Guilty Pierce in the dock
IT’S THE DAY OF RECKONING FOR PIERCE AS HE STANDS ACCUSED OF RAPING RHONA…
Rhona hopes against hope that justice will finally be served this week, as Pierce steps into the dock to hear the verdict in his rape case. It took all of Rhona’s strength to report her husband after he brutally assaulted her on their wedding day, and Pierce has continued to put her through hell ever since. But while Rhona is determined that he’ll be stopped in his ruthless tracks and found guilty of his crimes, will the court rule in her favour – or does manipulative Pierce have one last trick up his sleeve?
“By the end of the trial’s second day, the audience will be thinking, ‘It’s not looking good for Rhona’,” admits Zoe Henry, who plays her. “And it really isn’t! Pierce has a very good defence lawyer who utterly annihilates her. So it becomes quite clear that Rhona is losing it, and the jury starts wavering almost immediately…”
“Rhona has been trapped by Pierce in a very controlling manner – all thanks to the sex tape and his insinuations regarding her and Paddy,” continues Jonathan Wrather, who plays villainous Pierce. “And that makes his case look a whole lot stronger.”
In the weeks leading up to his trial, Pierce stooped to fiendish depths to escape prison. It’s not just the sex tape – he’s also collected photographs of Rhona and Paddy together, making it look as if Rhona has cheated on him with her ex.
“The tape has always been a tool for Pierce to spin the story with,” sighs Jonathan. “He’s already used it to try to force Rhona not to press charges, claiming that it’ll reflect poorly on her.”
“It has that connotation – it sounds seedy,” agrees Zoe. “Rhona is a professional woman with a business to run, and Pierce is aware of that. He knows what he’s doing!”
Rhona is relieved when she learns the sex tape won’t be used in evidence after all – though as she struggles in the face of the lawyer’s tough questioning, she can’t help but feel despondent. The situation seems even more hopeless after Vanessa takes the stand and is called out on her testimony – and they’re not the only ones left battle-scarred by Pierce and his rabid defence team…
“Even Jimmy and Marlon crumble,” reveals Zoe. “It couldn’t get any worse for Rhona. She’s prepared for humiliation, but not for the way the defence twists things. And the tape is still referenced as a way of implying that she enjoyed rough sex with Pierce.”
Convinced that Pierce will get off scot-free, Rhona bravely accosts him just before he’s due to give evidence. In an emotional showdown, she angrily claims that she’s prepared to lie under oath if it means he’ll be sent down. And when Pierce appears to waver under the force of her fury, does she have reason to hope that he might be honest at last?
“It’s a totally opportunistic moment,” says Zoe. “Rhona thinks the trial is going so badly that she can’t possibly make it any worse. She’s quite bold with Pierce.”
“Pierce has never seen Rhona like this – she knocks the wind out of his sails, and he cracks and admits what he did,” adds Jonathan. “It’s a great moment. But now we wait to see whether he’ll come clean back in the courtroom…”