diff --git a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java
index ae466210d..125ab1d98 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/persist/DefaultPersister.java
@@ -764,7 +764,14 @@ public final class DefaultPersister implements Persister {
 				// increase depth for batching order
 				t.depth(+1);
 				for (Object removedBean : modifyRemovals) {
-					deleteRecurse(removedBean, t);
+				  if (removedBean instanceof EntityBean) {
+				    EntityBean eb = (EntityBean)removedBean;
+				    if (eb._ebean_getIntercept().isLoaded()) {
+				      // only delete if the bean was loaded meaning that
+				      // it is know to exist in the DB
+				      deleteRecurse(removedBean, t);
+				    }
+				  }
 				}
 				t.depth(-1);
 			}
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/cascade/TestPrivateOwnedIgnoreTransientOrphan.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/cascade/TestPrivateOwnedIgnoreTransientOrphan.java
index 905198d92..ed94dac43 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/cascade/TestPrivateOwnedIgnoreTransientOrphan.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/cascade/TestPrivateOwnedIgnoreTransientOrphan.java
@@ -29,12 +29,14 @@ public class TestPrivateOwnedIgnoreTransientOrphan extends BaseTestCase {
 		
 		master1 = Ebean.find(master0.getClass(), master0.getId());
 		
+		// Add then remove a bean that was never saved (to the DB)
 		master1.getDetails().add(new TSDetail());
 		master1.getDetails().clear();
 
 		try{
 			Ebean.save(master1);
 		} catch (OptimisticLockException exception) {
+		  // Occured when the "unsaved" bean was wrongly being deleted
 			Assert.fail("Optimistic lock exception wrongly thrown: " + exception.getMessage());
 			return;
 		}