The big storyline on top TV soap opera Coronation Street about the court trial of man who groomed a main character has prompted a response from the boss of a Burton charity which helps victims of sex abuse.
In the ITV show Nathan, played by Chris Harper, has been found guilty in court of grooming Bethany Platt, played by Lucy Fallon. The teenager had believed that Nathan was the love of her life but he groomed her and forced her to sleep with his friends.
He abused her over a series of months until he attempted to get her out of the country and she realised what had been happening to her.
The storyline has been running for most of the year and has prompted much debate, with many feeling it raised important issues and would help encourage victims of grooming to come forward to report matters to the police.
The court case had fans glued to their TV sets and they eagerly awaited the verdict, but the trial storyline has been criticised by some for not being realistic enough.
In real life the court process would take a lot longer to complete and victims can wait months, maybe even years, before having their day in court but the soap played it out over two days. The show has also come under fire for showing a court artist sketching victim Bethany - something they would not be able to do in real life as the victim's identity is protected from being made public by law.
Also a court artist cannot sketch a full drawing in court, only key features and they then have to do the rest from memory outside of the actual court room. ITV bosses have since apologised for this error.
Tracey Hardie, chief executive of Burton charity Sarac, has praised the soap for covering the issue of grooming. However, she said the trial was "too quick" but still believes the storyline will do more "good than harm".
Ms Hardie said: "To be honest, it's given a picture of events that is better than the reality, so yes, the artist sketch was a strange error, but it shows the process as rather quick to happen and it can take months, sometimes years, for the trial to begin.
"I'm more concerned that it gives the impression it all happens quickly and smoothly when it doesn't in reality. It is a complex and long process to get to trial and we at Sarac want our clients well prepared for coping with it all.
"We have a specialist independent sexual violence advisors service (ISVAs) for this very reason. Our ISVAs are professionally trained to assist a person through the court process.
"We are one of very few charities UK wide that have this service for young people, aged 11 and over. Also, a guilty verdict is always a great outcome for a client, but sentencing (time in prison) can be another blow if it's not as long as the victim assumes. We help people come to terms with this too.
"The trial process for individuals who report it is a difficult one to understand and adds to their stress no end. We want to help them through and have helped hundreds of people over the years to cope better.
"The programme has shown a great deal of attention to the emotionally affects on Bethany and her family and I still feel they have highlighted an important problem in our society and I'm glad that it has been highlighted in a popular show, so all the above said, I still feel it will do more good than harm."
Anyone wanting to find out more about Sarac or access support can do so by visiting www.sarac.org.uk or call the confidential helpline on 01283 517185.
