EASTENDERS villain returns after being charged of sexual assault and Yolande Trueman bravely spoke out about her abuse.
Things were finally looking up for Yolande (Angela Wynter) after she received the news from Levi that the police have decided to charge Pastor Clayton (Howard Saddler) with two counts of sexual assault.
Yolande bravely spoke out about being sexually abused by Pastor Clayton[/caption]
Yolande was left feeling uneasy[/caption]
Her husband Patrick Trueman stand by her side through the ordeal[/caption]
With help from church elder Levi, Yolande made contact with a woman called Delia who accused the pastor of sexual assault in 2016.
While police declined to press charges for both women originally, Yolande and Delia hoped that they would reconsider if they came forward together.
The sinister church leader made his debut in the BBC soap in December.
In horrifying scenes, Clayton pulled Yolande in for an embrace, but slowly moved his hands to the base of her back.
Yolande was left feeling uneasy afterwards and, in scenes that followed, the pastor placed his hand on her thigh.
When she questioned his motives, he implied that she was misreading the situation.
He then locked Yolande her in the storeroom at the community centre and sexually assaulted her.
Husband Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) wanted to be by Yolande’s side when she spoke up about it, but she insisted that she needed to do so alone.
Months later, Pastor Clayton will be making a return to our telly screens, but how will it effect Yolande?
EastEnders has been working with End Violence Against Women Coalition and Hourglass to sensitively portray Yolande’s story.
Viewers have praised Angela’s moving performance, as well as her enduring on-screen partnership with Rudolph.
Before he arrived in Walford, Pastor Clayton actor Howard Saddler appeared in The Bill, Grange Hill, Ghost Hunter and The Office.
In December 2002, he made a guest appearance in EastEnders as a separate character that is worlds away from his role as Gideon Clayton.
When Jamie Mitchell (Jack Ryder) was rushed to hospital after being hit by Martin Fowler’s (then James Alexandrou) car, Howard’s character Dr Daniel Rodford was the one who treated him.
It proved to be one of the soap’s most memorable storylines, as the incident resulted in Jamie’s death.
EastEnders airs on Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Another woman called Delia who accused the pastor of sexual assault in 2016[/caption]
The police charged him with two counts of sexual assault[/caption]
Viewers have praised Angela’s moving performance, as well as her enduring on-screen partnership with Rudolph[/caption]
