The Judge presided over a bail hearing for Corey Brent at Weatherfield Magistrates Court in June 2021. Corey had been charged with an assault on Nina Lucas and the murder of Seb Franklin when he and a gang of friends attacked the couple the month before, motivated by Nina’s determination to tread her own path and dress as a Goth.
The defence barrister, Miss Okada, presented a character profile of the accused to the court which painted him as a citizen of model virtue, being a promising student, a member of Weatherfield County FC’s youth academy and a volunteer at a food bank who came from a stable and loving family. When the judge pointed out that local feelings were running high as a result of the crime, Miss Okada offered that Corey would continue to reside at his parents’ address several miles from Coronation Street, with no contact of any nature with Seb’s family or friends, to wear a tag, and to report daily to his local police station. To the vocal disgust of Abi and Nina, the judge agreed to the conditions and Corey was released on bail.