To be annoyed with coronation street? NB CONTAINS SPOILERS

[rhondajean]

To put it mildly.

I know that the stats on rape convictions are ridiculously low, and I know this is a soap, not real,life, but, surely this will put even more women off reporting what happens to them??

Thank you Olivia!

I agree slag. I think particularly to those who are at as impressionable an age. I was with the brookside thing, this will have bad implications.

Dont be worried about spoiling it for anyone, its on the cover of magazines and everything. Its terrible that he got off with it but, sadly, it is reflecting what happens in rl.

Ok more spoilers Frank apparently dies. Now how is that close to RL?

If corrie were going for the innocent verdict to show that it is close to reality then how many of the attackers die??

Ridiculous Corrie I am not happy with you at all!!!

Spoilers aside, those ridiculous Harveys ads are so annoying...

I don't understand why more wasn't made of the bruises on Carla's arms. The photos were taken by the police shortly after the attack. Surely any jury would have seen that as fairly concrete evidence of assault? Frank didn't offer any explanation for how else she could have got them.

Frank basically said they had rough sex and thats where the bruises came from longing
Isn't the outcome fairly realistic though, as most rapists do walk free? Not saying it right but...
And I think part of the reason he got found not guilty was because she was proven to be a liar, if I was on the jury I don't know what I'd have believed..

And for the record, I have been raped, so can totally empathise with Carla, just before any yells at me!

I think that Law and Order the progamme afterwards deliberately had a conviction of three men for two rapes, straight after.

In RL Frank probably would have gotten a innocent verdict.

Rhonda, I too remember the Peter Harrison storyline in Brookside and I had teh same feelings as you - that he was so good looking he couldn't have done it. It makes me ashamed now, but I was very young. Incidentally, isn't he married to Leanne from Coronation Street in real life? He was in Coronation Street recently.

I was very disappointed with the verdict last night, although I had an inkling that it was going to turn out that way. It was the lying that did it I think - the defence made it appear that both Peter and Carla had lied under oath. But the bruises on her wrists were surely more evidence of rape than 'rough sex'?

He plays his character really well, and comes across as chillingly evil. I'd prefer to see him sent down than murdered though. I at least hope he admits to someone, maybe Sally, about raping Carla before he gets murdered though.

I thought the time it took the jury to make the decision was a bit unrealistic - less time that it took to smoke a cigarette?!

Not every man accused of rape is guilty of rape. If I were on that jury, I would (based on the evidence) have probably thought not guilty. As viewers we knew he was guilty, and our feelings are based on that knowledge I imagine... whereas in the storyline, the jury are faced with an articulate man, who was due to marry the woman the next day, the woman had been proved a liar who was trying to end the relationship and business partnership, and the man put on an extremely convincing defence of innocence and being the victim in the situation.

I think the programme was written well. It showed exactly how devious and believable that some men can be.

Im really annoyed that he is going to be murdered. Does that mean that we are going to have to sit through another investigation and trial? Ive had enough of these repetitive story lines.

I also hope that the truth comes out before he goes.

I don't think having Frank bumped off sends out the right message at all. Carla was portrayed as a cheating liar who tried to besmirch a good man's name. Lots of people turned against her and Stella had a go at her in the street.

Now if that's not enough to put someone off reporting a rape, what is?

I know that in RL rapist get off, but they missed a great opportunity here. Frank needs to suffer, not get killed. He needs to be exposed for what he is so Carla can be vindicated and he needs to suffer because of what he has done.

Bumping him off to get what will probably be the Christmas cover story on Inside Soap does not fulfil this role

Carla was portrayed as a cheating liar who tried to besmirch a good man's name. Lots of people turned against her and Stella had a go at her in the street.

To be fair.. she did mow Stella down in her car...

And to be equally fair, Carla was stalking Peter for a long time too... but he was refusing her advances... and she was meant to be mates with Lianne..

