Coronation Street fans were aghast as Fiz Stape told her daughter Hope about her late father John in Monday night's episode. Corrie viewers blasted Fiz for glossing over the truth as she gave 11-year-old Hope a potted history of the serial killer teacher.
Soap devotees accused Fiz of 'victim blaming' his former pupil Rosie Webster, who John had an affair with when she was 16, as she tried to explain to Hope what had driven John to kidnap and kill. John's affair with Rosie was exposed in dramatic fashion on Christmas Day 2007.
Kevin Webster attacked John when he found out that the teacher had been sleeping with his daughter. He was fired from his job but blamed Rosie for the downturn in his fortunes and kidnapped her, locking her up in his dead grandmother’s attic for five weeks before she managed to escape.
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John was sent to prison and he married Fiz while he was still behind bars. After his release John pretended to be his ex teaching colleague Colin Fishwick who had emigrated to Canada, but his deception was discovered by fellow teacher Charlotte Hoyle and she began blackmailing him.
When Colin returned to the UK he confronted John and Charlotte but died of a brain haemorrhage in the middle of an argument. Fearing their secret was about to be exposed the pair put Colin’s body down a hole in the floor at Underworld factory which was being repaired.
But events took another dark turn when an obsessed Charlotte went to attack him with a hammer and he hit her over the head with it. She died of brain damage in hospital after John tried to make it appear as though she had been caught up in the Corrie 50th anniversary tram crash in 2010.
John later confessed his crimes to Colin Fishwick’s elderly mother Joy who suffered an angina attack from the shock. As someone came to the door he claimed another victim as he put his hand over Joy's mouth to keep her quiet and she died.
John then took Fiz's brother Chesney hostage with Charlotte's parents and he kidnapped Rosie a second time to persuade her to go to court to help Fiz who had been arrested for his crimes. But Kevin chased John in his car, leading to a catastrophic crash that claimed his life.
Explaining the backstory Fiz told Hope: "Rosie Webster, she was a bit of a strumpet." And viewers were amazed when she said: "He only kidnapped Rosie because his affair with her ended his teaching career."
And she told her daughter: "Everybody liked Jon apart from the Websters." Fiz had words with Hope after the youngster discovered information about her dad on Fiz's partner Phill Whittaker's laptop, who has been researching him for a book.
"He wasn't all bad he helped create you," she said generously about John. "He was kind clever and funny. Life played cruel tricks on him. The truth is is all he wanted to do is teach."
@IAmSamJMartin took to Twitter to exclaim: "Why on earth is Fiz romanticising John!!! He was a bloody nutcase." @DavidBoink said: "Fiz victim blaming, Rosie was an innocent child."
@arlawrencewrite fumed: "As if you would tell an 11 year old that Rosie Webster was a strumpet." @homebrew19721 complained: "Hey Fiz Rosie wasn't a strumpet" And @noelphobic said: "Kidnapped Rosie because she was a 'strumpet'. Shame on you Fizz #corrie."
@redbeanmilktea tweeted angrily: "For flipping sake Fiz you can't lie to Hope about her serial killer dad using poor Rosie as a scapegoat for his crimes! Way to teach your daughter about the value of women!" And @ScribensCheryl said: "Did I hear Fiz victim shame Rosie by calling her a strumpet? She is beyind belief." And @1stLadyHooligan tweeted: "Wow. I get Fiz downplaying how bad Stape was for Hope's sake but that was ridiculous."
