Coronation Street fans are conflicted over Aaron Sandford's (James Craven) shocking exit on Friday night (June, 19) after he decided to leave the cobbles.
Aaron started legal proceedings against Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) after she revealed in an online blog post that he sexually assaulted her a few months ago.
During the episode, Amy was worried about the financial implications of fighting the case as her mum Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) was selling her florist shop to cover the legal fees.
Amy decided to write a public retraction, despite always telling the truth about what Aaron did to her.
The pair had a tense meeting at the Bistro, where Aaron looked over what the retraction would say before she posted it on her page.
As Aaron tried to point out the inconsistencies in her story to try and make himself look innocent, Amy exploded and furiously told him to write it himself, before storming out.
Aaron started to subtly acknowledge his own guilt while he spoke to his dad about the ordeal and later confronted Amy in the street.
An ashamed Aaron revealed that he was dropping the libel case and at the Barlow household, he still refused to admit that he raped Amy as she went over the events that happened that night.
Aaron ran out of her house in shame to his dad's car, which was waiting outside. Before he got in, he no longer denied that he attacked her and apologised to Amy. Aaron and his dad then drove off, leaving Weatherfield for good.
Fans were torn over Aaron's departure as some were furious that he never faced punishment for his crime. Meanwhile, others thought it realistically portrayed the devastating truth that not everyone receives justice for these horrific crimes and were relieved that Aaron came to realise what he had done...
Eesh. Really conflicted about tonight's #corrie. On the one hand, I thought the way Aaron came to realize what he'd done was handled very well. On the other hand, Amy didn't get justice. That's a tough message, no matter how close to reality it is.June 16, 2023
Aaron's exit is genuinely pathetic, Amy's never going to get closure or justice now. #corrieJune 16, 2023
Aaron’s exit was a good oneAs unfortunately it is very common for a rapist not to face justiceYet at the same time the story doesn’t feel unfinished because you got Amy completing that arc of seeing Aaron admit itI’d say #Corrie did a good jobJune 16, 2023
OMG so this was Aaron's exit - so we won't see him go to court or face up to his actions. 🙄I just pray to God that Amy was recording that near confession from Aaron so that Amy can get the closure she needs to move on from her ordeal. #Corrie https://t.co/Rxoth9BKEjJune 16, 2023
Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITVX.