*disclaimer... I know its not real.. and I am NOT saying she deserved what happened with Frank...

I think it's quite interesting. Dominique Strauss-Kahn 'got away' with alleged rape of the maid in USA because the maid had apparently lied at some point about her status as an immigrant, or similar.

At the time many women's groups said that women should beware, as if you have EVER told a lie in your whole life, and then get raped, you don't have a leg to stand on.

I KNOW this is a soap, but it supports that view.

the lie was a relevant part of the "case" though

I was a bit "grrrr" at the stereotypical questions about what whatshername had been wearing when she went round to the house for dinner.. and implying that her outfit was saying she was asking for sex.. there should have been more objection to that line of questioning..

Ok Please excuse me if I get coronation street facts wrong. I have not watched it recently but fil has explained what has happened.
I disagree that he should of been convicted.
I was sexually abused as a child and my sister was raped by the same man.
We went through 2 court cases and he got found not guilty in both.
As the police officer who had dealt with us had to explain to very upset young girls, that just because he got a not guilty does not mean the jury believed that, just lack of evidence meant that was the result.
I am sorry if this makes no sense but on a personal view, I think it is helpful to those people who know they have been through rape/sexual abuse and have ended up with a not guilty verdict. It may stop the general public believing that a not guilty equals a victim is automatically a liar.
Due to the verdict of my case I can not speak openly about it to my belief, I know people doubt me and my sister as a not guilty is definitive to so many people.

Sorry squeaky - which lie and which case?

Monster , how terrible that must be for you. How old were you?

The first court case was when I was 16, second was on my 18th birthday.
The abuse started when I was 7 though.
I am over it now, but my sister struggled with depression from it for years.

oh, sorry Getting, I was still on about corrie..

gettingagrip: in the DSK case, the maid's testimony was undermined because of her previous lies about another rape allegation, and because she admitted she had lied under oath in one of the early stages of DSK case.

Maria getting a hard time in the witness box in Corrie was interesting. Because of course the viewer saw the incident in question, and it wasn't attempted rape. Leaving aside the unnecessary and dubious bits about what Maria was wearing, Frank's account was correct. He lunged, she said no, he desisted: all over in less than 30 seconds. And I think an ill-judged snog plus hand on thigh (outside clothing) wouldn't even stick as sexual assault, let alone attempted rape.

Thats the one.. Maria.. I had a complete memory blank with her name.

And yes, it was completely ridiculous... as the defence said.. why would an inexperienced employee be sent out on an important meeing with a client, when she had only started work a week earlier... just daft really.

The whole storyline has been very far fetched in many places, and even as a fan of corrie, I am saying that.

And I was most disappointed that we didnt have Norris and Mary sat up in the gallery.. as they seem to get in to every other trial (of which for one small street, the number of people who end up in court, particularly on a murder charge usually is amazing and it looks like once Frank is bumped off, there will be another round of police visits and court appearances.

Monster thank you very much for sharing that. It's a viewpoint I hadn't thought of. I was just so annoyed tht I felt it had been handled insensitively and if it does make a few women who had not guilty verdicts for a true accusation end up being treated a bit better, then it's done some good after all.

I think my concern is that as a programme it does play with our emotions, and it could put people off reporting especially as Maria had reported him too, I know it's true to life sadly, but you have given me a whole new perspective tonight.

I posted earilier but thinking about the verdict, it has shown that guilty men can get innocent verdicts. Either way it promotes discussion when the soaps portray these situations.

As a Corrie fan, i don't want crowd pleasing verdicts when it comes to some things, i want some realism maintained. Because Carla sent Maria to do a deal with Frank after she claimed that she was the victim of a attenpted rape and stil went intobusiness with himthen she had discredited evidence, so that would have cast doubt.

Carla had dismissed what Maria claimed.

rhonda-Maria didn't report it, Carla minimised what had happened and persuaded her that she had misinterpreted what Frank did.