Corrie hate crime storyline based on murder of Bacup's Sophie Lancaster to begin this evening

Sylvia Lancaster, who set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation in memory of her daughter, who was killed in Bacup in 2007 for being a goth, has been working with the producers of the ITV soap on a new storyline about hate crime.

Speaking alongside Corrie actress Sally Carmen to Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on the daytime TV show, Mrs Lancaster described Sophie as 'quiet, introverted, funny, creative and a good old egg'.

Sophie and her boyfriend, Rob Maltby, 21, were set upon by drunk teenagers in a park in Bacup in August 2007, because of their alternative appearance.

Sophie was kicked and stamped on as she cradled her injured boyfriend.

Both were taken to hospital and fell into comas.

But while Rob survived the attack, gap-year student Sophie never regained consciousness and died in hospital 13 days later.

And now, the ITV soap are set to tackle the issue of hate crime when characters Nina Lucas and Seb Franklin are subjected to an unprovoked violent attack.

The “hard-hitting” storyline will begin this evening when Nina, who has a Victorian goth identity, and Seb - who are head-over-heels in love - are out walking and find themselves subjected to such an attack.

Mrs Lancaster explained to Philip and Holly the events of that fateful night on August 11, and how she had to make the difficult decision to switch Sophie's life support machine off. 

Speaking of the moment she decided to set up The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, she told This Morning: "I can remeber getting there (the hospital) and the police were already there, and running through the corridors and going 'right that's it now, I've had enough I'm going to set a charity up and we'll use our Sophie's name'.

"I remember that quite vividly."

Mrs Lancaster, through the foundation, now goes into schools and works with the police to provide a greater understanding of hate crime and to make sure what happened to Sophie never happens again. 

Corrie 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.

“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.”

Mr s Lancaster, who is chief executive of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, said: “I know first-hand the abuse, harassment and violence that alternative people suffer.

“Hate crime is usually directed at already stigmatised and minority groups and Sophie was assaulted three times before that final, sustained and brutal attack that took her life – but she never reported the earlier assaults.

“Coronation Street covering this issue means such a huge amount to me.

“We want alternative people to know that they shouldn’t be putting up with this prejudice and intolerance, and they should report it.

"We want the wider community to really appreciate the horror of this violence and understand that difference in itself, is not frightening, it just makes us all who we are.

“We will also use this platform to continue raising awareness of Sophie’s case with the police and judiciary to make sure that hate crime against alternative people is recognised and treated with the degree of severity that it deserves.”