EastEnders' Shirley brutally batters paedo Katy after overhearing chilling abuse confession

Shirley Carter brutally beat paedophile Katy Lewis to a pulp this evening after overhearing her confess to abusing son Mick on EastEnders.

Mick, played by Danny Dyer, has kept the abuse he suffered at the hands of Katy when he was just 12 years old a secret from his family - only recently revealing the truth to wife Linda.

Shirley also had no idea that Frankie was his daughter... until tonight.

Furious that Frankie had rung the police on her, Katy charged round to Mick's to lash out and blame him for what had happened.

Only, Shirley ended up arriving at Mick's flat early without either of them realising it.

Shirley Carter finally discovered the truth about son Mick's abuse (BBC)

"I told you what I would do, Michael," Katy threatened. "And you know what people will think. Who's going to believe a 'Jack the lad', care home kid got groomed by little old me, eh? Everybody knows that rape runs in your family, right?"

Mick retorted: "Tell them. Tell the whole world, tell the old Bill, tell them whatever you want because I'm sick of it, and I'm sick of thinking about it. Do you really think I want people knowing about this? Do you?"

Dredging up fake tears, Katy claimed that she was "scared" as she said: "I don't want our time together to be turned into something it wasn't."

Mick Carter was confronted by his abuser Katy this evening (BBC)

Katy threatened Mick to stay quiet about the abuse (BBC)

Shirley, meanwhile, was seen quietly listening in as she made her way towards the kitchen.

"What we had was special," an oblivious Katy continued.

Mick responded incredulously: "Special? I was 12 - you're a paedophile."

Shirley punched Katy in the street after overhearing their conversation (BBC)

Katy was left lying in the street after Shirley attacked her (BBC)

Katy dropped her crying act as she said that it wasn't just about them, but daughter Frankie too.

"If this comes out it will ruin Frankie's life, you know it will," she seethed. "You might think that I deserve what's coming but she doesn't deserve to live with it. This is our secret, nobody else's. I'm begging you - if the police come, deny it."

At that moment, Shirley decided to make her presence known and chased Katy into the street.

As Katy threatened she would call the police if Shirley touched her, Mick's mother smacked her fist into her face and pummelled her into the ground.

Will Shirley finally be able to support her son? Or has she made the whole situation so much worse?

*EastEnders returns tomorrow at 7.30pm on BBC One