In the October 20 episode of Emmerdale, Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) reflects on her ordeal with Pierce Harris after learning that Belle Dingle’s (Eden Taylor-Draper) abuser Tom King (James Chase) is being released from prison. Rhona tries to help Belle by discussing her own feelings when she discovered Pierce was placed on parole.
Who Was Pierce Harris?
Actor Jonathan Wrather played Pierce from 2016 to 2020. Arriving in February 2016, Pierce was immediately involved in a dramatic storyline when he discovered his wife, Tess, had been run over. After Tess died, Pierce started a relationship with Rhona, and following their engagement, he began showing possessive behaviour, which concerned friend Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick).
On their wedding day, Pierce raped Rhona, and she later reported him to the police. In December 2019, Rhona discovered Pierce was up for parole. A month later, he returned to the village and killed Graham Foster.
Kidnapping and Arrest
In February 2020, a month after Graham’s apparent death, Pierce kidnapped Vanessa and her son Johnny. After holding them hostage for weeks, Pierce used Vanessa to call Rhona, luring her to Mulberry Cottage. There, Rhona outsmarted Pierce, who confessed to Graham’s murder while Rhona secretly filmed the confession. She injected Pierce with a vial strong enough to take down a bull, just before police arrived and arrested him.
Death in Prison
In prison, Pierce received a cancer diagnosis. Realising he was dying, he sent a letter to Rhona apologising and asking her to track down his son Marcus. Rhona met Marcus, but neither visited Pierce, who died in prison in 2022.
