Tommy repeats Mitchell mantra as he's quizzed by police in EastEnders

Terrified and feeling like he had no one to turn to, Tommy began carrying a knife in his bag, and when cousin Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) discovered this she grew concerned. Lily urged Tommy not to go to school, but he couldn't avoid it for long.

After being asked to play football by a seemingly genuine member of the gang, Tommy waited after school, but found himself trapped in a set-up. As Sid and his mate continued to torment Tommy, he pulled the knife out of his bag as a way of gaining the upper hand, before insisting he was going home.

But when Sid launched an attack, the knife - now tucked away in its hiding place once more - punctured him when his victim held his bag up as a protective shield. Frightened by the horrifying events, Tommy ran home and failed to tell mum Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) what had happened.

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Sid, meanwhile, revealed Tommy's role in his injury, and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) informed Kat that Tommy would need to come to the station for a chat.

When asked about the incident tonight, Tommy was scared as ever - but covered this with typical Mitchell-style bravado. "Phil says don't talk to the Old Bill," he retorted, as Kat encouraged him to tell the truth.

Tommy eventually explained that although he had brought the knife out himself, everything else was an accident. Later, Kat visited Phil (Steve McFadden) in prison and revealed that she didn't yet know if Tommy would be charged.

Phil's attitude towards his sons - and stepsons - has always caused them problems. Viewers will remember all too well how he dished out the same advice to a younger Ben (now played by Max Bowden) when he was Tommy's age - only to end up attacking his own bully.When Kat told her fiancé about Tommy's initial comment to the police, Phil seemed impressed. But Kat was fed up, knowing that his influence on her son hadn't helped matters. She warned him that if Tommy was sent away to young offenders, she would never forgive Phil for telling Tommy to fight back.

Ben recently reminisced about this traumatic time in his life, as he tried to stop Tommy from following in the same footsteps.

Will Tommy learn from his mistake and stay on the right path thanks to Kat's interference, or is he set to become a chip off the old Mitchell block due to Phil's irresponsible lessons?

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