Paul lashes out at his abuser, Kel – will he come clean to the cops?
CREEPY KEL FINALLY GETS WHAT’S COMING TO HIM – BUT WILL PAUL END UP BACK BEHIND BARS?
Paul gets drunk and takes his violent revenge against his childhood abuser Kel this week. But his actions could land him in serious trouble… Although Billy has tried to persuade his ex-boyfriend that he was a victim of sexual grooming, Paul has been bullied into silence by Kel. However, as Paul hits the bottle, he drunkenly confronts his abuser in the ginnel. And when Paul moves in to kiss him, Kel pushes him away, leading Paul to finally realise that Kel was only interested in him when he was a young boy. And once the penny drops, Paul sees red – he punches Kel to the floor and leaves him unconscious. “This is a dangerous situation for Kel because Paul is volatile and in a bad place,” admits Joseph Alessi, who plays Kel. “Paul is drunk and aggressive, and he won’t keep quiet about what happened. Kel is very afraid of the truth coming out, of Paul telling Bernie and the wider implications of being exposed as a paedophile. So it’s important for Kel to keep Paul on side and placate him.”
SECRETS AND LIES
After the attack, Paul lies to Gemma, telling her that he trapped his bloody knuckles in a van door. However, when Kel is found and taken to hospital, Paul eventually tells his sister the truth. With Kel in a coma, Gemma begs Bernie not to grass up her boy, but Billy insists that Paul must go to the police to admit his crime – and reveal that Kel abused him.
“Kel has lived in constant fear of somebody finding out what happened between him and Paul,” sighs Joseph. “Although, Kel doesn’t see himself as homosexual – he considers himself straight, and he wants to have another go at things with Bernie, to get their relationship back on track.
Paul is drunk and aggressive, and won’t keep quiet any longer”
“He’s repelled by Paul because he wants to move on from what happened 10 years previously,” continues the actor. “Paul is an adult now – he’s no longer a young boy, so Kel doesn’t find him attractive.”
Sadly, when Paul returns from the police station and admits to Billy that he couldn’t reveal Kel’s crimes because he can’t face dragging up his traumatic past, it seems that Kel will get away with his despicable actions. However, as Kel comes out of his coma, is he going to land Paul in terrible trouble instead?
THE BLAME GAME
The doctors declare that Kel has suffered some bleeding on the brain, but should make a full recovery, and the police arrive to interview him about his assault. Rather than implicate himself by naming Paul as his attacker, though, Kel claims he was jumped on by strangers. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that Paul is off the hook…
“Kel covers for Paul because he can then blackmail him to keep him quiet,” shares Joseph. “If Kel tells the police that Paul assaulted him, there are obvious implications for Paul, so Kel is using that against him. This is all part of his rather devious plan. Kel is very manipulative, so he makes up a story to Bernie – then warns Paul to keep his mouth shut.”
Devastated after his oblivious mother forces him to apologise to Kel, Paul packs his bags and heads to the tram stop – where he’s spied by Summer, who begs him not to go without talking to Billy first. As Paul breaks down in Billy’s arms, can he ever escape Kel’s evil clutches?
“Before Paul beat him up, Kel was losing control of this situation – but now Kel has the upper hand,” says Joseph. “Paul has to keep quiet for his own sake, so Kel has him right where he wants him…”