EMMERDALE’S Rhona Goskirk has made a shock decision that could see her jailed for years.
The vet – who is played by actress Zoe Henry in the ITV soap – is being charged with kidnapping baby Ivy after she took her on the run.
Viewers know Ivy is Rhona’s biological daughter after her ex-husband Gus fraudulently used previously fertilized eggs to conceive with his new wife Lucy.
Lucy died in childbirth and Rhona has now become determined to be a mother to Ivy.
However having been charged with kidnapping her, she has a choice to make about pleading guilty or not – and the consequences that come with them.
Her solicitor told Rhona, Marlon and Mary: “I’m not saying there isn’t a case to be made her, especially given the complexities of the situation, and you might get a sympathetic jury.
“It’s not inconceivable. Even with the mitigating circumstances of your case taken into account, and that is far from guaranteed, if a jury fails to find in your favour, you’d be looking at a sentence of at least two to four years.”
Rhona was overcome with shock at the news and stormed out, furious that her plan could mean prison for a significant chunk of time.
She ran into pal Vanessa Woodfield and opened up about how she was feeling insisting she wasn’t a criminal and wouldn’t say that she was.
Later she broke the news to husband Marlon.
“I can’t stand up in that court tomorrow and brand myself a criminal,” she said.
“I know what my solicitor is saying but I’d never be able to live with myself if I didn’t stand up for what’s right.
“I know what’s at stake, but maybe I can win this. But either way my mind is made up.
“I am pleading not guilty, this is going to trial.”
