Lawrence White

Lawrence White is the father of Chrissie Sugden and current owner of Home Farm. In the 1960s, Lawrence had an affair with Edna Birch's husband Harold, for which he was sent to prison.

Until 2014: Early life
In the early 1960s Lawrence had an affair with friend Harold Birch, despite Harold being married. Harold's wife Edna Birch was initially glad of their relationship and that Harold had someone to talk to but once she realised the nature of their relationship, she phoned the police, as being gay was illegal at that time. Harold was released without charge as he was a respectable married man but Lawrence was imprisoned. After serving his sentence Lawrence was released but Harold told Edna that Lawrence had hung himself in his prison cell, so they could restart their relationship once he was out of prison. They never did restart their relationship as Lawrence realised Harold also contributed to him being sent to prison. Lawrence went on to have a relationship with a woman, and they had two daughters, Chrissie and Rebecca. He also built up a successful farm machinery business and a fortune. He hired Robert Sugden as his salesman but Robert began a relationship with Lawrence's daughter Chrissie, which Lawrence was not at all happy with. In 2014 Lawrence faked a heart attack at the airport to stop Chrissie and Robert flying to Mexico for their wedding.

2014: Edna Birch and buying Home Farm
In August 2014, Edna confides in Aaron Livesy about Harold and Lawrence's realtionship. The following month Edna visited Aaron in prison and tells him about how she sent Lawrence to prison and that he committed suicide because of her. After Aaron is released from prison, Edna's friend Sandy Thomas enquirers why Aaron is so angry at Edna and he tells him and Paddy Kirk how Edna sent Lawrence to prison for being gay. Paddy and Sandy search the internet and discover that Lawrence is actually still alive and lives nearby. Sandy, Paddy and Aaron visit Lawrence's business premises and confront him about his and Harold's lies but he initially denies knowing Harold. He then admits he knows Harold and expresses his anger at Edna and how she sent him to prison. The following day Lawrence visits Edna in the village and tells her that it was Harold's idea to lie that he was dead. He begins to soften towards her and tells her that he forgives her but she needs learn to forgive herself and gives her Harold's old watch.

In October 2014 Lawrence asks Edna's opinion on him buying Home Farm, she tells him that she had no right to tell someone what to do and to do what is best for him. When Lawrence turns up at the Home Farm open day he breaks up a fight between Chrissie's fiancé Robert Sugden and his adoptive brother Andy Sugden and is sntriged to find out the history between them. Lawrence buys Home Farm, which annoys Robert, who want's to stay as far away from the village and his family as possible. Lawrence moves in with Chrissie, Robert and grandson Lachlan. Lawrence encourages Chrissie to get a pre-nuptial agreement with Robert before they marry, saying that even his own family don't trust him, but she insists that she doesn't need one. Lawrence approaches Andy saying that they could get Robert out both of their lives for good if they work together but Andy declines. Lawrence then proposes that Katie help set a honey trap for Robert and offers Andy and Katie their own farm at a cut price deal as payment for getting Robert out of Chrissie's life for good. Robert reveals to the whole village the fact that Lawrence was imprisoned for being gay but to get back at Robert, Lawrence fakes a heart attack whilst Robert and Chrissie are attending Robert's late mother's memorial service. Fed up of Lawrence trying to split up him and Chrissie, Robert enlists the help of Aaron and local thug Ross Barton to burgle Home Farm and scare Lawrence and make Robert look like the hero by saving him. Ross knocks Lawrence unconscious with a baton and they dump his lifeless body in an outbuilding but Chrissie interrupts them. Whilst in the outbuilding Lawrence suffers a heart attack for real this time. At the hospital he is forced to admit to a devastated Chrissie that he faked his previous heart scares to try and break up her relationship. A few days after the attack at Home Farm, Lawrence tells Robert that he got him wrong.Lawrence and Chrissie fear the worst when Belle Dingle is attacked and when they get home Lachlan has a cut on his face but Lachlan is later cleared of hurting Belle. A few months later.

2015:
In February 2015 Chrissie and Robert marry. Later that month Lachlan sexually assaults Alicia Metcalfe, who phones the police. Lawrence and Chrissie don't believe that Lachlan is capable of the assault. Lawrence offers Alicia and her husband David money to drop the case against Lachlan but Chrissie finds evidence that Lachlan is lying about Alicia's assualt. Chrissie phones the police herself leaving Lawrence disgusted that she could shop her own son to the police, but she insists it is doing it for Lachlan. Lachlan's father Donny Cairn arrives in the village after Lachlan is sentenced to attend therapy. He tries to persuade Lachlan to move in with him in Scotland, knowing that Lawrence would not see Lachlan go without, making him able to clear his debts, but Chrissie discovers he is living in a bed sit and gets her own back on him for trying to take Lachlan away from her. In July 2015, Lawrence makes Robert a company director and writes him into his will. Lawrence sets up his own entrprise awards, which Aaron Livesy and Adam Barton's new scrap business,Holey Scrap, who Robert invests in wins. A few days later Paddy Kirk tries to put Lawrence off investing in Aaron's business as he is aware of Robert and Aaron's affair. Lawrence also asks local beautician Bernice Blackstock out to salsa dance. She initially runs out the pub after being asked, but is persuaded to go by friends. Lawrence and Bernice they get on well and have a good time. Lawrence is disgusted with Robert after his affair with Aaron is revealed, and even more so when he brings up Lawrence's past with Harold and his prison spell. After Lachlan returns from Lawrence's daughter Rebecca's house, he is furious to learn about Robert's affair. Lachlan meddles with Lawrence's heart medication and frames Lawrence. Whilst at Debbie Dingle's hen do, Lawrence feels faint and falls over. The doctor tells Lawrence that he has taken a stimulant, and should go to hospital to be properly check over. Whilst the doctor is still at Home Farm, the police arrive, after Lachlan anonymously phoned them informing them of the switch in Lawrence's medication. Lawrence points the finger at Robert who spends the night in the cells.

A few weeks later Ross calls in a favour from Lawrence and asks him for money. Only a few days after Ross asks for money, a stranger named Connor Jensen turned up at Home Farm and offered to do some odd jobs around the estate. Connor tried it on with Lawrence, but he rejects him. The following day Connor turned up at Home Farm battered and bruised and asked for the £40 Lawrence offered him for his work the previous day. Connor told Lawrence how he was beaten up for being gay and cannot go to the police as his parents were unaware he was gay, Lawrence sympathetically gave him £300 to put a deposit down on a flat in a nicer area. Later that day, whilst Lawrence was having a meal with Bernice the police turned up and questioned him after Connor told them that Lawrence assaulted him as he didn't want to sleep with him. Robert offers Connor £5k to drop the charges, which he does, but it was all part of a plan for Robert to worm his way back in to the company. After the charges are dropped, Lawrence and Bernice flew to Australia to visit Berncie's daughter Dee Dee for her birthday and they visited some of Lawrence's friends whilst they were over there. When Lawrence returned from Austalia, Chrissie solicitor Rakesh told Lawrence that he had caught Lachlan with a gun and Robert had been arrested for murdering Katie on he and Chrissie's wedding day. Chrissie also told Lawrence that Robert set up the raid on Home Farm that caused his heart attack.

Quotes
"I'm trying to place the name, but Harold Birch you say, nothing, really." (first line)

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"I've realised that all we ever had in common was loving a man who wasn't worth it." (To Edna about Harold)