Emmerdale fans in tears as Robert Sugden suffers major setback after prison release

Emmerdale fans were left in tears during Friday's (20 June) episode after Robert Sugden suffered a major setback in his recovery after being released from prison.

Robert (Ryan Hawley) made a dramatic return recently after a six-year absence during which he was incarcerated for the murder of Lee Posner, who sexually assaulted his sister Victoria (Isabel Hodgins).

He was initially sentenced to 14 years in prison but viewers were delighted when the character announced he was back for good during an hour-long special episode. Things haven't been easy for him as he was left heartbroken when he discovered his ex-husband Aaron had moved on with his half-brother, John, who fans know is hiding a killer secret.

Robert was taken in by Victoria and while she's been trying to make him feel welcome and safe, has quickly begun to notice his strange behaviour.

In Friday's episode, a worried Victoria begged her brother to tell her why he wasn't sleeping, confessing she had checked his bed during the night to find it empty and hadn't been slept in.

He admitted, "I've been having some nightmares. I'm sure it'll pass once I've got prison out of my system" shutting her down and grumbling that he didn't want to talk about it further.

After managing to get a job trial from Caleb, Robert went home to tell Victoria about his good news. However, she warned him: "You have to face up to it, Robert. You know, you're having nightmares because you can't shake prison off. You're living in the past and you've got a real chance of a future now."

Telling Robert to take a nap while she popped out to get supplies so they could celebrate his good news, she got home to find him asleep on the sofa. As she began popping the fizz to pour him a drink, it became clear he was in a grip of a nightmare.

As she shook his leg to wake him up, he jumped out of sleep and instinctively hit her across the face, obviously still trapped in the grip of the terror of his dream. Devastated, Robert attempted to apologise and to help his sister but Victoria screamed at him to leave while holding her eye.

Fans watching at home were left in tears by the incident and rushed to X, formerly Twitter, to share their horror. One user penned, "Aww Robert...what have they done to you in prison?" followed by a crying emoji. Another person added: "Oh Robert I think this is a beginning for Roberts storyline with PTSD feel so bad for him I do hope he opens up to someone about it." While someone else fumed: "Vik (the f**k) YOU DOING you never wake someone up from a nap like that especially when you know theyre struggling with something Oh My God."