Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt)’s life turned upside down in Emmerdale last month when his dad, Bear (Joshua Richards), reappeared after being missing for months.

Bear had finally escaped from the farm where he’d been kept as a modern-day slave by Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) and her son Ray Walters (Joe Absolom) and made his way back home, but as he walked in the door he witnessed Ray threatening Paddy and Dylan (Fred Kettle).

In a scene that was tragic and chaotic, a traumatised Bear acted on instinct to protect his son and killed Ray by crushing the life out of him – an act which has left Bear even more broken as he can’t deal with his guilt on top of everything else that happened to him while he was held in brutal conditions on Celia’s farm.

Paddy and Dylan put Ray’s body in one of the Depot vans, planning to move it and bury it later. Unfortunately Jai (Chris Bisson) drove off in the van and the body was soon discovered.

Knowing that he and Dylan are complicit in what happened to Ray, and that Bear is too fragile to deal with going to prison for Ray’s murder, Paddy has been desperately trying to keep a lid on the situation, coaching his dad about what to say to the police when they question him.

Despite his best efforts, Bear proves to be too confused and guilty to be able to keep a story straight, and soon buckles under DS Walsh (Amanda Ryan)’s questioning and admits he killed Ray. Under questioning he insists he acted alone, although DS Walsh isn’t entirely convinced.

The following day as Bear is questioned again, Paddy repeatedly interrupts the interview to try to shore up Bear’s story – leading DS Walsh to suspect that Paddy was involved in Ray’s killing. She is particularly incredulous about the idea of Bear moving Ray’s body on his own – and soon Paddy is panicking.

It seems he’s right to be worried, as another officer later arrives at the house to bring Paddy and Dylan in for questioning about Ray’s killing.

As Paddy fights for his own freedom, Bear is charged with manslaughter. His solicitor tries to reassure Paddy that the court will take into account what Bear’s been through and that he acted in self defence. In fact Paddy hopes his dad will get bail and not have to suffer the horrors of being in custody.

Those hopes are dashed when Bear insists on doing what he sees as the honourable thing by pleading guilty – and it seems he’ll be heading for jail.