Coronation Street fans were left devastated on Friday as much-loved character Debbie Webster was sent to prison for a crime she did not commit. The hotelier, played by Sue Devaney, had taken the blame for a crash caused by her son Carl Webster earlier this year, a collision that claimed the life of vicar Billy Mayhew.
Despite Debbie's vascular dementia diagnosis, she pleaded guilty to protect Carl. However, on the day before sentencing, she revealed she is actually his biological mother. Carl, furious at the revelation, refused to forgive her and told her there would be no prison visits, saying: 'This is us. Done.'
In court, Debbie was initially sentenced to four years, reduced to two years and eight months for her guilty plea. As she was taken down, she joked about missing her makeup bag and asked if there was room service, but soon became distressed, repeatedly shouting 'I can't see!' before collapsing.
Her husband Ronnie received a call informing him that Debbie had suffered a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), often called a mini-stroke. The episode ended with Debbie waking up in hospital, confused and in tears, handcuffed to a police officer.
Fans took to social media to express their upset and confusion over the storyline, pointing out that seatbelt bruising should have contradicted Debbie's claim of being the driver. One viewer wrote: 'I know it's only fiction but... They can't do this to Debbie.' Another said: 'That last scene was devastating.'
Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
