Emmerdale’s Rhona Goskirk reels as divided jury reach shock and unexpected verdict in tense kidnap trial

Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) struggled to fight back tears in Emmerdale as the jury delivered the verdict in her trial after she was accused of kidnapping biological daughter Ivy.

Ivy, as viewers know, was born using embryos stolen from Rhona by her ex Gus Malcolms (Alan McKenna), whose second wife Lucy later welcomed the baby girl into the world.

Lucy tragically died and grieving Gus struggled to cope, with Rhona proving much more understanding than most would given that he violated her rights by stealing the embryos as she took him in to live with her, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock), Mary (Louise Jameson) and the kids.

Rhona fell in love with Ivy and therefore when Gus threatened to take her away to France, the vet felt compelled to protect her daughter, taking her without Gus’ knowledge.

Given that the law doesn’t recognise her as Ivy’s mother, Rhona was subsequently charged with kidnap and, after pleading not guilty to the charge, she was forced to stand trial.

Proceedings proved intense, with Gus’ barrister twisting Rhona’s words repeatedly, though Rhona made a strong case for herself, discrediting her ex’s false narrative by describing her love for Ivy, which Marlon and Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) both backed up during their stints in the dock.

Friday’s (April 12) offering of the ITV soap saw both the prosecution and the defence issue their closing statements to the jury, who went off to deliberate about whether or not Rhona was guilty of kidnap.

Given the uniqueness of the case, the jury was divided on the subject, with the judge requesting that they reach a verdict that at least 10 of them agreed on, which meant more waiting for Rhona, who desperately wanted to know what fate lay ahead for her.

After some time, everyone gathered in the court room, with the jury finding Rhona not guilty of the crime. Rhona burst into tears, as did her loved ones, as she realised this nightmare was finally over.

Now, the subject moves to Ivy, with Rhona declaring outside the courtroom that she intends to fight for custody of her daughter, relishing in her victory over manipulative Gus.

Emmerdale continues Monday April 15 at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.