Charity’s lies about Dr Todd shattered by new evidence meaning doom for Sarah in Emmerdale

Charity Dingle’s (Emma Atkins) lie that she killed Dr Caitlin Todd (Caroline Harker) was concocted in a panicked few minutes in Emmerdale, and it’s certainly not been watertight. In fact, it’s about to spring a leak.

Todd died after making the fatal mistake of choosing to confront Charity in her own home – the same place she raped her. Todd had been expecting a weak and malleable Charity, who’d bend at Todd’s will and do as she’s told. Todd had not expected this empowered, emboldened version of Charity who fought back.

Todd thought she held all the cards as she knows that Charity is Leyla’s biological mother.

Charity demanded Todd confess to being a rapist, something that took the smug attacker by surprise, and the tables turned when Charity demonstrated that she held the power. But before she could take action, she backed down and told her rapist she’d be satisfied if she just acknowledged what she did.

What she didn’t realise was that Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) was listening in the wings, learning the gravity of the situation surrounding her gran. She lost it.

She began yelling at Todd about her despicable crime, and when Todd got in her face, Sarah pushed her. A small innocent shove, which instantly became fatal. Todd tripped on the rug as she fell and smacked her head, dead. In that moment, sweet new mum Sarah became a killer.

‘When it first happened, she doesn’t even know how to process it,’ actress Katie Hill said of the aftermath. ‘…Sarah just spirals’.

Charity immediately decided to take the blame, claiming she was fighting off her attacker. But the story is weak and Sarah is not a seasoned liar.

The day of Todd’s funeral arrives and Sarah is in turmoil. Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) unknowingly guilt trips her by sharing is own anguish at killing Ray and how the same must be destroying Charity inside. He doesn’t realise he’s describing Sarah’s pain. Charity does what she can to help Sarah keep things together, but DS Ramsden (Chelsea Edge) arrives with devastating news.

She highlights that there are some serious anomalies in Charity’s statement about Todd. Charity is taken to the station, which speeds up Sarah’s spiral as Ramsden goes in hard on Charity, revealing the forensics do not corroborate her story.

Producer Sophie Roper gave us a glimpse into the future when she revealed: ‘There will potentially be some episodes and times when we’ll visit Charity behind bars.’ So we know that Charity will be charged.

But that doesn’t mean the end for Sarah’s worries.

Sarah is beginning to crack and tells a worried Serena Sugden (Casey Al-Shaqsy) she wants to come clean. But that would implicate Serena too – what will she do to keep Sarah quiet?

When asked if Sarah will see justice, Sophie revealed: ‘We will absolutely, through the course of this story, and see consequences of what Sarah has done. We’ll look at it from a legal standpoint; we’ll also look at that from how she’ll view herself and how she struggles to confront the trauma. It’s not a simple story of justice by any means, it’s complicated.’

There’s the added complication that Sarah will at some point no doubt learn the true parentage of her daughter Leyla. How on Earth will that play out?