Fans of Coronation Street have spotted Bethany Platt’s rapist, corrupt police officer Neil Clifton in the Lidl Christmas advert.
Ben Cartwright, who played Neil from 2017 until 2018, is appearing in this year’s festive advert for the budget supermarket.
Fans immediately recognised him from his villainous role on the cobbles.
Is that the paedo policeman from Corrie scoffing down his Christmas dinner on the Lidl advert?
— Louise 💐 (@LouBeardsley) November 30, 2019
I'm sure I just saw the actor who played Nathan, the copper who abused Bethany on #Corrie doing a #Lidl advert 🙂
— PennG0VQY (@BrixhamUK) November 21, 2019
https://twitter.com/pmforster/status/1192912495238881290
Corrie fans will remember Neil was a part of Nathan Curtis’s abusive sex ring.
I’m sure I just saw the actor who played Nathan, the copper who abused Bethany on #Corrie doing a #Lidl advert.
After Nathan began grooming Bethany, he introduced her to Neil who immediately took a shine to the teenager.
Nathan later told Bethany that Neil’s electronic goods were stolen from his flat and asked if she would go out for dinner with Neil as he owed him.
Not knowing Nathan and Neil set up the theft, she agreed to go out with Neil but later at Nathan’s party, Neil took Bethany into a bedroom and raped her.
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However Bethany had no idea Neil, along with Nathan’s other friends, were paying Nathan to have sex with her.
Eventually, Bethany went to the police about Nathan and his friends and Nathan and Neil were sent to prison in October 2017.
However this wasn’t the last viewers saw of Neil.
Last year, Neil appealed for a retrial and his daughter Kayla was determined to prove his innocence.
She got close to Neil’s former police colleague Craig Tinker and Bethany to try and prove they were lying about Neil.
Bethany eventually found out who Kayla was and Kayla tied Bethany up in an attempt to get a confession out of her.
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But Craig quickly came to her rescue and played Kayla a recording of Neil confessing to his crimes.
Neil was denied a retrial and Kayla later went to visit him in hospital, as he had been beaten up in prison.
During her visit she disowned him for what he had done.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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