Charged with MURDER!
The nightmare gets worse for wrongly accused Roy
Roy Cropper, patron saint of waifs and strays, is rather discombobulated as the police and a bunch of ignorant buffoons continue to believe he had a hand in Lauren’s disappearance. And just when it seems things can’t get much worse, he’s charged with the teenager’s murder.
The week gets off to an ugly start as Roy gets yet another abusive phone call. Sam tries to cheer him up by popping over for a game of chess, but it’s going to take a lot more than scoring a checkmate to put a swing back in our Royston’s step.
Stu also tries to help – he knows what it’s like to be accused of a crime you haven’t committed. Seeing a homeless man in the precinct, he asks him if he’s seen Lauren, and agrees to pay for info… only to get whacked with a brick and have his wallet stolen.
As the hatred ramps up, Roy’s late wife Hayley’s son Christian (remember him?) gets in on the act, and posts some nasty comments online. Meanwhile, a woman pitches up, claiming to be Lauren’s mum, Kerry, and wangles herself an overnight stay on Roy’s sofa.
But it turns out she’s an internet sleuth called Alice. She uses her visit to get secret footage of Roy’s abode, and she also takes note when Sam refers to Roy as his ‘BFF’. In her eyes, it’s more evidence that Roy is a menace. After all, what ‘normal’ man would hang around with a 12-year-old boy? ‘Everything Roy does or says is being misinterpreted,’ says David Neilson, who plays him.
Alice is exposed as a fraudster when Roy gets a call from the real Kerry, but she later films him when he’s out with Evelyn. As Roy tries to stop her, she stumbles and bangs her head, and has the nerve to report him for assault.
It’s the final nail in the coffin. Roy’s hauled into the nick and doesn’t return – DS Swain charges him with Lauren’s murder.
Can lawyer Dee-dee work her magic or is kindly Mr Cropper about to do bird?
‘EVERYTHING ROY DOES OR SAYS IS BEING MISINTERPRETED’