Who were the Broadchurch rapists? Leo Humphries and Michael Lucas revealed as Trish Winterman’s attackers
BROADCHURCH series three has finally reached its climax and it has been revealed who committed the horrendous rape of Trish Winterman.
There were plenty of theories out there about who was responsible the vicious attack – but in the end Leo Humphries and Michael Lucas were outed as the rapists.
As fans have watched Miller and Hardy dig into all the evidence, many turned detectives themselves to question who could be the rapist behind the heinous crime.
Ahead of the big reveal in the final episode, we investigated all of the biggest Broadchurch suspects and their possible motives for attack – how did we do?
Aaron Mayford A.K.A. The Mackerel Man
In a town cast in shadow Aaron certainly stood out as one of the shadiest residents.
Previously convicted of rape, creepy Aaron had already been proven a liar and accosted young officer DC Katie in her car.
And this isn't the only reason he was on everyone's radar... what about his admission that he used to play football near the cornfield crime scene?
With the gag thought to be a pair of football socks, this put him well and truly in the frame.
But there were two questions everyone was asking: 1. Is he too obvious a choice? 2. Where's the bloody mackerel? There was definitely something fishy going on...
Jim Atwood A.K.A. The Maniac Mechanic
Another prime suspect, unhappily married Jim was also under the spotlight.
The seasoned liar was uncovered as a serial love rat, having cheated on his wife with a number of women including Trish.
However the main source of intrigue surrounding the mechanic appeared to be solved following the outing of the affair with his wife's best friends.
But one eagle-eyed viewer took to Twitter to point out that he did have condoms matching those at scene of the crime in his car.
Clive Lucas A.K.A. The Crazy Cabbie
There was something off-key about the local cab driver.
He went on a date with Trish that didn't end in romance, had no reason to have been in the area at the time of the crime – and why did his radio go offline for that pivotal hour?
He's also just not a very nice guy, cheating on his wife and taking no interest in his troubled son.
Also, he displayed an apparent chumminess with Leo Humphries – which fuelled speculation that they could be a criminal team...
Leo Humphries A.K.A. The Twine Swine
Smug Leo ruffled feathers when he was first interviewed about the blue twine he supplies from his family's rope factory.
Something didn't seem right with his ditsy girlfriend provided a well rehearsed alibi, a feeling that was confirmed when he reminded her to keep her trap shut on the phone.
Leo was also revealed as a keen footballer and was pictured wearing the same style socks that are suspected to be the gag.
In a gripping finale, it finally revealed that Leo was indeed responsible – grooming taxi driver Clive's son Michael into raping Trish.
A series of flashbacks showed how he had coaxed Michael into becoming his rapist protege, and even pimped his own girlfriend out to him in his sick game.
He then took him to Cath’s 50th birthday party, before revealing his “party kit” – the bag of twine.
The pair then went outside where they overheard Trish arguing with her husband, and then Leo forced Michael into raping Trish as he sobbed.
Ed Burnett A.K.A. The Bitter Boss
Just what was going on with shop owner and Trish's boss, Ed?
His longing glances lead us to believe there were some unrequited affections on his side – is that why he gave mechanic Jim a knuckle sandwich?
Amateur-detective tweeters pointed out that his daughter Katie seems very keen to convict proven sex-offender Aaron, and that possibly she is trying to distract from her dad's involvement.
Ian Winterman A.K.A. The Ex On The Beach
Shady Ian seemed very intent on getting his hands on Trish's computer, possibly the motivation behind his breaking in to her home.
What could be hiding on the hard-drive and why is he lying to his daughter to try and get his hands on it?
Also, those black-out drinking sessions seemed the sign of an alcoholic – or just a liar with whereabouts to hide?
If he was so sure he didn't commit the attack in black-out, why didn't he accept the D.N.A. swab?
Cath Atwood A.K.A. The Women Scorned
With the spotlight shining so strongly on the many men at the party, it seemed script writers might have been trying to throw the viewers off the scent of a female accomplice.
Cath had a clear motive as her love-rat husband was bedding her best mate and Jim did warn Trish that she "didn't know what she was in for" by confessing all to his wife.
Some has speculated that she could have been behind the other attacks, targeting her husband's mistresses, in an act of revenge.
Rev. Paul Coates A.K.A. The Parish Predator?
These days Rev. Paul Coates has a lot of time on his hands with his church emptying out faster than the local caravan park.
The recovered alcoholic could have turned to drink to soothe his troubled mind? Could things has gotten out of control on a drinking binge?
Many asked why he was so keen to speak with Trish about the rape - speculating that maybe he wanted to know how just much she remembered...
Tom Miller A.K.A. The Tiny Terror
Kids in mystery dramas are always a bit creepy... EastEnders' Lucy Beale learnt that the hard way.
Tom was lurking around, constantly fixated by his pornography-riddled phone.
The twittersphere was ablaze with theories that Tom Miller and cabbie Clive's son Michael – who was indeed revealed to be involved – colluded to commit the horrific crime and were watching a recording of the violent act on their mobiles.
Some even went a step further to suggest the teen tearaway killed his mate Danny in the first series and let his dad take the wrap.
Roy Cropper A.K.A. The Creeper from the Cobbles
Some sleuthing fans had other out-of-the-box theories and one that kept popping up on Twitter was this cheeky suggestion.
Could Roy have come to track down Hayley? Perhaps Hayley moved to Broadchurch after faking her Corrie death to try and start again?
Did Roy make the trek from Weatherfield and lash out after becoming overwhelmed with anger? Is it really always the quiet ones?
It just shows that, where Broadchurch is involved, literally anybody can become a suspect...
