Coronation Street Actor Chris Fountain Suspended Over Rape Rap Videos

Chris Fountain, an actor on the hit British soap, Coronation Street, has been suspended from the show over a series of threatening videos that promoted violence and rape on YouTube.

Fountain worked under the alter-ego, The Phantom, and posted the videos online, all while he wore a mask covering his identity.

Lyrics in his music, which has since been taken down from the site, included, “I’m a motherf****** demon, I’ll stab you in the face with a diseased needle,” “I will f*** anybody up in the worst way, rape a b**** on her birthday, ” and “I’ll bench press a house, I’ll bench press a house, I’ll bench press your wife, yeah, your spouse.”

The 25-year-old, whose plays Tommy Duckworth in the long-running soap, released a statement that apologised for his work that read, “I am deeply ashamed by the lyrics and very much regret my behaviour. The videos were made over a year ago when I was experimenting with music and I’ve not done anything like it since, nor will I.”

An ITV spokesperson also responded to the news, stating, “ITV find both the language used and the views expressed in this video totally unacceptable. Chris Fountain has been suspended pending further inquiries into this matter.”

The chief executive of The Survivors Trust, a British support group for rape and sexual violence victims, Fay Maxted, remarked, “I think it is very silly for someone in such a position to do this. I think some kind of action needs to be taken to get him to realise he has to behave more responsibly.”

Earlier this year, Bill Roache, the longest serving cast member to ever appear on Coronation Street, was arrested, and is currently facing trial, over five separate charges that relate to indecent assaults on four girls between 1965 and 1968.

[Image via Sarah Winterman/Wikimedia]