Emmerdale favourite Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) has sparked concern that he may be leaving the village after a violent showdown with his enemy Al Chapman (Michael Wildman).
Al was killed during the confrontation and Cain was subsequently charged with his murder. However in emotional prison scenes, Cain dropped the huge bombshell to his wife, Moira Barton (Natalie J Robb) that that it was actually his young son, Kyle Winchester (Huey Quinn) who killed Al.
Desperate to protect his son, Cain pleaded guilty and took the fall for the crime. Now, a long stint in prison is seemingly on the horizon for Cain — unless someone exposes the Dingle's huge secret.
With his future looking unsure in Emmerdale, will Cain be leaving the village he's called home for 19 years?
Who really shot Al?
Cain's 10 year old son Kyle was the one who shot and killed Al. In flashback scenes, we were shown the story of what really happened that fateful day.
After Cain discovered Al's affair with his sister, Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) he lured Al to a barn armed with a shotgun.
Unbeknownst to Cain, Kyle had followed him to the barn after noticing how angry he was after Faith Dingle's (Sally Dexter) funeral.
Kyle hid and watched the pair violently brawl and when they struggled for the gun, Kyle grabbed it and pointed it at Al.
Cain and Al begged him to put the gun down, but Al made a move to snatch the gun from Kyle and the weapon went off, shooting Al dead.
It was then that Al's fiancé Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton) walked in on Cain wiping the gun clean and called the police.
Is Cain Dingle leaving Emmerdale?
If nobody comes forward with the truth of who really shot Al, it's looking like Cain may be put behind bars for a very long time after confessing to the crime to save Kyle.
During the interview process, Cain lied about what happened in the barn, telling the police that he had heard a gunshot on his land and went to investigate, which is when he found Al's body.
He then explained that he was putting on the safety catch on the gun before Kerry walked in and called the police.
Will Moira be able to keep the devastating secret? And after Kyle confessed everything to his mum Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson), will she be the one to eventually expose the truth of what really happened? Or will she let Cain take the fall for the crime?
So, will we be seeing Cain sent down for good and leave Emmerdale?
It is currently unknown whether the village bad boy will be leaving the soap or what is in store for Cain, but whatever happens, we'll have to continue watching to find out Cain's future in the Dales.
Why is Cain in prison?
Cain is in prison after he was charged with the murder of Al, who was shot in the chest during their vicious fight.
Enemies Al and Cain reignited their feud after Cain rumbled Al's affair with Chas and lured Al to a barn armed with a shotgun.
The pair had an intense showdown, where Cain put the gun aside and admitted that it was just to get his attention as Cain prepared to fight the dodgy businessman.
Cain and Al violently brawled, but as they both fought to reach the gun, a gunshot suddenly went off.
Since the tragedy, it has been revealed that Cain is covering for his son Kyle who shot Al and now Cain has taken the fall for the crime.
How many years has Cain Dingle been in Emmerdale?
Cain made his first appearance in Emmerdale in 2000 and was involved in a number of major storylines. Jeff left the role six years later to pursue other projects but later returned permanently in 2009. So, he has been in the soap for a total of 22 years, on screen for 19 of those... and has since become a much-loved character.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30 pm on ITV, with a hour-long episode on Thursdays — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITV Hub.
