The villain desperately tries to avoid being caught.

EastEnders spoilers follow.

EastEnders has hinted at Jean Slater being framed for Dean Wicks’s evil plot.

Jean has been caring for Dean’s daughter Jade Masood, unaware that the villain has been actively trying to keep his daughter sick so she won’t leave Walford.

In Monday’s (January 25) episode, Jean was surprised to see Jade was back in Albert Square so soon after being hospitalised — unaware that Dean had discharged her against doctor’s orders.

Dean asked Jean to watch Jade because she’d been messing with her medications. As they were speaking, a journalist approached to tell Dean she planned to write about his recent fundraiser.

Dean left Jean to watch over Jade while he gave an interview for the Walford Gazette, instead of letting the writer speak with Jade.

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Johnny Carter saw a chance to get revenge, so he interrupted Dean’s interview to offer to give Dean a character reference.

“You know what they say, there’s always two sides to every story,” Johnny told the journalist.

While they were alone together, Jean was alarmed to learn from Jade that Dean had been the one in charge of administering her medications.

A suspicious Jean asked Harvey for his theories since Dean had lied to her about the medication. Harvey suspected it was likely just a case of Dean making mistakes rather than maliciously hurting his own daughter.

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Jean did some more investigating, only to discover that Dean was rationing Jade’s medication so that some days, she was taking empty pill capsules.

She rushed to convince Jade to spend the night with the Slaters, yet Dean interrupted them. Dean quickly noticed Jade’s pillbox had been moved and demanded answers.

“You’re messing with her antibiotics. Why?” Jean asked him. “I don’t understand. Why would a father hurt his own daughter?”

Dean was quick on his feet, turning the tables on Jean by demanding to know why she’d been “hurting [his] little girl”. Will Jean be blamed for Dean’s evil acts?EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.