Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street's Johnny Connor is set to have a stressful start to 2021 as he attends court for his sentencing for his historic crimes.
Johnny's (Richard Hawley) dark past was dredged up this year when his old partner in crime Scott Emberton (Tom Roberts) came back into his life and, even though Scott is now out of the picture again, Johnny has continued to battle his guilt over the armed robbery he committed decades ago and the horrific impact it had on the life of security guard Grant.
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Johnny was eventually arrested on suspicion of burglary and GBH in November and is now preparing to be sentenced for the crimes he committed all those years ago.
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In scenes to air early in the New Year, Johnny will continue to shut his wife Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews) out and hide his emotions as he awaits his sentencing.
He is very worried to discover that his eyesight is starting to fail, leading Jenny to ask lawyer Imran Habeeb (Charlie De Melo) if Johnny's sentencing can be postponed due to his health concerns. However, Imran confirms that Johnny's issue is not serious enough for him to be granted a delay in his case.
Later in the week, Jenny is distraught when Johnny's nurse diagnoses an MS relapse. Despite this further setback, the nurse admits that this is still no reason for Johnny not to attend court.
On the day of Johnny's sentencing, Imran asks the judge to show leniency in the sentence, citing Johnny's genuine remorse for his past actions and his poor health.
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Will the judge bear Imran's words in mind or will they send Johnny to prison?
Johnny Connor actor Richard Hawley caught up with Digital Spy and other media earlier this year to discuss Johnny's future, revealing that his crimes could have a major impact on his cobbles future.
"I don't know what's going to happen – it's a very serious crime," he said. "There's an element of Johnny that knows he must be punished and an element of him wants to be punished for this.
"There are people, good friends and family that tell him he has already been punished. He is going through a punishing time, so the story is rich."
Coronation Street airs these scenes on Friday, January 8 at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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