Coronation Street star accused of child sex offences appears in court

Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell — who plays mechanic Kevin Webster — made his first court appearance after being accused of a string of child sex offences. Webster, 48, looking “tearful and tired” at Manchester Magistrates Court, the Daily Mirror reported, did not enter a plea on the 19 offences, which include six counts of raping a child along with six allegations of indecently assaulting a child and seven more counts of sexual activity with a child. He appeared in court under his real name, Michael Turner. The charges concern one complainant and allegedly occurred from 2001 to 2010, court heard during the eight-minute hearing.He was supported by four members of his family while a throng of British tabloid media filled the gallery. Judge Khalid Qureshi asked Le Vell’s lawyer, Richard Gowthorpe, if the actor planned to make a plea. The lawyer replied, “No indication of plea today other than the fact that the charges are contested, and will be fully contested in the Crown Court.” Le Vell has vehemently denied the allegations and has vowed to fight them “vigorously.” Under his bail conditions, Le Vell surrendered his passport, agreed to have no contact with witnesses and is banned from having unsupervised contact with any children younger than 14. A father of two, Le Vell is one of Coronation Street’s most famous faces. He has played Kevin Webster on the beloved British soap for more than 30 years, although he will not be appearing on the show until there is an outcome from the charges. He and his wife, Janette, split last year.More than 700,000 Canadians watch Coronation Street on CBC every day.