The Corrie storyline with Nina and Seb about hate crime is a tragic reminder of the real life murder of Sophie Lancaster.
But what happened to Sophie Lancaster? How is her boyfriend now?
Why was she targeted and where are her killers now?
Here’s everything you need to know about the brutal crime that inspired the Corrie plot.
Read more: Coronation Street: Nina and Seb left for dead after horrific hate crime battering
Who was Sophie Lancaster and what happened to her?
Sophie Lancaster was a young 20-year-old gap-year student who had everything to live for.
Thugs cruelly took her life when they beat her to death in an unprovoked attack on August 24 2007.
A number of teenage boys attacked Lancashire-born Sophie and her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, during a walk through Stubbylee Park in Bacup, Rossendale.
Sophie’s head injuries were so severe she went into a coma from which she never regained consciousness.
She died of her injuries 13 days later.
Sophie Lancaster murder: How is her boyfriend Robert Maltby now?
Police described it as “a sustained attack”.
The pair received serious head injuries and their faces were so swollen the police could not ascertain which one was female and which one was male.
Robert Maltby’s injuries left him in a coma and with internal bleeding.
He gradually recovered, but had lost memory of the time leading up to, and during, the attack.
The grief following the death of his long-term girlfriend led to him quitting his art degree in Manchester.
However, Robert now works as an artist and freelance illustrator who produced a haunting collection of artworks in Sophie’s memory.
He’s found love since the tragedy and is now engaged to Karah Kay.
Read more: Coronation Street SPOILERS: Fiz to lose the girls to Tyrone and Alina?
Why was she targeted?
Police claimed the attack was linked to the couple wearing gothic fashion and being members of the goth subculture.
However, Robert has since said that was an “over-simplification”.
The couple’s family described them as “goths” and said: “They’re both intelligent, sensitive kids.
“They’re not the sort of people to get in trouble, but they have had problems in the past because they stand out.”
Abigail Lawrie starred in a BBC Three drama based on the 2007 murder entitled Murdered for Being Different.
The prosecution told the hearing: “Sophie and Robert were singled out not for anything they had said or done, but because they looked and dressed differently.”
Where are her killers now?
Lancashire Police arrested five teenage boys in connection with the attack, although up to 15 people could have been involved.
They were later charged with Sophie’s murder.
Two of them were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The other three were eventually convicted and jailed for grievous bodily harm.
At the beginning of the trial on March 10 2008, all five boys pleaded guilty to the charge of grievous bodily harm with intent.
Ryan Herbert pleaded guilty to murder, while Brendan Harris pleaded not guilty to murder.
The murder charges against the other three were dropped.
Consequently, Brendan Harris was found guilty of murder, and the judge allowed the names of both Harris and Herbert to be made public.
Detective Superintendent Mick Gradwell of Lancashire Police said it was one of the most violent murders he had come across in his career.
He said: “I do not think Herbert and Harris have recognised how violent the attack was.
“They have just done it without thinking, but they seemed to have enjoyed it, and carried on remorselessly kicking at two very defenceless people who were unable to protect themselves because of the level of violence inflicted upon them.”
Both Brendan Harris and Ryan Herbert were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The trial judge recommended that Brendan Harris should serve at least 18 years, and Ryan Herbert at least sixteen years and three months.
Brothers Joseph and Danny Hulme, and Daniel Mallett, were jailed but have since served their time.
Sophie Lancaster murder: Did killers ever show remorse?
On October 29, after an appeal, Ryan Herbert had his minimum term reduced from 16 years and three months to 15 years and six months.
Ryan Herbert had his tariff cut to 14 and a half years on 10 February 2020, as a High Court judge concluded he had made “exceptional progress” in jail.
However, none of the boys have ever shown remorse publicly and were described by the judge as “feral”.
Sophie Lancaster murder: Nina and Seb’s Corrie storyline
Coronation Street will tackle the issue of hate crime when couple Nina Lucas and Seb Franklin are brutally attacked.
The soap is working with The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, launched in the memory of the murdered student in 2007.
In scenes which will air next month, Seb and Nina will be violently assaulted in a similar way to what happened to Sophie and her boyfriend Robert Maltby.
Sophie’s mum Sylvia has worked with the soap to help highlight the issue.
In heartbreaking episodes to be screened in early May, Seb and Nina will be attacked by Corey and a gang of drunken mates including Kelly Neelan,
Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod said: “The issue of intolerance and hatred towards people from different cultures and subcultures is arguably more relevant now than it’s ever been.
“This incredibly hard-hitting storyline, which centres on a senseless act of violence, will draw in characters from all corners of our narrative universe and will, we hope, leave the audience with a clear message: everyone, regardless of how they look, how they dress or any aspect of how they live their life, should be treated with tolerance and respect.”
He added: “The story will run across the rest of the year and beyond, with many twists and turns, and will be heartbreaking and dramatic in equal measure.
“In the end, the story will see an optimistic outcome emerge from the traumatic attack.”
Coronation Street airs on Mondays and Wednesdays 7.30pm and 8.30pm. There is an hour long episode at 7.30 on Fridays on ITV.
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