Villains on the Street

2 April 2008 12:00am

David Platt has always been a nasty piece of work, a burden to mother Gail and a constant source of upset for his family.

But it seems the tearaway teen is about to get his comeuppance, having just been arrested for pushing his mum down the stairs.

But David, played by Jack P Shepherd, is only the latest in a string of baddies to walk the cobbles. Here we look at some of his predecessors.

:: Tracy Barlow (played by Kate Ford)

Ken and Deirdre's daughter was a good child, but when she made her comeback to The Street in 2002, she had become a sexy superbitch who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

Her worst crimes include drugging shy married-man Roy Cropper and convincing him they'd had sex to win a bet. When she discovered she was pregnant with Steve McDonald's baby, with whom she'd had an affair, she told Roy the baby was his and tried to sell it to him and his transsexual wife Hayley.

She is currently in prison for murdering her cheating lover Charlie Stubbs.

:: Richard Hillman (Brian Capron)

Richard married unlucky-in-love single mum Gail and appeared to be a charming, successful businessman. But he was a crazed serial killer.

He murdered business partner Duggie Ferguson, his ex-wife Patricia and Maxine Peacock.

When his mother-in-law Audrey Roberts started to distrust him he tried to convince her and Gail she was going senile and attempted to murder her too.

After finally being rumbled by Gail, Richard confessed all and then kidnapped her, her children David and Sarah-Louise and her grand-daughter Bethany. He drove into the canal, planning to commit suicide and kill them all.

The others escaped the car but Richard drowned.

:: Jez Quigley (Lee Boardman)

This gangster, drug dealer and murderer caused havoc on the Street.

He sold cocaine to Leanne Battersby who became an addict, he killed Des Barnes' step-son Tony Horrocks and had a gang beat up Steve McDonald for testifying at the murder trial.

Steve's furious father Jim attacked Jez in revenge and he died on top of Steve in his hospital bed.

:: Jon Lindsay (Owen Aaronovitch)

Dashing airline pilot Jon wooed Deirdre Barlow after they met at a singles night in 1997. The lavish lifestyle he treated her to helped Deirdre to forget the grief of losing her last husband Samir Rachid. After a whirlwind romance they bought a fancy house together and got engaged. It all seemed too good to be true.

And it was - Jon was a bigamist with a wife and children, and he wasn't even a pilot.

When Deirdre rumbled him he ran away leaving her with a string of debt he'd racked up under his false identity and Deirdre was jailed for his crimes.

:: Terry Duckworth (Nigel Pivaro)

Jack and Vera's son was not always a bad lad. He went astray in 1992 when he was jailed for Grievous Bodily Harm. He was allowed out to marry his pregnant girlfriend but used the wedding as a chance to escape, resulting in his recapture a few days later and an extended sentence.

Since then he has returned to the Street several times, usually to cause trouble.

He has kidnapped his own baby son Thomas and 'sold' him to his maternal grandparents - twice.

He has two other sons, each by different women and in 2000 tried to sell his kidney to son Paul, when he learned needed a transplant.

He has also sold his mother a dangerous, dodgy car which crashed and nearly killed her.

© The Press Association