Emmerdale viewers are convinced they have identified the culprit behind the Café Main Street robbery that aired on Wednesday (July 8), and it is not Kev Townsend. Fans suspect that Ross Barton and Nicola King conspired to frame Kev, hoping to drive him out of the village.
Kev's Return and Feud with Nicola
Last month, Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) returned to the village after a kidnapping ordeal involving his estranged son, Lewis Barton (Bradley Riches). Kev's ex-girlfriend, Kylie (Pippa Fulton), had abducted him and locked him in her bedroom until a stolen piece of jewellery was returned. Ross Barton (Michael Parr) went searching for his brother Lewis and uncovered the truth about Lewis's paternity. Ross knocked Kev unconscious and returned him to Kylie, resolving the situation. Lewis was released safely and soon learned that Kev is his biological father after Kev sang Boyzone's 1995 hit 'Father and Son', leaving Lewis stunned.
Lewis quickly left the Dales to stay with his adoptive father, but returned on Wednesday to face the music. It did not take long for him to discover that Kev had been feuding with his business partner Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) over the location of his bakery van business, 'A Slice of Kev-en', which is parked outside their café.
Kev's Attempt to Bond with Lewis
Kev rushed over to his son, eager to unveil a new name for the business: 'Barton's Cake Tin'. Lewis was puzzled, but Kev explained he had changed his surname from Townsend to Barton to bring them closer together. Lewis was startled once more, but Kev insisted his new name represented a fresh start. Consequently, Lewis agreed to put their past behind them and begin anew, though Ross remained sceptical about the idea.
Kev also shared his frustration about Nicola's treatment of him. He said, "I'm sick of people thinking the worst of me and not giving me a chance. Gobby over there needs to be taken down a peg or two."
The Robbery and Fan Theories
As night fell, a person dressed in all black broke into the café and trashed the place. They threw furniture around the room, used a crowbar to knock items onto the floor, then took the cash box and fled. Did Kev seek revenge on Nicola and betray his own son? Emmerdale fans are convinced Nicola and Ross orchestrated the robbery to make Kev look guilty, in hopes he will leave the village.
Taking to Facebook, one fan wrote: "Seems very obvious to me who's robbed and trashed the café, and it's not Kev", as another replied: "I think Ross." A third chimed in: "I think it's Ross and Kev get the blame and Lewis tells him to leave", while another agreed: "I bet Nic asked Ross to do it, so he will go." "Prob Ross & Nicola to frame Kev, get him out of the village away from Lewis", added another, while one fan echoed the sentiment: "Ross or Nicola trying to frame Kev."
Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX.
