Emmerdale viewers tuned in to some distressing scenes this week as Victoria Sugden (played by Isabel Hodgins) came face to face with her rapist Lee Posner (Kris Mochrie).
Turning up with his mother, Wendy Posner (Susan Cookson) in tow, the car salesman was adamant Victoria was lying about the night they shared together.
But things took a turn for the worse when Diane Sugden (Elizabeth Estensen) accidentally revealed Victoria was pregnant with Lee’s child, and Wendy wouldn’t give up harassing her until she found out the truth.
However, while the Woolpack chef said she would be getting an abortion in order to get Wendy to leave her alone, the situation is only going to get worse when Wendy finds out Victoria had lied and is in fact keeping and raising the baby.
Nevertheless, there is one way in which Victoria can stop Wendy and Lee bothering her once and for all.
“I just want to talk, that’s all,” Wendy exclaimed in an episode earlier this week. “I need to get to the bottom of this. If that’s my grandchild then I’ve got rights.”
“No you haven’t! You’ve got nothing, because there isn’t going to be anything,” Victoria hit back.
“You really think I’m going to keep this baby after what your son did to me? I’m not bringing something like that into the world!
“Something that could grow up and be like it’s rapist dad. I’m getting rid. And you should be grateful that I’ve got the sense to get an abortion,” she explained.
While viewers know this was Victoria’s ploy to get rid of Wendy, the confidence she had to state Wendy has no rights over the child suggests Victoria has sought or will seek legal advice.
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Express.co.uk spoke exclusively to Rebecca Calden-Storr, a Managing Partner and Laura-Faye Trainor, a Solicitor at Stowe Family Law about the possibility of Victoria stopping Lee and Wendy having access to her child legally.
“Victoria can refuse to allow contact between Lee and their child,” they explained. “Lee does not have an automatic right to contact. Contact is the right of the child and not of the parent.
“Lee could ask the Family Court to make a Child Arrangements Order to allow him to spend time with the child or for the child to live with him, but as Lee is a significant risk to Victoria and the child, then in our experience, it is highly unlikely that a Judge would allow Lee to see the child.
“The welfare of the child is the paramount consideration of the Family Court,” they added.
“Victoria can also limit Lee’s involvement with the child’s life by not registering him as the “father” on the child’s birth certificate.
“This would mean that Lee would not automatically acquire parental responsibility for the child and prevent him being involved in key decisions in the child’s life such as its education, health and religion.”
Elsewhere in the village, a new mystery has been revealed after bones of a dead baby were uncovered in the grounds of Hotton school.
With a policy enquiry underway, there is suspicions surrounding the identity of the mother Jenny Finn, with many suggesting it is Lydia Hart (Karen Blick).
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV.