust. With Brax finally free, the family began enjoying Summer Bay without restrictions. Brax, Ricky and Casey spent time together on the beach, throwing a football around as Brax and Ricky began considering where they wanted the family to call home. However, Casey soon realised that there was a side to his family history that Brax and Ricky had never told him about. During a meal at Salt, Mackenzie Booth noticed Brax’s distinctive Blood and Sand tattoo and mistook him for a River Boy contact. Ricky became frustrated at Brax being drawn back into River Boy business, while Casey was annoyed that his parents still wouldn’t properly explain the significance of the tattoo. Casey also inadvertently played a crucial role in clearing Tane’s name. After finding Archie’s baby monitor, he switched it on without realising that it contained footage showing Kerrie Matheson planting the drugs that Tane had been framed for. Casey dropped and broke the monitor before seeing what was on it, but later apologised and gave it to Ricky. Brax repaired it and discovered the footage, which was then handed to Cash as evidence.

Brax and Ricky later took Casey to Mangrove River for fish and chips, wanting to show him where they had grown up. However, the family outing gave Casey another glimpse into the history his parents had been reluctant to discuss. When several shirtless River Boys walked past, Casey noticed that they carried the same Blood and Sand tattoo as his dad and began asking questions. The situation became more uncomfortable when Sterlo, a River Boy Brax had previously clashed with at Salt, confronted him in front of Ricky and Casey. Brax resisted the temptation to fight and walked away, with Ricky assuring him that he had done the right thing. Brax’s restraint didn’t last. After learning more about the River Boys’ recent behaviour in Summer Bay, including their attack on Theo Poulos, he returned to Mangrove River to confront Sterlo. Ricky realised where he had gone and followed with Casey, arriving to find Brax fighting Sterlo. Casey was left shaken after witnessing a violent side of his father that he had never seen before. The incident prompted Casey to begin asking much more difficult questions. He wanted to understand Brax’s history with the River Boys and, most importantly, what had really happened to the uncle whose name he carried. Ricky told him that was something he needed to ask his dad. Brax sat Casey down and explained that his uncle’s death hadn’t been an accident, but the result of a bad situation that should never have happened. He admitted that he wished he could turn back time and do things differently, because if he had, his brother might still be alive. Casey’s reaction added to Ricky’s concern about remaining in Summer Bay. She worried that if they stayed, their son could eventually be drawn towards the River Boys himself. Brax was more reluctant to leave, but after talking things through with Alf Stewart, he concluded that home was simply the place where his family was safe. With that in mind, Brax agreed with Ricky that their future lay back in Western Australia, and the family returned to the cattle station.