Coronation Street viewers have complained about the authenticity of police procedure as the Bethany Platt grooming story reached the next level.
Wednesday night’s episode saw her fiance and abuser Nathan Curtis arrested as he tried to sell her abroad, and she gave evidence to the police for the first time.
But her first interview was with policeman Neil, a friend of Nathan’s who raped her earlier on in the ITV soap and who took advantage of the privacy to threaten her against turning him in.
He then watched as she relived a twisted version her ordeal to another officer.
As tensions rose, viewers protested that the situation would not be likely in a real-life situation and voiced their concerns that it could have a negative effect on real victims of similar abuse.
But others were more concerned about Bethany’s testimony and hoped that viewers would see her overcome the intimidation and tell the truth about everybody involved in her abuse.
Actors Lucy Fallon and Chris Harper, who play Bethany and Nathan, have both campaigned actively about the awareness of child grooming and sexual exploitation.
The show has been praised by viewers for tackling the dark issue as the story has developed throughout the year.
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