Mum of murdered teen stamped to death by gang for being a goth works with Corrie producers on hard-hitting storyline
THE mum of murdered student Sophie Lancaster who was stamped to death by feral thugs for being a goth is advising Corrie on a hard-hitting new storyline.
Sylvia Lancaster OBE has been brought in by producers to help with a shocking twist that sees Nina Lucas clash with Corey and his gang and ends in tragedy.
We can reveal she has been secretly working behind the scenes with bosses for over 18 months and was key to creating the character played by Mollie Gallagher, 23.
Mum of two Sylvia, 65, has used her knowledge of subcultures to ensure the goth cafe assistant is well rounded all in the build up to the tragic scene next month.
It will have echoes of the sickening attack that left her daughter dead in August 2007 - but insiders say it is still not clear how the episode will end.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Sylvia said: “I wanted to make sure Nina is a proper representation, and she really is - she’s played so well. It’s a very good portrayal.
“When people see goths they just see this difference, and they’re scared of that. They don’t see the person underneath.
“That’s what drives these attacks. With Nina people have grown to love her, she’s now one of the most popular characters.
“This episode will really get people to question things, it should start the conversation in the living room about people’s prejudices.”
Nina first appeared in November 2019 and has recently fallen in love with Seb but after getting picked on for her appearance she will be attacked by Corey and his drunken pals.
Kelly Neelan will join in goading the couple and chasing them and the lovers end up in hospital sparking a police probe.
It will mirror how Sophie and her art student boyfriend Robert Maltby, then both 20, were walking home at 1am when a group of boozed-up louts pounced “like a pack of wild animals”.
Robert was targeted first and beaten to the floor before Sophie was stamped on as she tried to protect him in Stubblee Park in Bacup, Lancs, at 1am.
Sophie died in a coma two weeks later. Robert left hospital the day her life support machine was switched off.
Reliving the moment she found out from her home in Penwortham, Lancs., Sylvia said: “I knew straight away it was because of the way she looked.
“I was absolutely furious. You get like a ball in your stomach. I was absolutely devastated at the same time - your emotions are all over the place.
“I couldn’t recognise her because of the damage that someone had inflicted on her on a Friday night for a bit of fun.
“It’s not something I would wish on my worst enemy. She only had a tiny little face and her head was massive. Her ears were big black and running with puss.
“She had a beautiful long neck and it was black and shiny like a bin bag. The things at the end of their laces were indented into her face.”
Sylvia initially thought her daughter would survive when she was in ICU and vowed to set up a foundation and take her into schools to educate children on hate crime.
She said: “I thought kids would see her and they will see she’s different, but they’ll also see she was funny, she was kind, she was caring.
“They would see that she likes Harry Potter and is just a normal girl. I thought - they will get it.
“Obviously I couldn’t do that, but with Coronation Street and Nina people will now see that. They will see people are different but you don’t need to hate that.”
Sylvia vowed to be Sophie’s “voice” following murder convictions for killers Ryan Herbert, 29, and Brendan Harris, 28.
She formed the Sophie Lancaster Foundation to create respect for subcultures and hopes this episode will urge victims of hate crime to come forward.Sylvia said: “Sophie and Rob had actually been attacked three times previously, but they didn’t report it. They didn’t tell me, they didn’t tell the police.
“I would like to think if they had there might have been a different outcome.
“That’s what I want the message to be from this episode. If you are attacked you need to report it.”
The episode is due to air at the beginning of next month.
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