Billy Fletcher’s (played by Jay Kontzle) jail time has come back to haunt him on Emmerdale in recent weeks. Billy was nearly arrested again in May and is now facing the possibility of falling back into a life of crime with old pal Max (Jordan Reece). Billy, who is the son of Jessie Grant (Sandra Marvin), has already been in jail following an earlier arrest prior to his move to the village and now the introduction of his former accomplice has raised prompted fans to ask why Billy was arrested. Here’s all you need to know about Billy’s criminal history.
Why did Billy Fletcher go to jail in Emmerdale?
Billy was arrested prior to appearing on the ITV soap for assault.
Emmerdale viewers were first introduced to the character on Christmas Day 2018 following his release.
Jessie, his mother, had explained her son was sent to jail for disport in a group assault on a man named Evan Norwood in an earlier episode.
His time on the soap hasn’t been plain sailing since his release, with Billy almost arrested once again on Tuesday, March 26.
Emmerdale: Tracy gets in trouble with the law
Billy and romantic interest Tracy (Amy Walsh) were picking up April (Amelia Flanagan) from a playground.
Tracy had gone to grab a couple of coffees for them both when a parent at the park spotted Billy.
She informed the police that a man was hanging around the playground acting “suspiciously”.
When the police arrived, Billy remained submissive, answering their questions and staying calm and collected, despite the biased line of questioning.
It didn’t take long for the hot-headed Tracy to arrive on the scene and accuse the parent of being racist.
Emmerdale: Billy and his family
In spite of Billy’s urges for Tracy to remain quiet and not bring up his race, she refused to do so, resulting in her arrest when she lunged at the parent.
Later in the day, when Billy and April had returned home, Tracy had been released.
Tracy tried to apologise to Billy but he remained furious at her for almost landing him in trouble with the law again.
Billy revealed he does what he can to avoid prison, even if it means letting unjust behaviour from the law happen against him.
Emmerdale: Billy Fletcher
Kontzle’s character was sentenced to three years in jail for his part in the assault on Evan.
The introduction of Billy’s former criminal partner and friend Max could land the soap character in hot water once again.
The criminal invited Billy to be involved in a criminal heist, to which he accepted but later changed his mind.
In the aftermath, Max is threatening Billy’s family although whether or not he’ll carry out his threats is yet to be seen.
Max is just a number of new cast members to join Emmerdale in 2019.
Emmerdale: Billy and Max fight
Hilary Benshaw (Gabrielle Glaister) joined the soap as Nicola King’s (Nicola Wheeler) opponent in the running for local councillor.
Paddy Kirk’s (Dominic Brunt) dad Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) entered the fray to reunite with his son.
Dawn’s dad Will (Dean Andrews) was introduced to Emmerdale viewers as he and his daughter plot revenge on Harriet Finch (Katherine Dow Blyton).
Aiesha Richards (Shila Iqbal) also joined this year, although was fired for a series of old tweets.
Emmerdale: Tracy’s arrested
As Billy’s storyline continues to unfold on the ITV soap, a number of other plots are gripping viewers.
Maya (Louisa Clein) and Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) are tipped to be found out as their controversial grooming storyline plays out.
Jacob and Maya’s age gap means he was just a 15-year-old student when their romance began.
There’s also the possibility of a return for Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) following a discovery by Kim Tate (Claire King).
However, this has led to some fears among ITV viewers that Graham (Andrew Scarborough) could leave as a result of Joe’s return.
Emmerdale continues on weeknights at 7pm on ITV.