EastEnders to air child grooming storyline with Amy Mitchell and Craig Ingram

EastEnders will tackle child grooming in a new storyline that sees Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) groomed by Detective Constable Craig Ingram (Matthew James-Bailey), an adult she believes she can trust.

The BBC soap is working alongside End Violence Against Women, children’s charity Barnardo’s and experts in the field to ensure the storyline is handled sensitively and accurately.

Amy admitted responsibility for the attack on Joel Marshall (Max Murray) after he taunted her.

Craig gains Amy’s trust by agreeing to keep her confession a secret from the police.

Craig creates an environment where Amy believes he is the only person she can trust (Ian West/PA)

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Unbeknownst to Amy, Craig has been suspended from public police duty following a series of complaints at work, and he uses his position of power to elicit control.

Believing Craig to be the only thing that stands between her and serious consequence for the attack on Joel, Amy is incrementally manipulated and groomed by Craig over a series of months.

She will eventually find herself in danger when Craig creates an environment where Amy believes he is the only person she can trust.

Ben Wadey, EastEnders executive producer said: “When telling a storyline like Amy’s, we have a huge responsibility to highlight and raise awareness of the warning signs of grooming.

“We’re grateful to be working with Barnado’s and End Violence Against Women to help us tell this story.”

Lynn Perry, Barnardo’s chief executive added: “We welcomed the opportunity to provide expert advice on this storyline – which is a powerful reminder that there is no stereotypical victim or perpetrator of grooming.

“Young people from all walks of life can be targeted and fall victim to controlling behaviour – and many are often unaware that they are being groomed.

The BBC soap is working alongside End Violence Against Women, children’s charity Barnardo’s and experts in the field to ensure the storyline is handled sensitively and accurately (Danny Lawson/PA)

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“We hope this important storyline can highlight how subtle the signs of grooming can be and how it builds over time.

“To any viewers who recognise themselves in this story – who may be currently experiencing abuse or might have in the past – we hope this storyline shows you that the abuse was not your fault and we encourage you to seek support.

“We appreciate the writing team’s professional curiosity and determination to get this story right.”

Janaya Walker, interim director at End Violence Against Women Coalition added: “We’re proud to have worked with the EastEnders team on this storyline about grooming and police-perpetrated abuse, which has been delivered with sensitivity and care.

“On-screen portrayals like this have the power to shift attitudes and increase understanding of abuse across society.

“This storyline will help raise awareness about how those in a position of trust can abuse their power to target women and girls.

“We hope it can play an important role in making these experiences visible and help victims watching at home to understand that what happened to them was abuse, and to seek support.”

EastEnders airs at 7:30pm Monday to Thursday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.