'Coronation Street' trial twists revealed?

Frank Foster will be found not guilty of raping Carla Connor in Coronation Street, reports have claimed.

The businessman will walk away free when a jury acquits him of sexually assaulting his former fiance after she dumped him on the eve of their wedding, according to the Daily Star.

"Needless to say Frank is quick to return to the ­cobbles and gloat about his innocence, knowing full well he's guilty as sin," a source told the newspaper.

The trial, which will be screened next year, is said to feature some of the "most powerful" episodes of the soap ever aired. Carla (Alison King) will be forced to recount explicit details of the night of the attack and answer questions about her relationship with Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) as Frank's lawyers attempt to ruin her reputation.

Carla denies that she and Peter are more than friends but a private ­investigator hired by Frank shocks the court by producing pictures of the couple kissing, the insider claimed.

The revelation reportedly prompts Peter's wife Leanne (Jane Danson) to scream from the public gallery: "You're a liar, Carla!"

Andrew Lancel, who plays Frank in the soap, described his character as "very, very clever" with a "twisted mind" in an interview with Digital Spy.

The scenes will be shown in 2012 episodes of Coronation Street on ITV1.