EastEnders on iPlayer today (Monday, July 27) saw Ian Beale’s future take a devastating turn as he was sentenced to prison after Chelsea failed to arrive at court in time.
Ian had been clinging to the hope that Chelsea would finally tell the truth and prevent him from being locked up. But events unfolded very differently.
Chelsea tried to help Ian in EastEnders
In today’s episode, Ian headed to court fearing he was about to be sent to prison.
Terrified of ending up behind bars with dangerous criminals, he admitted to Peter that he didn’t want him visiting if he was jailed.
Before the hearing began, Ian’s lawyer arrived with what he described as positive news. Jordan’s latest medical reports had been submitted, confirming he was showing signs of improvement. That meant Ian’s maximum sentence had dropped from five years to 12 months.
Because Ian had already pleaded guilty, he was told he would receive a one-third reduction, leaving him facing eight months in prison. Neither Ian nor Kathy saw much comfort in that.
There was still a glimmer of hope though. With Jordan recovering, Chelsea could finally tell the police what had really happened. This could potentially lead to Ian receiving a suspended sentence instead.
Later, Ian received a call from Chelsea after visiting her. She explained that she’d confessed everything to Kim and admitted Jordan’s accident had been her fault all along, meaning Ian had been telling the truth.
Chelsea promised she was on her way to court to make a statement. Ian told her exactly where she needed to go before thanking her for helping him.
Ian sentenced to eight months in prison in EastEnders
As the hearing got underway, Ian repeatedly looked towards the courtroom door, desperately hoping Chelsea would arrive before it was too late.
He even stood up to tell the judge that Chelsea had changed her mind and was on her way, asking for just a few more minutes.
The judge refused, reminding Ian that he wasn’t in charge and ordering him to sit down.
Sadly, Chelsea never made it in time after she and Kim were delayed on the Tube.
With no last-minute intervention, the judge sentenced Ian to eight months in prison.
His devastated family watched as he was led away to a cell. But with Chelsea now ready to tell the truth, could Ian still have a chance to appeal his sentence?
EastEnders usually airs weeknights on BBC One at 7.30pm.