Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Emmerdale spoilers, news and interviews sent straight to your inbox for free More Newsletters Subscribe Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Emmerdale spoilers, news and interviews sent straight to your inbox for free Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Emmerdale viewers were left emotional as Dan Spencer exited the soap after 12 years in the role. Actor Liam Fox left the soap as his character Dan was sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter following a one-punch attack. The hour-long episode saw Dan say his goodbyes , as well as a surprise cameo appearance from Laura Norton as Kerry Wyatt. The shock jail sentence was handed to Dan after he punched Lloyd, who had been online-stalking his daughter Amelia. Dan previously plead guilty to assault, but Lloyd later died as a result of his injuries changing the charge to manslaughter. Read More Related Articles Britney Spears has 'no support system' amid divorce from Sam Asghari Read More Related Articles Graham Linehan performs outside Scottish Parliament after two venues cancel his show When he arrived at court, Dan was assured by his attorney that he would get a light sentence. Dan then made a heartfelt statement to the court in hopes of mitigating punishment. "I'm not a violent person," he insisted. "I punched [Lloyd] once but I didn't think about what was going to happen. I didn't do it because I wanted to injure anyone. I did it because I couldn't stand the thought of him carrying on, harassing my little girl." Amelia doesn't want to lose her dad (Image: ITV) While Dan expressed regret over his actions, he was left reeling when the judge returned a harsh sentence of eight years behind bars. Fans were left heartbroken following Dan's emotional final scenes, as viewers took to social media to praise the actor. One fan wrote: "A huge congratulations to @Liamfoxactor on an incredible 12 years in #Emmerdale . You brought the sweet loveable Dan Spencer to life. He had a vibrant personality and was a real family man. He'll be missed massively! Well done @emmerdale for raising good awareness with this story." "Gonna miss Dan, the Spencers were a great family!! Good Luck @Liamfoxactor #Emmerdale #DanSpencer ," another said. While a third added: "Can't believe we lost Dan out of #Emmerdale . Thought the jail term was harsh. Hopefully we will see @Liamfoxactor return to the dales as Dan sometime soon, he will be missed. Best of luck Liam." Read More Related Articles Rebekah Vardy breaks silence on Coleen Rooney interview telling fans to 'chill' Read More Related Articles Coleen Rooney opens up on marriage with Wayne and how they coped with cheating scandal A fourth echoed: "Dan left tonight’s Emmerdale. Was gutted to see him go. He’s a very big character and always entertaining to watch. Hopefully he comes back one day but couldn’t believe he was given eight years. They did a great job on raising awareness on what one punch can do #Emmerdale ." As someone else penned: "I was convinced that there would be a twist and Dan wouldn’t get sent to prison. But he got 8 years. brilliant stuff from @Liamfoxactor in tonight’s #Emmerdale ." Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on STV. Top showbiz news Holly 'abandoned' Phil Royals send passive aggressive message Rylan 'just got married' Tributes paid to Michael Parkinson Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our weekly Showbiz newsletter here . Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Follow Daily Record Facebook Twitter More On Emmerdale ITV Soap news