EXCLUSIVE Coronation Street bosses face backlash over storyline based on real schoolteacher wrongfully accused of m.u.rdering woman in his flat
ITV bosses are facing a huge backlash after being accused of basing a controversial Coronation Street storyline on wrongful accusations that retired schoolteacher Christopher Jefferies brutally murdered Joanna Yeates in 2010.
Viewers are currently watching a plot involving fan favourite and oddball Roy Cropper, who is on remand in prison after being charged with murdering troubled young female character Lauren Bolton.
The storyline has seen Roy verbally attacked by a group of thugs as he attended a vigil for the missing teenager and they then threw a brick through the window of Roy’s Rolls – Cropper’s cafe – after branding him a ‘creepy perv’ online.
Next week he will be brutally attacked in prison by a terrorist called Griff, who is friends with Lauren’s dad. He pulls out a weapon and demands to know where Lauren’s body is. With Roy refusing to confess, Griff holds the makeshift knife to his throat leaving him terrified.
The MailOnline can reveal that writers are using the real life story of Jefferies – Ms Yeates’ landlord in the Clifton, Bristol – who was falsely suspected of killing the landscape architect.
Police arrested Mr Jefferies, then 65, who also lived in a flat in the same building as Ms Yeates. He was subsequently released without charge and it was another of his tenant’s, Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak who was convicted of her murder.
However, his life was destroyed after the wrongful claims and he later received an apology and substantial damages from eight media outlets.
A Coronation Street source said: ‘The Christopher Jefferies story is a well-known one. He was vilified by the public and labelled a creep and an oddball.
‘Roy was Lauren’s boss. She worked for him in the cafe and it didn’t take the police long to return their attention to him. There are some key similarities and the Jefferies case was used to base this plot on.
‘Corrie’s writers have taken inspiration from the success of ITV drama The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries by showing how kind hearted Roy could be viewed in the same way.
‘Once Roy’s name is out it’s a case of trial by social media. Everyone knows and loves Roy. He’s been in the show for nearly 30 years so it’s causing quite a lot of outrage amongst the viewers which is what the writers wanted.
‘It has been a huge storyline though and people are tuning into see what happens to Roy next.’
The plot began back in February when Lauren, who worked for Roy in the fictional cafe, went missing and after blood was found on the curtains of her flat it was presumed she had murdered.
After Roy, portrayed by David Neilson, was arrested he became increasingly isolated from the the community – like Jefferies.
Footage of Roy’s arrest was shared widely on social media. He was then remanded in custody at his first court hearing despite pleading his innocence.
In 2014, ITV made a drama called The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies which was watched by 2.6 million viewers.
Ms Yeates, 25, went missing from the flat she shared with her partner on December 17 2010 after an evening out with colleagues. On Christmas Day, eight days later, her fully clothed body was found in the snow by a couple walking their dogs next to the entrance of a quarry three miles away from her home. Tabak was convicted of her murder in October 2011.
An ITV spokesperson didn’t respond when offered the opportunity to comment.
