EastEnders aired disturbing scenes tonight (Tuesday, September 29) as predator Craig Ingram (Matthew James-Bailey) pressured vulnerable teen Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) into having sex with him.
Amy is already struggling following step-mum Denise Fox’s (Diane Parish) cancer diagnosis. In tonight’s episode, she was caught off-guard when Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) revealed that Darnell Larson (Christopher Colquhoun) was not a stem-cell match for Denise. Feeling pushed aside, Amy confronted Denise, but things only got worse when Denise admitted she didn’t want to continue treatment. Heartbroken, Amy stormed out – straight into Craig’s arms.
Craig’s manipulation
Amy didn’t expect to find Craig outside the station holding boxes of his belongings, having been fired from his job. Craig was let go after being accused of gross misconduct, having promised a young female colleague that he could help her advance her career in exchange for ‘getting serious’. It also emerged he was still under investigation at his previous station for the same offence, leaving Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Callum Highway (Tony Clay) disgusted.
However, Craig manipulated Amy by letting her think it was her fault he’d been fired, claiming he’d been sacked because they’d found out he’d covered for her by withholding evidence. When he revealed his plans to leave, Amy panicked and eventually decided to go home with him.
Pressure to go further
Though Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) had assured Amy earlier in the episode that a boy who really liked her would be willing to wait if she wasn’t ready, Amy was left feeling pressured by Craig to go further than she was prepared to go.
With Jack already aware of Craig’s reputation, the question now is how he will react if he finds out the disgraced officer pressured Amy into sex.
