Ethan Anderson (Emile John) made a fateful decision in a recent Emmerdale episode when he crashed a car, badly injuring passenger Nicky Milligan (Lewis Cope). Ethan knew he was over the alcohol limit at the time of the crash, and feared the consequences for his life and career if that was discovered.
So, after seeing that Nicky had already been found by Moira Dingle (Natalie J. Robb) after he pulled him from the wreckage, Ethan left the scene and left people to assume that Nicky had been driving.
It’s not long before his dad Charles (Kevin Mathurin) notices that something’s up with his son. While Ethan should be feeling happy because he’s got an exciting new job, he’s obviously uncomfortable and hiding something.
Eventually Charles takes his son into the church to ask him what’s wrong – and he’s stunned when Ethan tells him what really happened when Nicky had his accident – and who was really driving.
Even more shocking for Charles is the fact that Ethan fully intends to lie to the police and asks Charles to give him an alibi to prove he wasn’t anywhere near the fateful accident.
Charles is conflicted about whether to do the right thing and hand Ethan in, or whether to go along with the lie for his son’s sake.
Ultimately his conscience will only allow him one course of action and he reports his son to the police.
Ethan is arrested and his world implodes. Knowing that he faces prison for what he’s done, which will mean the loss of his freedom and his career as a lawyer, the worst pain of all is the realisation that his father has betrayed him.
Meanwhile Charles is left struggling with the decision he’s made as he watches Ethan being taken away by the police.
‘There’s always that battle between Charles the vicar and Charles the man and father.
He wants to do right by his son, obviously, but righteously, to do the right thing is own up and face the consequences,’ Kevin Mathurin told us.
‘Charles wants to do the right thing and support his parishioners and be supportive of Ethan – and hopefully things will work out. Sometimes you’ve got to deal with the consequences.’
