Joe in the clear in Emmerdale – but subtle clue may reveal Billy’s actual attacker

| Soaps Reporter Published August 3, 2026 9:03am Updated August 3, 2026 9:03am Joe Tat was the obvious culprit (Picture: ITV) The following article contains spoilers from the episode of Emmerdale dated August 3. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX and YouTube. When Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) was rushed to hospital after an attack last week in Emmerdale, it took a matter of hours for DS Byrne to conclude that Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) was responsible. He had good reason to arrest the troublesome man as well, as Byrne had been told by Caleb Miligan (William Ash) and Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton) that Joe had discovered Billy tried to kiss Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley). Joe was the only person to land on the suspect list, so Byrne had no problem arresting him at the hospital. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Everyone believed Joe put Billy in hospital after discovering that he tried to kiss Dawn (Picture: ITV) As satisfying as it was for Byrne to put Joe Tate in a police car, he faced a problem due to the fact he didn’t actually have any physical evidence to prove he put Billy in a coma. The CCTV at the depot had been wiped to prevent the police from finding the counterfeit goods scheme, and there wasn’t anyone else at the depot around the time of Billy’s attack. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Once he was back home, Dawn confirmed to Joe that she knows he wasn’t responsible. He then headed to the depot and told Caleb that one of his associates probably attacked Billy. Just as this happened, Ruby Miligan (Beth Cordingly) walked in. When we saw her earlier on in the episode, Ruby had just discovered what Caleb, Billy and Kerry had been doing with the dodgy car parts. It appeared she had been totally oblivious to the drama unfolding at the depot – but maybe this is a lie? How much does Ruby know? (Picture: ITV) Who attacked Billy? Sign up to The Soaps Newsletter - Weekly. An unmissable selection of exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor. It’s certainly suspicious for Ruby to walk in just as Joe mentioned the culprit, but is Ruby really capable of hurting Billy in this way? Friendly reminder she ran Ethan Anderson (Emile John) over in a revenge plan, but what reason has she got to inflict such horror onto Billy? Deals of the Day Wuka launches the UK’s first period-proof swimwear for heavy flows Bridgerton fans are rushing to buy these new Netflix-inspired perfumes now £12 off The affordable summer wardrobe update you'll wear from rooftop drinks to beach holidays The £7.99 lip balm beauty fans love for glossy, hydrated lips just dropped four new shades This Keskine hydrogel mask could fix your summer skin Perhaps Ruby isn’t the attacker, but she knows who is? Arrow MORE: Things get even worse for distressed Gabby in Emmerdale as she makes a heartbreaking discovery Arrow MORE: Are you a true fan? Test your knowledge with Metro’s weekly Soaps quiz Arrow MORE: Billy ‘dead’ in Emmerdale as Joe’s killer revenge unfolds The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.