Bear Wolf's (Joshua Richards) freedom hangs in the balance as the day of the trial arrives in Emmerdale. Bear killed abuser and drug trafficker Ray when he walked in on him attacking son Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), and Paddy, along with Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle), helped cover it up and lie to the police.
After immense pressure and investigative skill from DS Walsh, Bear eventually caved and admitted the crime, followed by Paddy admitting his part in it. Now the three of them face court, and it is not looking good. Bear's confession, coupled with his continuous demonstrations of aggression, make him appear guilty. Add to that the damning evidence of the bank accounts Ray set up in Bear's name, making him look like an accomplice, and the case seems almost cut and dry.
Paddy Kirk and Dylan Penders are also facing their own days in court for perverting the course of justice. The village could be down three members by the end of this.
As the day begins, Bear is forced to relive what happened to him over the past year. 'I think he's prepared to spend the rest of his life in prison,' said actor Joshua Richards. 'I don't think he thinks he's got a chance, and also, because he's got this misplaced sense of guilt that this is what he deserves, because he has killed somebody, so he should go to prison. He's already said as much, and so he has no positive prospects or outlook going into the trial. He just thinks "this is it, pay my dues, do my time."'
April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) takes to the stand, tightly wound with anxiety and facing a brutal prosecution team. Dylan takes the stand to defend Bear, detailing how Bear saved their lives. But he faces the same treatment as April, who is left jittery as she realises she might have ruined everything.
Simo is up next, but his appearance has a detrimental effect on Bear, who is far more fragile than anyone in the courtroom realises. He sinks into a dark place, and all hope seems lost. Things are as bad as they think. During the adjournment, Zara reveals what the situation truly looks like and that they have no choice but to put Bear on the stand. This could be a nail-in-the-coffin move.
The next day, the family arrives in court to see which way the case will go once Bear is called forward. Bear's counsellor opens with a powerful speech, detailing how he was groomed and vulnerable. Bear is ready to speak, but will he save himself?
'He's forced to take the stand,' said Joshua. 'There's no choice. And is he up to it? Well, he's not in the best of mental health at that stage, so it's very difficult.'
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 or streams from 7am on ITVX and YouTube.
