Seb (played by Harry Visinoni) promised Alina (Ruxandra Porojnicu) he wouldn’t contact the authorities when he pieced together she was a victim of modern slavery, having discovered the salon worker was living in squalled conditions on Coronation Street.
The plot has been running for several months, with numerous Weatherfield residents such as Jan (Piotr Baumann) and Paula Martin (Stirling Gallacher) supposedly linked to the human trafficking ring.
This week’s instalment of the ITV soap saw Seb tell landlady Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) and her boyfriend about Alina’s situation with Jan promising to steer well clear of the salon, only for him to take a call arranging to help with the arrival of more girls to work at the salon.
Next week’s episodes will see Alina’s ordeal finally come to an end when the police intervene, but will Seb be left seeking revenge as Jan manages to walk away free from the crime?
After Seb is left beaten and bruised, Eileen will head to the nail salon where Jan is seen with Alina’s captors, Rachel (Verity Henry) and her husband Nikolai.
As a brawl ensues between the foursome, the police arrive and will surely arrest Jan, Rachel and Nikolai on the spot for harbouring an illegal human trafficking network.
Although it would seem Alina’s ordeal will come to an end, her captors and Jan may not be dealt justice for their crimes against the young women they’ve been subjecting to maltreatment.
Coronation Street have been working closely with The Salvation Army to accurately portray the reality of the situation for many thousands of victim go human trafficking in the UK.
Explaining how justice would be served on those guilty of modern slavery, Isobel Mcfarlane of The Salvation Army said in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk: “It is still hard to convict people because of the undercover nature of the crime.
“There are now offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 which people can be convicted of and we are beginning to see traffickers given prison sentences for these crimes.”
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“It is much easier to convict a trafficker if there are victim testimonies but understandably victims often remain very fearful of their traffickers, even when they are in custody,” Isobel continued.
Does this mean Jan and his associates will walk away from what they’ve done to Alina and her friends without any means of punishment issued against them?
Jan could then up and leave Weatherfield knowing his friends in Weatherfield would never forgive him for the pain he’s inflicted upon them.
However, not one to take matters lightly, Seb will be wanting some sort of justice for Alina so will he be hot on Jan’s tracks to get revenge?
There is a possibility Jan could be punished, as Isobel explains: “One thing which really helps is the support The Salvation Army is able to provide to victims of these crimes which makes them feel more comfortable to engage with the police and prosecutors.”
“Our support workers come alongside the victim and work with them and the police to make the experience as positive and safe for the victim.
“Only people who want to engage with the police, do so.
“There is never any pressure,” Isobel added, so will Alina get the help she needs to put her life back on track, leaving her ordeal in the past with her captors behind bars?
It’s yet to be revealed what the outcome will be for Eileen and Seb, as they are both put in harms way for trying to help Alina.
Will they both make it through the explosive altercation, or could this be the end for one of the Weathefield’s most popular residents.
Coronation Street continues Monday at 7.30pm on ITV.
If you suspect that you, or someone you have come across, might be a victim of modern slavery and in need of support, please call The Salvation Army’s confidential modern slavery referral line on 0300 303 8151, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you see someone in immediate danger, then always call the police on 999. For more information please go to https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/modern-slavery.
