She discovered her abuser has passed away.
This article includes discussions of past sexual abuse that some readers may find upsetting.
Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) opened up about her childhood trauma in emotional Emmerdale scenes tonight (2nd February), as we discovered that her abuser Mark Bails (Rocky Marshall) has died in his prison cell.
This week, Charity was left in shock when she received a phone call with huge news. And in the aftermath, her cheating fiancé Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) clocked her worrying behaviour and panicked that she knew his secret – especially when she made a comment about lying, cheating men.
Taking a bottle of vodka, Charity headed outside and, when she spotted that Caleb Milligan (William Ash) had dropped his car key, she swiped it. Cousin Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) rushed after her and ended up reluctantly joining her as she took the car on a joyride.
Charity drove them to a graveside, and the stone bore the name of Mark Bails. She revealed that a liaison officer had explained that Mark had died of a heart attack after serving only four years of his sentence for sexually abusing her as a teen.
Cain was supportive as Charity gave a scathing eulogy, before spitting on the grave. She told him how she could be simply going about her day, and the man’s face would suddenly pop into her head – and now this news had opened old wounds for her.
As night began to fall, Cain and Charity drank the vodka and shared a frank heart-to-heart – their first in a long time. Charity encouraged Cain to stop being so pig-headed in his own life as she acknowledged how both of their decisions and experiences had influenced their daughter Debbie (Charley Webb), as well as the children they each share with other partners.
Finally, Charity headed home and confided in son Noah (Jack Downham) who urged her to talk to Mack, who so far only knew “the bare bones” of what Bails had put her through.
After calling son Ryan Stocks (James Moore) and gently breaking the news about his biological father, Charity spoke to Mack. But though he was nothing but supportive, Mack squirmed over his betrayal when Charity commended him for being so unlike the cheating rats she had been with in the past.
As Charity suggested that she and Mack plan their wedding, can she lay the ghosts of her past to rest – and when will she learn the truth about her fiancé?
First things first: if you’re in need of a reminder of exactly who Mark Bails was, look no further as RadioTimes.com has got you covered.
Who is Mark Bails and what happened to him?
Mark Bails was a Detective Inspector who first appeared in Emmerdale in 2014, when he attempted to get Charity sent to prison for insurance fraud. But given that her husband at the time, Declan Macey (Jason Merrells) had been the one behind the scam, Charity knew Bails couldn’t pin this on her.
But Bails was a man with a grudge and instead targeted Pete Barton (Anthony Quinlan), who was the boyfriend of Charity’s daughter Debbie. Bails produced evidence of Pete selling ecstasy and he was subsequently charged with the manslaughter of a student who had died after taking the drugs.
With Debbie unaware of the extent of Charity’s connection to Bails at this point, she learned her mum was running a ‘chop-shop’ and planned to set her up to keep Pete out of jail. But later, Charity told Pete and Debbie how Bails had abused her; and to make amends to Debbie, she confessed to insurance fraud after all and was sentenced to two years.
Bails reappeared in 2018, by which time Charity was a free woman again, happily settled with girlfriend Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick). When Vanessa’s half-sister Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh) reported a former client from her days as a sex worker for harassment, it was Bails who was in charge of the case. He then went on television to talk about working with vulnerable people like Tracy, and Charity was very distressed to see him in this position of power.
Charity confided in Vanessa, and for the first time, the character’s dark past was uncovered. In a series of flashbacks, we learned that the young Charity (Mica Proctor) had been left homeless and alone at the age of 14, and she began working as a sex worker herself. Police officer Bails arrested her for soliciting, but let her off with a caution and moved her into his flat. But Charity was raped and abused by Bails and his friends for several months, and when she got away she reported him for beating her, though she left out the fact that he had raped her.
At the time, Bails lost out on a big promotion and his first wife left him, and he spent decades blaming Charity. But that wasn’t the end of the story, as 14-year-old Charity found herself pregnant and was looked after by a kind nurse at the hospital. After giving birth to a baby boy on New Year’s Eve, Charity saw him receiving urgent medical attention – and with the odds of survival looking slim for the vulnerable youngster, she fled.
In the present, Charity reported Bails to the police and explained that her baby son had died. The police knew that a DNA test could prove Bails was the father, but it transpired that there were no deaths recorded that could match the details Charity disclosed. Charity was stunned when she learned that her boy was alive and well, and had been adopted by the nurse and named Ryan.
Eventually, Charity met with Ryan, and the latter found Bails and lashed out at him. But finally, Bails stood trial and was caught out on the stand when he slipped up in his words. Bails was sentenced to 30 years behind bars, never to be seen on screen again.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, visit Rape Crisis or call 0808 500 2222 for support. You can also visit Victim Support or NSPCC for help and information.
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