Earlier this year in EastEnders, beloved character Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) was sexually assaulted by a man called Pastor Clayton (Howard Saddler).
The ordeal utterly terrified her. Afterwards, she raced to the laundrette to find safety but was spotted by Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe). Inside, Yolande opened up to Elaine but begged her to
keep the matter a secret, fearful of what would happen next and the impact it would have on her relationship with Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker).
A few weeks later, Yolande opened up to Patrick and revealed the assault in a two-hander episode of the BBC One soap.
After realising that little action was being taken against him, Yolande made the brave decision to report Pastor Clayton’s actions to the police last week.
It was sparked after he placed his hand around her waist during the baptism of Chelsea Fox’s (Zaraah Abrahams) son Jordan.
Following the service, she rushed out of the church and ran for the station, with the rest of the family soon becoming aware of what happened.
The conclusion to finally report him seemed to be inspired by an earlier conversation about bravery with Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris), who had her own difficult moment after having to attend brother Keanu Taylor’s (Danny Walters) funeral.
Building up the courage, she walked up to the reception desk and told the officer that she wanted to report her sexual assault.
In Thursday’s (June 20) episode of the BBC One soap, Yolande gave her statement to the police and was then taken home by Elaine.When she returned, Yolande told her family the truth about the assault. When Denise Fox (Diane Parish) then made her way to the community centre to confront the Pastor, she saw him being arrested.
This week in Walford, Yolande is despairing to the family when Levi arrives. He reveals that he’s done some digging and discovered a woman called Delia accused Pastor Clayton of sexual assault back in 2016.
Levi suggests Yolande and Delia go to the police together, however, as she worries about the impact it would have on the lady, Yolande agonises over whether to pursue this.
After previously being told by DS Page that there isn’t enough evidence as it stands to charge the Pastor, will Yolande push forward with contacting Delia?