Home and Away Spoilers – New foster child Cohen arrives in Summer Bay

 

Next week on Home and Away in the UK, we’re introduced to new character Cohen and his mum Samantha, as Roo gains a new emergency foster placement.

As Roo (Georgie Parker) returns to Summer Bay next week, after taking time away to reflect on her future in fostering, she finds herself thrust right back in at the deep end.

Having first signed up to the scheme last year, Roo’s first foray into fostering wasn’t entirely successful, after she was tasked with taking care of disturbed 14-year-old Eliza (Martha Kate Morgan).

Eliza’s odd behaviour soon found her at odds with several residents, as she made veiled threats towards Marilyn (Emily Symons), and showed an unhealthy fascination with Harper’s (Jessica Redmayne) unborn child.

Things began to come to a head when Harper went into labour whilst alone with Eliza in Summer Bay Reserve. Despite knowing the danger Harper would be in giving birth naturally, Eliza faked phoning for an ambulance, instead fascinated to see what would happen next.

When Alf began having heart pains at the bait shop, Eliza again withheld medical assistance, hiding Alf’s pills and claiming the phone was dead.

Eliza later admitted to Roo that she was indifferent to whether Alf lived or died, and when the truth about her not phoning an ambulance for Harper came out, it was the final straw.

After putting a call in to the department for advice, Harper told Roo that the decision had been taken out of their hands. Eliza was going to be institutionalised. 

Eliza’s parting words to Roo were cutting, as she claimed Roo was worse than all of her other carers over the years. Unsure of whether she was cut out for fostering, Roo joined Alf in taking some time out with mum Martha (Belinda Giblin) in Merimbula to consider her future as a carer.

Next week, new Yabbie Creek Sergeant David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) takes a call concerning a homeless woman causing a disturbance.

He sends Constable Tom Bowman (Nick Drummond) to the scene, but when backup is required, David arrives to find the woman, Samantha (Heidi May), shouting at officers outside her tent.

David gently introduces himself and tries to sympathise that he can find her somewhere safe to stay, somewhere where she won’t be hounded by the local residents.

Samantha isn’t interested in David’s help however, and at that moment Bowman draws David’s attention to what’s concealed in the boot of Samantha’s car—a large quantity of stolen mobile phones.

Samantha begins to kick off, and as David tries to control the situation, he’s surprised when a voice calls out from Samantha’s tent—”Mum…?”

Samantha rushes to her son, Cohen (Nathan Murray), and urges him to return to the tent.

“The boy seems terrified and bravely tries to stand up for his mother,” Jeremy Lindsay Taylor told Aussie magazine TV Week.

The presence of the young teen clearly changes the situation, and it’s clear to David that Samantha has been doing all she can in order to provide for herself and Cohen.

With the phones matching the description of a batch stolen from a Reefton Lakes warehouse recently, a sympathetic David has no choice but to place Samantha under arrest.

Samantha pleads with David to turn a blind eye, from one parent to another, but David knows he has to follow procedure, particularly with a vulnerable child involved.

As Bowman takes care of Samantha, David asks Cohen to pack some things into a bag so he can take him back to the station, assuring him that he will be looked after.

“He’s very scared,” 15-year-old Nathan Murray adds. “The police are taking away the only person he has. She was doing everything for him, so he’s also worried, confused and angry.”

“He doesn’t understand that what she did was wrong–his mum has been protecting Cohen a lot and this has become a normal way of living and getting by.”

Back at the station, Cohen panics as he sees his mum brought in in handcuffs and attempts to reach her, but David can’t let him through. David manages to calm down Cohen enough to learn his name, as he hands him some food from the vending machine.

When Bowman informs David that Samantha has a number of arrest warrants for shoplifting, and breaking and entering, it’s clear she won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, leaving David to arrange emergency accommodation for Cohen.

In an amazing coincidence, Roo happens to have arrived back in Summer Bay only a few hours beforehand, and that evening David calls over at Summer Bay House with Cohen in tow.

As David introduces himself, he explains to Cohen that Roo is his new foster carer. Roo gives them both a warm welcome.

Roo and Marilyn (Emily Symons) do their best to make Cohen feel at home, and Roo quickly learns that Cohen is big on reading. On his request, Roo sits with Cohen as he goes to sleep.

The next morning, as Cohen enjoys his breakfast, Harper shows up in an official capacity–she’s his assigned social worker. As Harper gets to know Cohen, Roo heads to get an update from David.

David explains that Cohen will have to stay a while, either until bail comes through for his mum, or when they manage to track down a family member willing to step in. So far, they’ve had no luck, and all they’ve got to go on when they ask Cohen is a mention of a grandmother in Canberra.

Later, David returns to Roo with some distressing news. Samantha has decided to relinquish all parental rights to her son, and wants nothing more to do with him.

How will they break the news to Cohen?

Here are the full spoilers for next week’s Home and Away episodes in the UK:

Monday 21st July (Episode 8501)

Is Harper making the wrong choice? Levi can’t get through to Mackenzie. Remi messes up.

Tuesday 22nd July (Episode 8502)

Will Eden let her dad back into her life? Dana meets her rival. Levi needs a new nurse.

Wednesday 23rd July (Episode 8503)

Dana gets a rude awakening. John pesters Mali. Lacey can’t catch a break.

Thursday 24th July (Episode 8504)

David helps a kid in need. Sonny and Dana clash. Will Lacey get caught out?

Friday 25th July (Episode 8505)

Kirby and Avalon team up. Remi’s run ragged. David shares heartbreaking news with Roo.