Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale star Nicola Wheeler has discussed Angelica King's upcoming punishment in Heath Hope's death storyline.
Angelica will face an important court hearing next week following her recent confession that she was to blame for the fatal accident that took place on New Year's Eve.
Heath tragically lost his life after heading out on a joyride with Angelica, alongside his twin sister Cathy. Cathy was driving Wendy Posner's stolen car when they left the village, but Angelica had taken over behind the wheel by the time the crash took place.
Next week's scenes see Ethan Anderson warn Nicola and Jimmy King that their daughter will have to face a custodial sentence.
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Nicola Wheeler, who plays Nicola, explained: "Nicola panics when the court date is set. Initially she's optimistic that with Angel's good character, the judge might be lenient.
"There was dual responsibility for what happened, it was an accident and there's Angel's age to consider too. The other children were older than she was, so there was perhaps a bit of peer pressure.
"Nicola has a conversation with Ethan, who says that because a death was involved, a custodial sentence is likely. This panics Nicola."
She continued: "Nicola wants to protect Angelica, so she doesn't tell her about the custodial sentence. While there's an element of hope, Nicola wants to cling to that – even though, deep down, she knows that the best thing would be to tell the truth.
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"We've seen what happens when you tell lies and how Angel couldn't cope with that.
"Angel still is in a lot of emotional turmoil about what she did. Whilst all this is going on, you've still got someone who has to deal with the fact that she killed her friend. None of that is being addressed at the moment because they're so hung up on what the actual punishment will be."
Nicola added that it's right for Emmerdale to show Angelica facing the consequences of her actions.
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She said: "Ultimately Emmerdale is letting the audience know what the outcome has to be. There does have to be a custodial sentence and we know it's coming.
"We're not giving anything away there – I think everybody would know, as a death is involved. The question is just how long the custodial sentence will be. We know Angelica is going to be sent down, but for how long?"
Emmerdale fans will see the outcome of Angelica's court appearance on Thursday, February 1.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
