Emmerdale fans have theorised how the prison guard Ian could be connected to Leyla Harding after Meena Jutla’s verdict in her court case was finally revealed last night.
Meena had been accused of murdering Ben Tucker, Andrea Tate and Leanna Cavanagh - and whilst the whole of the village and the audience all knew about her crimes, she had categorically denied them in court.
It meant that Dr Liam Cavanagh - Leanna's father - and Dr Manpreet Sharma - Meena's sister - had to take to the stand as they were quizzed about their relationship with Meena, as the killer accused them of being responsible for the deaths in one way or another.
But last night Meena’s verdict was finally handed down, as the jury found her guilty of all the charges made against her, leaving fans divided.
During Thursday’s instalment of the ITV soap, prison guard Ian betrayed murderer Meena during her court trial.
The twist came after Carol Butler, whose sister Nadine was murdered by Meena years ago, sought justice in dramatic scenes.
Prior to the verdict, Carol had smashed a mirror in the toilet and hidden a shard of glass up her sleeve, only to shock viewers as she stabbed Meena in the aftermath of the jury's guilty charge.
As Meena lay lifeless on the floor, the prison guard who had previously seemed charmed by the serial killer’s flirtation, called an ambulance while the court's judge asked for a doctor as Manpreet Sharma attempted to save her sister.
However, it was soon revealed that Meena had duped onlookers, when she then suddenly grabbed the shard of mirror and held Manpreet hostage in the courtroom.
The police eventually stormed the building as Meena realised she was going to be either shot or caught, resulting in her desperate decision to take hostage Manpreet down the side of the courtroom as she attempted to make an escape.
But with just one final door to pass through to make her speedy getaway, Meena realised that Ian, who she had asked to create an escape route, had failed to open the last door.
A frustrated Meena shouted: “No, oh Ian! You had one job, I asked him to make sure both doors were unlocked. Why do all men in my life let me down?”
Panicking, she attempted to do a U-turn back into the courtroom, only to realise the door had locked itself behind her, trapping the killer nurse in the courtyard.
After dramatic scenes between he sisters which saw Meena confess to killing their father, the police finally caught the murderer and led her back to the courtroom.
The climactic episode ended with a furious and distressed Meena screaming: "No, this is not how it ends!"
Emmerdale fans were divided by the guilty verdict, with some disappointed she would be sentenced to prison after her heinous crimes as they praised her “incredible” character.
ITV viewers praised prison guard Ian over the door twist, with some predicting he could have a secret link to Leyla, who has made a series of mysterious phone calls in recent episodes, or Meena's first victim Nadine.
Taking to Twitter, one fan wrote: “Ian set her up! Is he working with Leyla?”
A fellow fan tweeted: “So Ian is going to have a connection to Nadine, right?”
Another viewer wrote: “Well, I have to hand it to Ian. He saves the day by locking the door!!”
Another added: “Looks like Ian wasn't actually as taken in by Meena as she clearly thought. Where did he suddenly disappear to though?”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV.
