Who plays Simon McManus in Emmerdale, when was the Ross Barton acid attack and what happened in the trial?
SIMON McManus is a drug dealer in Yorkshire soap Emmerdale.
But who plays him and what do you need to know about the character? Here's the lowdown.
Who plays Simon in Emmerdale?
Simon McManus is played by Liam Ainsworth.
He trained at the Manchester School of Acting.
Liam first appeared as Simon in the soap in 2016 as Holly Barton's drug dealer.
He has previously starred in Doctors, Babylon and Vera.
When did he carry out the acid attack on Ross Barton?
Simon carried out an acid attack on Ross Barton in January 2018.
Debbie Dingle [played by Charley Webb] asked Simon to attack Joe Tate [played by Ned Parsons] in a revenge plot after Joe destroyed the Dingle family home and he agreed.
But Simon mistook him for Ross Barton [played by Michael Parr] and threw acid in his face, leaving Ross screaming in agony.
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What happened in the trial?
Simon had his trial for the attack in April 2018.
In a dramatic twist, Ross recognised his attacker as Holly Barton's drug dealer from over a year ago.
He told his older brother Pete Barton [played by Anthony Quinlan] how he know him, but the judge revealed that the prosecution's key witness had died of an overdose.
The judge went on to say it was his duty to direct the jury to come to a “not-guilty” verdict without sufficient evidence.
This meant that Simon was allowed to walk free.