Coronation Street apologise for error in Bethany Platt's sex abuse trial

It was in Monday's episode

Bethany from Coronation Street
Published 5th Oct 2017

Following Monday night's episode of Coronation Street the TV show have apologised for misrepresenting the court procedures during Bethany Platt's sex abuse trial against Nathan Curtis.

The TV soap has been widely praised for its portrayal of the sensitive subject for nearly a year, but in Monday's episode an oversight showed Bethany being sketched by a court artist, despite sex abuse victims having lifelong anonymity. The TV show also showed the artist sketching in the court, when they must do it from memory.

Nazir Afzal who is a former chief crown prosecutor has commended Coronation Street for providing an ‘accurate portrayal’ however he admitted he had concerns over the scene in question.

He is reported by Metro.co.uk as saying, "I think it was especially brave before the watershed and it has undoubtedly encouraged victims to come forward. But I’m concerned over their mistake. A court artist must always draw from memory and must not draw victims."

Continuing, "We make an enormous play of telling victims that nobody will know who you are. Those victims might pick up the mistake and it might make them uncomfortable and we shouldn’t have to do that."

This mistake was spotted by a number of viewers who took to Twitter with Michelle Finney saying, 'Erm, why would a court artist be sketching Bethany? She's automatically entitled to anonymity.' And another viewer saying 'Court artists are forbidden by law to draw in court, only allowed to take notes and Bethany's id is protected.'

A spokesperson for the soap apologised for the mistake saying, "We accept this wasn’t a true representation of court procedure and we apologise for including it.

"We repeatedly focused on support for victims throughout the court process, which we hope would encourage anyone watching to recognise the fact they would be in a safe place when giving evidence."

Last night the verdict was given against Nathan, but we won't spoil it in case you haven't caught up with it yet.

Coronation Street continues weekdays evenings on ITV.

Read more from Downtown Radio:

Heidi and Spencer Pratt welcomed their first child

Reality TV couple Heidi and Spencer Pratt welcomed a baby boy into the world and called him Gunner Stone.

Taylor Swift sent flowers to police officers in Las Vegas

Taylor Swift sent flowers to police officers injured in the Las Vegas shooting. The police station posted a photo of the lovely bouquet to their Instagram page thanking Taylor.

George Shelley paid a touching tribute to his late sister

Former Union J singer George Shelley paid a touching tribute to his late sister Harriet after it was revealed her heart has been donated to save a life.

Kian Egan and Jodi Albert welcomed their third child

Former Westlife singer Kian Egan and his wife Jodi Albert welcomed their third son into the world. The couple called him Cobi.

Jesy Nelson shared the first photo with her boyfriend Harry James

Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson delighted her fans by sharing the first photo with her new boyfriend Harry James. The pair attended Leigh-Anne Pinnock's 26th birthday party together.

Chris Hughes and Kem Cetinay dropped their debut single

Love Island's Chris Hughes and Kem Cetinay released their debut single 'Little Bit Leave It' and reached Number 1 on the iTunes chart.

Selena Gomez is set to create a documentary about health issues

Selena Gomez is reportedly going to make a documentary so she can document her heath issues with her fans. Selena has Lupus and recently had a kidney transplant.

Catherine Tyldesley shared hilarious parenting video

Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley shared a hilarious video of her son's sleeping patterns.

Cheryl expressed her pride over Liam Payne's success

Cheryl publicly praised her boyfriend Liam Payne after his single 'Strip That Down' hit Number 1 in the US, making him the biggest selling One Direction member to date.

Sam Smith spotted kissing 13 Reasons Why actor

Singer Sam Smith was spotted getting cosy with 13 Reasons Why actor Brandon Flynn.

Chris Hughes slammed Katie Price on Twitter

Love Island's Chris Hughes accused Katie Price of 'threatening' his girlfriend Olivia Attwood in a massive Twitter rant.

Michelle Keegan discussed family plans

Our Girl actress Michelle Keegan discussed her plans to start a family with her husband Mark Wright. She said, "We've not planned anything and realistically nothing can happen right now because I'm too busy."

Cheryl officially changed her name

Cheryl officially changed her surname back to her maiden name Tweedy.

Perrie Edwards showed off her tour bus bedroom

Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards showed fans her amazing tour bus bedroom as the girls kicked off their 'The Glory Days Tour'.

I'm A Celebrity: Extra Camp new presenters were revealed

Joel Dommett, Scarlett Moffatt and Joe Swash were revealed at this year's hosts for I'm A Celebrity: Extra Camp.

Josh Tapper landed a job at Downing Street

Gogglebox star Josh Tapper quit the show after he landed an apprenticeship in the Cabinet Office, where more than 2,000 staff work alongside Theresa May.

The MTV EMA nominations were revealed

The MTV EMA nominations were announced, with Taylor Swift leading the way with six nominations.

Niall Horan announced 2018 tour

Niall Horan announced he's coming to the UK with his 'Flicker World Tour' in 2018. Niall will begin the tour in his native Ireland, before travelling to Manchester, Glasgow, London, Cardiff, Bournemouth and Brighton across the month, with Julia Michaels joining Niall as a special guest.

Sam Smith confirmed album date and name

Sam Smith delighted fans by announcing his brand new album 'The Thrill Of It All' will land on the 3rd November.

Fans thought they could see Khloe Kardashian's baby bump

Fans of Khloe Kardashian believed this new photo of the reality star confirmed her pregnancy rumours. Many commented saying they could see a 'bump'.

The guest judges for The X Factor were revealed

Cheryl is joining Simon Cowell, Mika is helping out Louis Walsh, rapper Stormzy is with Nicole Scherzinger and Sharon Osbourne is with her children Jack and Kelly.