Kel tries to stop Paul from talking
CAN BILLY HELP HIM SPEAK OUT?
There’s more turmoil for Paul this week, as paedophile Kel digs in deeper with his unsuspecting family. Paul’s confusion and emotional trauma have been growing by the day, as he struggles to see Kel creeping up to Gemma, Bernie and Chesney. However, he can’t bring himself to tell them why he’s so upset and what Kel did to him – even as Billy tries to make his friend accept that he was deliberately groomed.
“Paul has all this guilt and shame because nobody else knows what happened between the two of them, and Kel was his mum’s partner,” explains Peter Ash, who plays Paul. “When Kel first arrives, Paul has his guard up and he is very aggressive towards Kel, but it all comes from his confusion about what happened. He didn’t realise he was being
groomed, and he had very strong feelings for Kel.”
When he turns up at the Rovers this week to find his whole family sitting with Kel, and looking at baby scans, Paul can’t hide his disgust. Everyone is shocked by how rude he is, and then Gemma drops the bombshell that they’ve had some worrying news about one of the quads. Feeling guilty, Paul decides to change his attitude for Gemma’s sake. However, it’s not long before Kel collars him. He begs Paul to keep quiet, but will he? Peter thinks it’s important for Paul to find the courage to speak out…
“I’ve been working with Duncan from Survivors Manchester, and his experience was very similar to Paul’s,” shares Peter. “It was important for me to talk to him about all the conflicting emotions and how some people don’t accept it’s abuse till later on in life. People blame themselves until they realise this, and then there’s a whole raft of emotions.”
Although Paul’s still in denial, caring Billy is determined to help his former boyfriend through this tough situation. He reiterates that what happened to Paul was child abuse, yet after Billy pushes the point, Paul snaps – and Billy is left feeling fearful that he’s blown it.
However, there’s a bigger problem for Billy when he spies Kel giving young Joseph a lift home from school. Realising that Chesney’s son could be in danger if he’s alone with Kel, Billy invites Joseph to join him and Summer for tea. He won’t allow Kel to make Joseph his next victim – but is Paul the only one who can lift the lid on what the evil predator is really like?
“Paul didn’t realise that he was being groomed”