Hollyoaks villain Carter Shepherd has finally been arrested after his daughter Freya Calder tipped off the police. The headmaster was apprehended during the village's Pride celebrations following a confrontation with John Paul McQueen.
Carter had been manipulating and gaslighting student Lucas Hay into believing being gay is wrong, using the school's Student Behavioural Unit to practice conversion therapy. John Paul discovered the truth after suspecting his former flame Carter was attempting to 'convert' Lucas.
When John Paul and Ste Hay confronted Carter, he fled to the Pride event where he grabbed a microphone and spouted homophobic hate, telling attendees to 'repent'. Kitty Draper cut the mic and countered his words with a message of acceptance.
Freya witnessed her father's outburst and later broke down in tears as she urged him to accept responsibility for his crimes. She had called the police, leading to Carter's arrest. Meanwhile, Lucas remains in hospital after assaulting Dillon Ray, who woke to find Lucas unconscious and got him medical help.
Actor David Ames said of the storyline: 'Carter unravels and, as happens so often in life when people hide behind masks, the truth comes out. You can't help your nature, you can't help who you fall in love with – no matter how many times you try and repress that.'
