DI Dent was one of the detectives that were sent to investigate the murder of Graham Foster in late January 2020, along with colleague DS Ward.
Their attention soon turned to Marlon Dingle who had a great motive to want Graham dead and after the murder weapon was found in his house, covered in Graham's blood, he was charged with the murder. However, in February 2020, Ward and Dent witnessed the conclusion of Pierce Harris' hostage situation, having held Vanessa and Johnny Woodfield captive in Mulberry Cottage for weeks, when his ex-wife Rhona Goskirk live-streamed him confessing to Graham's murder. The following day, Dent and Ward informed Marlon he would be released and started questioning Pierce, assuring him that despite his attempt to discredit them, they had enough to make sure he was put away for a long time.