Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and causing the death of Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) in Coronation Street – but that wasn’t the biggest twist to arise from today’s episode!
The character seems adamant to protect younger brother Carl (Jonathan Howard), who was the actual driver of the car which ended up in a collision with several other vehicles, including those belonging to some residents of Emmerdale.
After realising the extent of his actions, he carried her lifeless body behind the wheel and hoped that she would get off scot-free because of her young-onset dementia diagnosis.
Their older brother Kevin (Michael Le Vell) immediately realised what had happened, having spotted a drunken Carl stumbling his way into the car immediately following Debbie’s wedding.
Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard) framed sister Debbie (Sue Devaney) for the crash. ITV
Carl was planning to flee with cash he’d stolen from Debbie’s hotel empire, furious that she’d kept quiet about his estranged mother Elaine trying to make contact with him in her dying days.
When Debbie discovered that the money was gone, she covered his tracks and explained that she had gifted it to him.
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But why was she so eager to see him walk free?
In today’s episode, Debbie appeared in court after being charged with causing the multi-vehicle pile-up. Her family had urged her to plead not guilty, but she was adamant that she was the one responsible and should be left to face the consequences.
After entering a guilty plea, she returned home and husband Ronnie Bailey (Vinta Morgan) was concerned that this would have a catastrophic effect on her illness, with a prison sentence potentially accelerating the decline of her cognitive ability.
We discovered that Debbie is in fact Carl’s mother. ITV
Solicitor Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) promised that he would use all of this information to his advantage when defending her, though of course it wouldn’t be any easy thing to do when she has admitted to the crimes.
Back at home, Debbie pulled out a memory box and began to look through a series of old photos and artefacts from her life. Hidden away in the lining of the container was the baby ID band from Carl’s birth.
Tears began to fill her eyes as she turned the tag over, to reveal that his mother was none other than… Deborah Webster.
Why has Carl been raised as Debbie’s sister, and will she ever tell him?
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