Bobby Beale killed his older sister Lucy Beale when he was just a child. During a confrontation at home, Bobby, frustrated with Lucy's behavior and the trouble she was causing, hit her on the head with a jewellery box. This blow caused a fatal head injury, although Bobby did not initially realize she had died. His adoptive mother, Jane Beale, covered up the crime by moving Lucy's body to Walford Common and convincing Bobby that he was not responsible for her death, making him believe Lucy had gone out and was killed by someone else. The truth eventually came out when Bobby confessed, leading to his arrest and sentencing to three years in a young offenders institution