Coronation Street slam ‘ridiculous’ storyline as Roy is arrested for Lauren’s murder

Coronation Street fans have slammed the ITV soap as “ridiculous” after Roy Cropper was arrested over the murder of Lauren Bolton.

Lauren hasn’t been seen in Weatherfield since mid-February, prompting weeks of speculation surrounding her whereabouts. Prior to her disappearance, a mystery man appeared at her door on Valentine’s Day, which appeared to cause concern for the teenager.

Bobby Crawford soon reported her missing to police after finding her flat empty, but after multiple appeals, no information was forthcoming. In dramatic scenes on Friday, however, cafe owner Roy – Lauren’s employer – was visited by DS Swain and bundled into the back of her police car for questioning.

Roy soon found himself being quizzed over the crime, with DS Swain keen to discover why cash had been found under her mattress and why he’d paid her more than she was due.

“I felt sorry for her. She was hungry,” said Roy. DS Swain continued, quizzing Roy – played by David Neilson – as to why he had made so many calls to Lauren before she was last seen. After explaining it was because she was so “unorganised” he was then asked if he knew Lauren had been involved in sex work.

“I didn’t,” said Roy, before recalling a moment she had “propositioned” him in the past. Under more interrogation, the Roy’s Rolls boss was asked about blood stains on Lauren’s curtains, open condom wrappers and any interactions with his potential victim on social media. He was later released on bail, however, due to no body or evidence tying him directly to any crime being found.

Viewers immediately hit out on X (formerly Twitter), stating that Roy would “never” do anything like that. “What’s going on with #Corrie?” wrote one user. “Was bad enough the scriptwriters expecting us to believe Stephen Reid was a scary serial killer, now Leanne in a cult and Roy being arrested for murder, it’s like they order scenes from the wish app.”

Another agreed: “Wtf?! Swain has lost her bloody marbles arresting Roy for Lauren’s murder! well past time for Lauren to come out of hiding.” A third exclaimed: “#Corrie thats ridiculous – there is no motive and no proof. Why would Roy kill a young girl?”