We all want Sally Metcalfe free in time for a nice Coronation Street Christmas, but this man seems to want it more than most.
Richard Draper has thrown his full lifelong support behind the wrongfully incarcerated Sal by getting a permanent inking on his leg in protest of what conman Duncan has done.
Years ago there was free the Weatherfield One which spawned all sorts of merchandise with poor old Deidre Barlows face on after she was banged up for a crime she didnt commit, but while those t-shirts and posters did the job, that kind of action just wont cut it this time around.
The 36-year-old is one of many fans to protest Sallys innocence, and hes taken his dedication to the cause to the next level. The dad-of-three has had SOS – Save Our Sally tattooed on his leg after becoming absorbed in Sallys fraud storyline in which Duncan framed her for a crime she didnt commit.
The factory worker was sent down after her own sisters testimony in which Gina, instead of defending her sibling, said that it is possible Sally had an affair with Duncan and gave the jury reason to believe she could be a criminal. And now its Sophies mission – along with the eternal support of Richard – to get her conviction overturned.
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Richard, a tattoo artist, said: I am a big Coronation Street fan, and since Ive been following the story of Sally I knew that she was innocent.
Its crazy to watch what is happening to her on the show, and she definitely needs to be freed. I got Save Our Sally tattooed onto my leg to support the poor woman, and make it clear that she was really innocent.
He added: I think its great and shows my support, whilst being a funny memory. The only worry I have now is showing my wife – Im not sure how shell react to me having another womans name tattooed on my leg for the rest of my life.
The idea wasnt entirely his – he was egged on by his boss Joe Millership who came up with the idea of the tattoo.
Richard said: Myself and my boss, were talking about the fact that the Save Our Sally tagline would make a great tattoo to show our support, and I knew it had to be me to have it.
Joe did the tattoo for me and, as a massive Corrie fan himself, loved every moment of it.
It only took 20 minutes to do, and now Im able to show my support for Sally for a lifetime!
And should Sally get justice at some point, Richard said he wont be tempted to cover it up.
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I have a few different tattoos and they all mean a different thing and tell a different story. I would never get it removed, as I think its great, he said.
Its definitely going to continue my love for Corrie too – especially as its etched on my leg forever.
You get tattoos for a reason, and I think that me getting mine done fro Sally is a great reason on its own.
The next few weeks will be an even tricker time for Sal as her life behind bars gets even more difficult while her life outside of the prison starts to crumble without her there to save it – especially with the likes of Gina muscling in on Tim. But though we all want her set free in time to enjoy her turkey and cranberries with the fam, heres hoping shes in for a bit longer so that the dad-of-threes tat doesnt get outdated really quickly.
MORE: When are EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks on over Christmas?
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