The following article contains spoilers for an episode of EastEnders that hasn’t aired on BBC One yet, but is available to view on BBC iPlayer.
Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) was sexually assaulted by Pastor Clayton (Howard Saddler) in Wednesday’s (April 17) episode of EastEnders.
In the hour-long instalment, Yolande opened up about the ordeal to Elaine (Harriet Thorpe) as flashback scenes aired alongside which revealed Pastor Clayton’s previous victims.
Yolande was feeling positive when her day began. She was looking forward to taking part in the fundraiser at the community centre after spending weeks working hard to put it all together.
While Yolande didn’t see a problem with spending so much time with the Pastor and church community, Patrick (Rudolph Walker) did. He was troubled by Yolande and the Pastor’s connection and started to grow a little bit jealous.
As the event got underway, Yolande was joined by the likes of Denise (Diane Parish) and Chelsea (Zaraah Abrahams) and was pleased to see it going so well.
However, when Yolande went into a storeroom, things took a dark and disturbing turn when Pastor Clayton entered, locked the door, and assaulted the beloved character.
As night fell, Yolande rushed to the laundrette and was quickly followed by Elaine, who saw her friend dashing through the market.
Sensing something was wrong, Elaine gently encouraged Yolande to open up. She did so and revealed the Pastor ‘put his hand where he had no right to put it’.
As Yolande spoke about the ordeal, we saw flashbacks of Pastor Clayton.
Starting in 2001, a variety of scenes aired that confirmed the Pastor had assaulted women before.
The flashbacks highlighted different reactions to the women’s ordeals. The first lady, Dolores, opened up to her stunned friend and said Pastor Clayton raped her.
In 2008, a lady called Sarah was told speaking to the church authorities about Pastor Clayton might not be ‘in her best interests’ whereas in 2016, Delia learnt from a police officer the complaint against the Pastor wouldn’t be progressing due to ‘insufficient evidence’.
Back in the laundrette, Elaine tried to make Yolande see that speaking out now would be the right thing to do, but she was terrified.
Elaine highlighted the impact keeping quiet had on Linda (Kellie Bright) after she was raped by Dean (Matt Di Angelo), but Yolande didn’t want to report Pastor Clayton out of fear of not being believed, the reaction from the church community, and the impact it would have on her and Patrick.
Yolande asked her friend not to say anything and she agreed.
With that, Yolande returned home.
The trauma of her ordeal becoming overwhelming, Yolande broke down in the hallway and cried.
Elaine highlighted the impact keeping quiet had on Linda (Kellie Bright) after she was raped by Dean (Matt Di Angelo), but Yolande didn’t want to report Pastor Clayton out of fear of not being believed, the reaction from the church community, and the impact it would have on her and Patrick.
Yolande asked her friend not to say anything and she agreed.
With that, Yolande returned home.
The trauma of her ordeal becoming overwhelming, Yolande broke down in the hallway and cried.
