Janine faces justice in dramatic EastEnders Boxing Day scenes

EastEnders villain Janine Butcher was taken away in handcuffs at the end of the soap’s Boxing Day episode – hours after her newlywed husband Mick Carter seemingly drowned in the English Channel.

The drama follows the Christmas Day episode which saw Mick (Danny Dyer) learn the truth about his pregnant wife Janine Butcher, played by Charlie Brooks, and all she had done to his ex-wife Linda (Kellie Bright).

In an attempt to stop her fleeing the country, newly reconciled couple Mick and Linda followed Janine to the coast where Linda and Janine later plummet in a car over the side of a cliff into the sea.

Linda urges Mick to rescue Janine first because she is pregnant, but when he then returned to the sea for Linda he disappeared into the waves just as she made her own way back to shore.

The Boxing Day episode saw Linda tell Mick’s mother Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) about the events in emotional scenes at the Queen Vic, before Shirley tries to kill troublesome Janine with her bare hands.

Later, Janine is back to her old tricks as she attempts to convince her daughter Scarlett to lie to the police to keep her out of prison.

However, it is Janine’s brother Ricky Butcher who stops her in her tracks, telling her: “I’ve just called the police. I’m doing it for you Janine. You’re out of control.

“You have been for years and I’ve just turned the other way but not any more. It stops now, right now, tonight.”

Sid Owen recently returned to Albert Square as fan-favourite Ricky after 10 years away from the soap.

The episode also saw emotional scenes from Linda who struggled to come to terms with Mick’s likely death when her young son Ollie asked to be tucked up in bed by his father, for whom he had made a Christmas card.

EastEnders continues at 7.30pm on BBC One.