Police have blasted Coronation Street for its new restorative justice storyline.
The ITV soap recently aired scenes where Gail McIntyre (Helen Worth) met with Michael Rodwell (Les Dennis) in jail after he burgled her house but the plot - which has been branded "overly dramatic" and "disgraceful" - put a real-life crime victim off meeting the person who stole her credit card because she was "too scared".
Credit: ITVRestorative Justice (RJ) worker Vickie Yardly did eventually get the woman - who had been in negotiations for four months - to meet the thief, who had also been put off by the show.
Vickie wrote to complain, slamming 'Coronation Street' bosses for their "completely inaccurate" storyline.
Tony Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, added: "'Coronation Street' has done a fantastic job of raising important issues and bringing them to the public's attention. Unfortunately, on this one they have got it wrong."
Despite the complaints, show bosses insisted they consulted with the Restorative Justice Council to ensure accuracy in the storyline.
A spokesperson told The Sun newspaper: "We worked very closely with the Restorative Justice Council for this storyline, they helped throughout.
"Every case is different and ours is a fictional case."
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