EastEnders characters who went to prison – murders, surprise verdicts and fraud

Phil Mitchell is full of guilt this week in EastEnders, after he fails to confess the full extent of his prison sentence to Kat Slater.

Worried he might be put on remand, DCI Keeble later revealed his fate to him, and asked him to become a police informant – otherwise he would go to prison.

However Phil said he was not a “grass” and told DCI Keeble that he would not go through with it.

With Phil’s prison fate seeming more and more likely, will he agree to the deal? Or will he be put behind bars?

Many of Phil Mitchell’s fellow Albert Square residents have served time in jail before him, and here, Daily Star takes a look at some of the most memorable characters who were sent to prison.

Den Watts

‘Dirty’ Den Watts has had a villainous past and was part of some of the soap’s biggest storylines, including handing divorce papers to wife Angie Watts and fathering a baby with Michelle Fowler.

However in 1988, the pub owner was forced to turn himself into the police after a criminal gang called The Firm intended to kill him.

The only way he could escape The Firm, was to turn himself in and take the rap for an arson attack that happened a few years before.

He was later remanded in custody in prison at HMP Dickens Hill, but on his way to his trial in 1989, The Firm hijacked the vehicle and kidnapped Den.

Though he managed to escape, he was later shot by an unknown gunman and fell into a canal, leaving viewers presuming that he was dead – until his shock return to the square 14 years later.

Nick Cotton

‘Nasty’ Nick Cotton was another of Albert Square’s most notorious criminals, serving time in HMP Dickens Hill for drug dealing.

During his time in prison, he came face to face with Den Watts, later confessing to the murder of Reg Cox – the man who was killed in the very first episode of EastEnders in 1985.

He was later denied bail and put on trial for the drug dealing charges, but the police never found out about his murder confession.

The Albert Square villain was later charged and did not have to spend time behind bars after all, and instead in a surprise twist, was ordered to complete community service.

Steve Owen

Spandau Ballet heart throb Martin Kemp made a memorable appearance in EastEnders as E20 nightclub owner Steve Owen, who fell in love with Tamzin Outhwaite’s Mel Healey.

However, his ex girlfriend Saskia turned up and tried to come in between them, and after an argument which saw Saskia try to strangle Steve, the tables were turned and Steve killed her instead.

The murder was witnessed by Steve’s colleague Matthew, who had tried to stop the fight, and after being racked with guilt over the incident, Matthew confessed to the police.

Both he and Steve were put on trial for manslaughter and sent to prison, but viewers were shocked when they both received different sentences.

Whereas Steve had tried to cover up the murder and was later acquitted of the charges, Matthew was sentenced to seven years behind bars.

Shirley Carter

Shirley Carter would do anything to protect her family, even if it meant spending time in jail – which is exactly what she did.

After The Carters were found to be running an illegal alcohol ring from the Queen Vic pub, Shirley took the blame for the crime and was sent to prison for three months.

While she was in prison, the rest of the Carters then took the opportunity to clear up the mess before she was released.

Janine Butcher

Despite being one of Albert Squares most villainous characters, it seemed that Janine Butcher was going to get away with some of her crimes forever.

She was never caught for pushing husband Barry off a cliff, but she was later locked up after it was revealed that she stabbed her third husband Michael Moon.

Despite trying to frame poor Alice Branning for the crime, Janine was later put on trial and then, in a shocking twist, was acquitted of the murder.

She left Albert Square soon after in 2014 to find her daughter Scarlett, but recently returned in late 2021.

Fans were delighted at Janine’s return, with one saying on social media: “Yessss Janine back in EastEnders gonna cause some carnage!” while a second said: “Omg Janine’s return has me quaking.”

Max Branning

Max Branning was at the centre of one of EastEnders biggest whodunnit storylines, when he was accused of the murder of Lucy Beale.

Lucy’s blood had been found in his shoes, almost certainly sealing Max’s fate and seeing the Albert Square resident being sent down for the murder.

However, viewers were later shocked to learn that little Bobby Beale was responsible, and that the blood on Max Branning’s shoes had actually come from a nosebleed that Lucy had before she died – now that’s what we call a plot twist.

Bobby Beale

Little Bobby Beale was the quiet, youngest son of long standing Albert Square resident Ian Beale, but no one could have suspected that he was a murderer.

However, after his elder sister Lucy Beale was murdered, a special live episode of the 30th anniversary of the soap revealed that he was actually the killer.

Despite his mum initially covering up for him, Bobby was tried in court and later sent to a young offender’s institute for his crimes, before returning to the square in 2019.

EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday on BBC One

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk