Emmerdale reveals bombshell Joe Tate twist in Vinny's exit story
Emmerdale's Joe Tate has been up to his old tricks again, and it seems he played a major part in Vinny Dingle's recent sentencing. During Monday's episode of the ITV soap, viewers saw Vinny sentenced to 10 years in prison for one count of death by dangerous driving after he killed Jimmy King on the day of Joe and Dawn's wedding back in August.
Ahead of his sentencing, a tearful Vinny said his goodbyes to mum Mandy, Paddy, and his pal Aaron, and he was clearly feeling remorseful about what he'd done. "Just remember what I said, things will get easier, I promise you," Aaron told him as Mandy started crying.
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Once in court, the judge told Vinny that she "couldn't ignore the fact" that it took Vinny "weeks to own up" to his part in the tragedy.
"Taking this into account, I feel it is incumbent upon myself to make an example of you, in the hope that it will deter others from behaving in such a reckless manner," she told him, adding: "I therefore impose a 10 year sentence of imprisonment."
Upon finding out that Vinny would be behind bars for a decade, the family attempted to reflect on the severity of his sentence, and Mandy in particular struggled to process the outcome, but clearly felt so grateful when Jimmy's widow Nicola turned up to comfort her.
Turns out, Vinny had penned two very emotional letters, one to Nicola and one to Joe, after his fiancée also passed away following the accident.
As a voiceover of Vinny read out the letters, he was seen trying his best to hold himself together as the cell door was slammed shut behind him – but it seems Joe had something to do with his sentence.
At the very end of the episode, the judge who had sentenced Vinny was seen opening a brown briefcase – that Joe had been seen carrying earlier that day – and it was full of cash, seemingly confirming that he had bribed the judge to pass down a harsher sentence.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
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