Home and Away in the UK, Alf is finally cleared over Abigail’s hit-and-run, as Justin makes a discovery that leads police to the real driver.

 

Abby (Hailey Pinto) was recently left injured after a night out in Reefton Lakes with Lacey (Sophea Pennington), when she was hit by the wing mirror of a red ute near Banksia Creek, and suspicion soon fell onto Alf (Ray Meagher).

Roo (Georgie Parker) had already been worried about her dad before the accident, after he accidentally let both his licence and rego lapse.

Although he later got everything back in order, the mistake left Roo questioning whether he was still as safe behind the wheel as he insisted.

Those concerns came rushing back when Abby was hit in the same area where Alf had been fishing on the morning of the incident.

Alf insisted he had nothing to do with Abby’s injuries, but Roo couldn’t help wondering whether he might have clipped her without realising.

The suggestion deeply hurt Alf, and the situation escalated when Probationary Constable Richie Brezniak (Rocco Forrester-Sach) overheard the exchange and passed the information on to Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor).

With Alf now placed near the scene and Roo raising doubts about his driving, police had no choice but to speak to him officially.

Alf was then taken from the surf club in a police car, with several locals watching on.

The checks on Alf’s ute found no evidence linking it to Abby’s injuries, leaving police satisfied that he wasn’t responsible unless new evidence came to light.

But with the real driver still unidentified, Alf was left feeling that the suspicion around him hadn’t really gone away.

Next week, Justin (James Stewart) finds Alf fishing and learns that David’s given him the option of making a formal complaint about the way the investigation’s been handled.

Justin later speaks to David at Salt, where David admits that if Alf did complain, the casework would be looked over in detail—but it wouldn’t necessarily bring Alf any answers.

David wishes there was more he could do, whilst Justin remains aware of how badly the whole situation’s affected Alf.

The next morning, Alf visits the station to tell David in person that he won’t be taking the complaint any further. Alf accepts that David’s done what he could, and that he’s not the enemy, but he’s still frustrated that the real driver’s out there whilst he’s the one being judged.

That soon changes when Justin’s called out to a roadside breakdown.

When he arrives, Justin’s taken aback by the vehicle in front of him. Carmen’s (Cassandra Magrath) red ute matches the description of the vehicle that hit Abby, and one detail immediately stands out—the nearside wing mirror is damaged.

Carmen claims she woke up one day to find the mirror hanging loose and assumes somebody must have clipped her in a car park.

Justin isn’t convinced, but he stalls for time by continuing to check over the ute whilst Carmen calls her boss to say she’ll be late.

Once Carmen’s out of earshot, Justin quietly calls David and tells him that he thinks he’s found the red ute police have been looking for.

David soon arrives and questions a puzzled Carmen about the broken mirror. 

Carmen insists again that she doesn’t know what happened to it, but David asks her to come to the station so they can speak to her about a recent accident.

Justin then heads to the coffee cart, excited to tell Leah (Ada Nicodemou) that he may have solved the case.

He wants to find Alf straight away, but Leah urges him to be careful, reminding him that Carmen hasn’t been charged and that they shouldn’t get Alf’s hopes up.

Back at the police station, Richie isn’t impressed by the new lead. He remains convinced that Alf was responsible, arguing that police had already identified the “grumpy old man” with recent driving offences.

Cash points out to Richie that Alf was never charged, but Richie pushes further by suggesting Cash and David are covering for Alf because he’s their friend. Cash is offended by the accusation and sends Richie home mid-shift.

David then questions Carmen, who confirms that she was driving on Murray Road in the early hours of the morning Abby was hit.

She’d been coming home from a late shift at Reefton Lakes Leagues Club, and when David explains that a young woman was struck by a car on the side of the road, Carmen begins to realise what happened.

She explains that her engine light had been flickering on and off, and that she remembers looking down at it before feeling the ute hit something. At the time, she thought she’d clipped a parked car and didn’t realise anyone was there.

Carmen’s devastated to learn that Abby was hurt, but her admission finally gives police the answer they need.

David later finds Alf and tells him that they’ve found the driver responsible. Carmen’s been charged after making a full confession, and Alf’s name has been officially cleared.

Alf’s relieved, calling it the best news he’s had in a long time. David points out that Justin was the one who gave police the lead, prompting Alf to go and thank him for being on his side throughout the whole ordeal.

Yet, despite the breakthrough, Justin and Leah notice that Alf doesn’t seem as happy as they would expect.

Later, when they find him eating alone at Salt, it becomes clear that Roo’s initial mistrust is still weighing on him.

Alf admits he hasn’t told Roo that he’s been cleared, feeling that his daughter should have backed him when it mattered.

From his point of view, Roo was too ready to see him as a confused old man who no longer knew what he was doing, rather than trusting that he wouldn’t have left Abby injured at the roadside.

The next morning, the tension at Summer Bay House is obvious over breakfast, with Alf barely able to look at Roo before heading out. Roo knows something’s wrong, but it’s Leah who eventually lets slip that police have found the real driver.

Roo’s relieved, but the fact that Alf kept the news from her makes it clear that things between them are worse than she realised.

She later finds Alf with Justin and tries to test him, raising the subject of his ute and whether he plans to sell it now that he isn’t driving.

Alf quickly takes offence and storms off as she offers to help him post it online, accusing Roo of treating him as if he’s past his used-by date.

When Roo catches up with Alf, she tells him that she knows the real driver has been caught and asks why he kept it from her.

Alf makes his hurt clear. He only told the people who didn’t jump on the bandwagon and blame him in the first place.

Roo tries to explain, but Alf has had enough of being treated like a stubborn old fool.

As far as he’s concerned, Roo has spent weeks patronising him, and he’s had a gutful.

Will Roo find a way to repair their fractured relationship?

Home and Away is available to stream from 6am weekdays, with double bill episodes airing from 6pm on 5Star.