Emmerdale confirms Billy Fletcher's fate amid exit fears

Emmerdale appears to have answered the question of whether or not Billy will face jail time for attacking Vinny. The former, played by Jay Kontzle, put Vinny in hospital earlier this week after learning it was his negligent driving that caused Jimmy and Dawn's fatal crash.

When Vinny regained consciousness in hospital in tonight's episode (24 September), Mandy and Paddy were convinced that it was Joe Tate who had put him there. But when Mandy then went to call the police, Vinny told them the real culprit.

"I'm not reporting him, OK, them kids have lost their mum [Dawn] - they are not gonna lose their dad as well," he insisted.

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It seemed Billy's attack helped Vinny to fully acknowledge the pain his mistake caused, telling Mandy and Paddy he was now ready to "face the consequences".

The police later arrived at the hospital to arrest him on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He accepted his fate, but Mandy was distraught.

Billy, meanwhile, remained terrified that Vinny would report him, telling Marlon he "messed up, badly".

"I beat up Vinny. He admitted to causing Jimmy's accident and I just flipped out... I just saw red," he explained. "I'm a mess and now they're [the police] gonna throw the book at me."

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Marlon urged him to go and seek out Vinny to apologise, but unbeknownst to them, Vinny was already in the middle of police questioning himself.

He explained to DS Ramsden that he was on the phone to Gabby when he took his eyes off the road, saying: "It just all happened really fast... I must have made the other car swerve, because I was on the other side of the road."

Asked if he checked on the driver of the oncoming vehicle, he sheepishly said: "I pulled over, I checked all my mirrors, but everything seemed fine. So no. I just drove away."

Back in the village, Billy caught up with Mandy and Paddy, saying he wanted to "make things right". They told him Vinny had been arrested, and an emotional Mandy relayed that Vinny had refused to report Billy for his attack - meaning he was effectively off the hook.

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Following his initial interview, Vinny was told by police that after discussions with the CPS, he would be formally charged and released on bail pending a court hearing tomorrow.

"It's likely to be a custodial sentence," DS Ramsden told him, before he was taken away to be officially processed.

So though it seems Billy won't face repercussions for the attack, Vinny's own legal nightmare is only just beginning...

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.

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