EastEnders spoilers follow.
Phil Mitchell has been warned he faces life in prison by a familiar face in EastEnders.
The shocking news came about in Thursday's (January 6) first-look episode, after he was forced to finally surrender to police when it was too late for him to do another runner.
Kat and Sharon were pulling Phil in different directions in the final seconds of his freedom, but Phil ultimately chose to give himself up and hand Raymond back over to Denise because he believed she wouldn't press charges.
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His distraction allowed Kat and Sharon to get away with Raymond so the exchange could take place with Denise, but they were all shocked to find out Phil had given himself up.
With Phil now in jail, the Mitchell family attorney Ritchie Scott returned to Walford – but she had no good news to deliver to her client when they were finally face-to-face.
Ritchie ran down all of the evidence police had against him: an incriminating phone from The Arches and kidnapping charges for Raymond "on top of a pretty large steaming pile".
Phil demanded to know: "Come on Ritchie, stop messing around. What am I looking at? Five years? Worse. Seven? They ain't got any evidence, have they?"
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"If they get it, or they've got it, they're saying you'll see out the rest of your days behind bars," Ritchie admitted.
The duff-duff for Thursday played over the realisation of life in prison washing over Phil Mitchell…
The police may have more evidence against Phil than he thinks if the phone they confiscated can prove he was involved in Vincent Hubbard's murder.
EastEnders airs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One.
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