Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) has been left feeling hopeful after meeting another victim of Dr Caitlin Todd (Caroline Harker) in Emmerdale. The development comes after DS Reid (Angela Lonsdale) visited Charity and shared the devastating news that the Crown Prosecution Service would no longer investigate Dr Todd due to lack of evidence. The news left Charity deflated, all fight draining from her in seconds. She headed upstairs to rest.
Mackenzie’s theory leads to new evidence
Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) sat with Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) and put forward his theory that Dr Todd has more victims. He was certain because when Jacob Sugden (Joe-Warren Plant) tried to make a complaint against Caitlin, the surgeon went to great lengths to get him to drop it. Mack believed that if Caitlin was innocent, a complaint from a resident doctor wouldn’t have bothered her that much.
With a plan in place, Vanessa headed to the hospital to see Jacob in today’s episode. They met with HR representative Carol, who was reluctant to reveal details about Dr Todd but did allude to knowing something about the person Vanessa claimed Caitlin is. Unable to directly confirm anything due to her job, Carol subtly printed off a document and walked away. Vanessa picked it up, which led her to a woman named Helen.
Charity confronts Vanessa, meets Helen
By this point, Charity had discovered what Mackenzie and Vanessa had been up to. At the hospital, Charity tried to confront Vanessa but grew curious when she was introduced to Helen. The new face was very reserved and didn’t want to tell Charity and Vanessa about her experiences with Caitlin. However, things changed when Charity quietly told Helen that she was sexually assaulted by the doctor.
This prompted Helen to open up. She revealed that after she rejected Dr Todd’s attempt to kiss her, she too was attacked. This led to Caitlin making a complaint against Helen in an attempt to cover up what happened. Charity and Vanessa helped Helen see that if she spoke out, they could work together and get Dr Todd convicted. Helen knew they were making a very good point but did not confirm whether she would be comfortable telling someone else what happened.
Charity dares to hope again
Even though Charity could sense Helen’s hesitancy, she still allowed herself to feel a tiny bit hopeful again. The meeting marks a turning point for Charity, who had been devastated by the CPS decision. According to the legal definition of assault by penetration, Dr Todd could face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted. However, a flashforward has confirmed that someone will murder Dr Todd, meaning she will not go to prison for her crimes.
