Ross Barton

Ross Barton is the son of James Barton, brother of Pete and Finn Barton and half-brother of Adam Barton.

Ross turned to a life of crime after leaving home following a fallout with his father.

Waiting at the side of the road for Rhona Goskirk to return from a chemist in July 2013, Laurel Thomas was attacked by Ross whilst tending to a crying Leo Goskirk. Dressed in a black hoodie, he demanded Laurel to drive and when she wouldn't, he put his hand over her face and struggled with her. Laurel fought him off and managed to force herself and Leo out of the car and away from him. Ross drove off with Laurel's car leaving them at the side of the road.

Laurel struggled to get over the attack and attempted to discover the identity of her attacker. Shortly afterwards in August, she tracked down Ross to his flat in Maple Grove and brandished a pair of scissors at him, telling him she wanted him to feel as scared as she did when he attacked her. Ross realised, however, that Laurel wasn't going to physically harm him and called her bluff, knocking her to the ground. Realising Laurel had gone after her attacker and knowing Cain Dingle had dealings with Ross in the past, Marlon Dingle got Cain to help to track them both down. They arrived in time to witness Ross about to attack Laurel for a second time. Cain defused the situation while Marlon took Laurel home.

In October, Cain abandoned an attack on a gang of drug dealers he was supposed to be assisting in and recruited Ross as his replacement. When the job went wrong, Ross burst into Butler's Farm with a gunshot wound to the neck. Covered with blood after being shot, he blackmailed Cain into helping him by threatening to tell Moira Barton about the job whilst she was out of the room. Moira wanted to call an ambulence but Cain and Ross insisted that she couldn't otherwise they would both be arrested. Instead, they had Vanessa Woodfield assist to the wound. Cain tried to force Ross to leave at the earliest opportunity but Moira soon realised that Ross was James Barton's boy, and therefore her nephew, whom she had not seen for around twenty years after James and her late husband John Barton fell out. Moira allowed Ross to stay at Butler's Farm until he recovered, leaving Cain feeling uneasy.

Also discovering that Ross had fallen out with his father, Moira chose to contact James for the first time in years in an attempt to patch things up between the pair. When James arrived at Butler's Farm however, an argument ensued and it became clear that a reunion wasn't on the cards as Ross insisted he wanted nothing to do with his father. Cain tried to convince Moira to get Ross to leave, but feeling sorry for Ross she wanted him to stay for a couple more days. Cain then informed Moira that Ross was Laurel's carjacker, leading to Moira to also want to get rid of him, but she was forced to reconsider when Vanessa insisted he need a few more days of rest. After visiting Ashley Thomas at the farm to discuss Gabby Thomas's behaviour, Laurel realised she'd left her handbag in the kitchen and returned to get it. She spotted Ross on Adam's quad bike and shouted for help when she thought he was stealing it. Telling Moira and Adam that Ross was her carjacker, she was devastated when Moira informed her that she already knew and that Ross is her nephew. When the police became involved, Laurel let slip that she had once turned up at his flat and brandished scissors at him. Laurel was arrested and told she would face a trial by jury. Before disappearing from the village, Ross helped Cain out by obtaining money from stealing Declan's car, allowing Moira to keep the farm as they handed the money to Declan.

The next time Ross was seen in the village was following Laurel's trial, where she had been found guilty and fined. Ross arrived at Tall Trees Cottage threatening Laurel for his money, stating he wanted it now. Laurel realised she wasn't scared of him anymore and that he would have to wait for his money to be paid back in the way that the courts had agreed. Having nowhere to stay, Moira once again put Ross up, not knowing that Ross was still being harassed by one of the drug dealers from the previous month. The drug dealers eventually caught up with Ross and got their revenge by terrifying Moira and beating up Adam before wrecking Butler's Farm. Despite all of this and later discovering that Ross's father, James, and brothers Pete and stay at Butler's Farm, inviting his family to join him as well.

Ross began to be accepted by the village when he saved Gabby Thomas from being hit by a car when she ran into the road. Bernice Blackstock couldn't think of enough ways to thank Ross and even Laurel had to swallow her pride to at least thank Ross for saving Gabby's life.

Ross is currently working as a mechanic at Dingle & Dingle and living at Dale View with Adam Barton and Andy Sugden.

Quotes
"Shut it. Drive, now!" (first line)