Paul found himself doing several business deals with the locals this week. As Izzy made plans to open a new bar with Max, she found that the main stumbling block was finance. Max admitted that he couldn’t support both of them, as well as his family, so it looked like the project would have to be shelved. When Paul found this out, he decided to offer her a business loan, which left her partner, Karl, extremely unimpressed. As Paul then continued to spend time with the Bishops, assisting David’s political aspirations, he managed to get some time alone with Lil, commenting that she reminded him of his grandmother, Helen. As he left the Bishop house, it was obvious that he was missing some companionship, but when his ex-wife, Chrissie, hung up on him, it looked like he had a replacement in mind as he stared at a photo of Liljana. Paul’s final dealings of the week were with Valda, the owner of number 22. Paul wanted to buy the house from her, claiming that it was for the sake of nostalgia and promising her that he would keep Lou on as tenant…

Steph had her day in court this week and the tension was reaching breaking point. She was refusing to face the possibility that she might end up in prison and, as the day finally came and she took to the stand, she tried to be as clear and honest as she could. Her honesty wasn’t enough, as the jury found her guilty. The judge, however, was slightly more sympathetic as he took into account the fact that she had never shown violent tendencies and had nothing material to gain from Charlie’s death when it happened. Steph was given a three-year suspended sentence, leaving Michael furious that his father’s murderer was seemingly going unpunished. As he vowed to appeal the sentence, Lyn begged with him to think again and accept the situation. She told him that his anger wasn’t going to bring Charlie back and it was stopping him from getting to know his new family. Lyn’s words obviously had an effect, as, before he left town, Michael went to the Hoyland house and apologised to Steph for his behaviour. He then produced some old Cassidy home videos for everyone to watch, in an attempt to bring them closer together. Valda and Doreen also left town to go back to Shelley Bay, where they planned to spend some time together, doing up Charlie’s cottage. With all of the loose ends tied up, it appears that this is the end of the storylines surrounding Charlie’s death. Despite a rushed police investigation and trial, it’s proved to be a great story for both Lyn and Steph, moving them on from the storyless periods they’d both experienced since the middle of last year.

Boyd’s problems seemed to be escalating as the police questioned him once more about his involvement in Gus’ murder. With no evidence, they were forced to release him, but the incident had left him seriously shaken and unsure where to go next with life. He then had a moment of clarity and decided to start afresh, not return to school and seek out some work. Max wasn’t keen on the idea of his son not finishing school, as he had done the same himself. Boyd, however, admitted that he wanted to remove some of the pressure of achievement for a while and simply live his life. He decided to apply for a job as a gym instructor, a job which he was offered almost on the spot by gym manager, Krystal. With a new job and outlook, it seemed that Boyd was finally managing to move on.

Stu and Sindi faced some life-changing challenges this week, as Toadie offered to buy Stuart out of number 30, admitting that he no longer wanted anything to do with his former friends. As they dealt with this problem, it was also time for Stuart to have his bandages removed. When Karl took them off, Stu found himself unable to see, but claimed that he could, leaving Sindi and Karl delighted. Later that day, Sindi appeared in a negligee, ready for some fun, but as Stu practically ignored her presence, she wondered what was wrong, and asked him questions about her attire. As he admitted that he couldn’t see anything, she took him off to visit the specialist. Returning to Ramsay Street, Stuart was beginning to feel despondent, having received the news that he would likely never see again. Stuart’s problems with his new disability are providing some strong material for Blair McDonough, but they’re also giving Marisa Warrington a chance to deal with some more serious material, as Sindi comes to terms with caring for her blind boyfriend.

Finally this week, Stingray had more than one problem to deal with. Following Shazza dumping him and returning to her ex-boyfriend, Stingray found himself with an uncontrollable itch and was convinced that he’d contracted an STD from her. Fortunately, one consultation with Karl later and it was revealed that it was simply the second-hand nylon undies that were causing him problems. Meanwhile, a new face in town was revealed to be Stingray’s older brother, Dylan. As Dylan waited around at number 28, he revealed that he’d just come out of juvenile detention and wanted to get his life back on track and train as a vet. When Stingray finally got home, he wasn’t exactly delighted to see his big brother, giving him a smack around the face. And finally, a lunch with Carmella's mother, Lucia, left Connor trying to prove his worth by accepting a set of challenges...

Notes: Full summaries of Monday (Steph’s Trial) and Friday’s (Dylan’s Arrival) episodes can be found here.