Hari Prasad

Smooth-talking vet Hari Prasad couldn’t believe it when he came across university friend Paddy Kirk in the Dales. The two men were firm friends at university but a business disagreement meant they failed to keep in touch. However, deciding the situation should be resolved, Hari made peace with Paddy. It couldn’t have come at a better time for Paddy as, after the death of Sandra and Craig Briggs’s flock - apparently at Paddy's hands - the practice was losing customers and could have gone under. Promising to bring in new business and recover old clients too, Hari convinced Paddy to let him become his new business partner. Reluctantly, Paddy agreed and the two men started building the business back up.

Meanwhile, Hari caught the eyes of women all over the village. Toni Daggert was particularly impressed and started flirting but Hari wasn’t interested as he had a life elsewhere and didn't want any romantic entanglements in the village. When he realised that Paddy had fallen for feisty Toni, Hari offered to help him get the girl and tried to pave the way for Paddy by quizzing Toni but succeeded in enchanting the keen barmaid further. With Hari around, Toni didn’t look twice at Paddy and it looked like he’d inadvertently messed everything up. He was also getting into arguments at the surgery with Jo. Appalled by her unsuitable work attire and her attitude, Hari tried taking Jo to task – but just made matters worse. However, there was more trouble on the way in the form of Perdita Hyde-Sinclair. After much flirtation between them, Hari thought he’d finally seduced her when she invited him to spend a quiet afternoon with her but soon realised that she was trying to make her husband, Grayson Sinclair jealous. Grayson might be unfaithful but Perdy couldn't be. Although disappointed, Hari was kind to Perdy and the pair had a special bond. He also developed a business relationship with Grayson, looking after the alpacas at Sinclairs family home, Oakwell Hall. They had planned to buy a racehorse together too but that fell through so Hari bought the horse alone, using money from the vets' practice to make up Grayson's share. Unfortunately the horse had to be put down on its first time out, causing Hari problems as the money had to be replaced. Rosemary King gave him the money, on the understanding that he would do her a favour in return at a later date. That favour, when called in, was to tell the police that he had heard the King brothers discussing how they had murdered Tom and get someone to back him up. He persuaded his then girlfriend, Louise Appleton, to do it but she guessed he was lying.

On 17 May 2007 he kidnapped Scarlett Nicholls and hospitalised Louise after running her off the road. She had been on her way to the police station to change her statement about the King brothers murdering their father. As he tried to escape, he was arrested for making a false statement, coercing Louise to do the same and assaulting two nurses, and jailed. He was also questioned by the police regarding fraud at the vets' when Paddy's then girlfriend, Rita, discovered evidence of financial irregularity. On 5 July 2007, Paddy visited Hari on remand, attempting to buy him out of the vets. Two weeks later, Matthew King visited Hari and blackmailed him into raising his asking price. Hari eventually sold his share of the vet's practice to Rosemary. Her interest passed to Grayson on her death.