The following article contains spoilers from the episode of Emmerdale dated October 12. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX and YouTube.
Bradley Johnson’s final scenes as Vinny Dingle have aired in today’s episode of Emmerdale.
Vinny’s life changed earlier this year when he made the mistake of being on the phone while driving his car. Distracted trying to comfort an upset Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham), Vinny failed to notice his car moving onto the other side of the road.
By the time Vinny’s eyes returned to what was in front of him, it was too late. Jimmy King (Nick Miles) was driving his car on the other side of the road, and was forced to swerve his vehicle to avoid smashing into Vinny.
Jimmy crashed his car into a wedding marquee, knocking Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) and Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) unconscious. Jimmy died moments after the collision due to his injuries, while Dawn lost her life in hospital.
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Vinny kept his involvement a secret for weeks, but his guilt ultimately saw him tell Joe and Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) the truth. He was charged with death by dangerous driving and, in today’s instalment, Vinny went to court.
Instead of being like the Emmerdale residents who run away when they’ve made a mistake, Vinny faced the situation head on. He knew he needed to face the consequences and spend time behind bars – but no-one expected his sentence to be so huge.
Because Vinny pleaded guilty, everyone believed that he would be out in a couple of years. Unfortunately, the Judge didn’t have the same view. Due to the CPS wanting to show others what could happen if they’re on their phone while driving, and the fact Vinny kept his involvement in the crash a secret for weeks, he was sent to prison for a massive 10 years.
Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) and Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) were absolutely devastated.
In his final scenes, Vinny’s letters to Joe and Nicola revealed just how sorry he was. He apologised for causing the crash and the aftermath that followed, while urging them to move forward and find comfort in their families.
It was a poignant final goodbye for Vinny, who was left to face the fallout of his actions while hoping those he had hurt could eventually find a way to heal.