Line Of Duty fans were sensationally told that deceased gangland boss Tommy Hunter was Jo Davidson’s blood relative in tonight’s breathtaking fifth episode (Sunday April 18).
But who was Tommy Hunter and what shadow does he still cast over the series?
Where does Tommy Hunter fit into Line Of Duty?
Fans were on tenterhooks after episode five’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger.
After retrieving DS Davidson’s DNA from her ex, Farida Jatri’s house, forensics bods compared it to records across police databases.
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Ted was shocked when he saw the name of the match – a blood relative of Davidson’s was on the database.
So who did she match with?
It was gangland boss Tommy Hunter, who fans last saw alive in series two.
Who was Tommy Hunter?
Played by Brian McCardie, Hunter operated as a gang overlord in the unnamed fictional Midlands city Line Of Duty is set in.
He first appeared in series one, with a number of policemen and women, as well as other high-profile names, under his command.
One of his projects was money laundering via a hairdressing salon.
Also in on the con was high-flying property developer, Jackie Laverty – who just happened to be the secret lover of supercop, DCI Tony Gates.
When Laverty was murdered by Hunter’s OCG, he came into direct contact with Gates, who was trying to piece together what had happened to his mistress.
With AC-12 and Steve Arnott sniffing around the case, Hunter demanded Gates take action.
Arnott was captured and tortured by Hunter’s men, but survived thanks to a daring rescue mission by Gates.
How has Hunter infiltrated the police force?
One of Hunter’s specialities was blackmail.
He did it to Gates in series one, and he’s done it others, too.
Take Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan.
DI Cottan was a member of AC-12 but by the end of series three was revealed to be the mysterious ‘Caddie’ figure – an OCG man on the inside who routinely scuppered the anti-corruption unit’s investigations.
The fan favourite’s link to Hunter was this – he used to literally caddie for Hunter at the Edge Park Golf Club.
And then there’s series six bad boy, Ryan Pilkington.
The young PC has been constant during the whole Line Of Duty story.
He first appeared as a teenager in series one, employed by Hunter as an errand boy on the Borogrove Estate.
Now, he’s a fully-fledged murderer.
How did Hunter die?
At the end of series one, it was revealed that evidence found by Gates in his investigation into Hunter was never used because he was a police informant.
At the start of series two, DI Lindsay Denton was tasked with escorting Hunter from his safe house to a police station after a threat to his life emerged.
However, en route to the station the convoy was ambushed and Hunter was critically injured.
And, in hospital he was finished off by one of the ambushers.
Why? It emerged that Dot Cottan himself ordered the hit in order to cover his own tracks.
Hunter’s shadow is still large
Tommy Hunter’s death might have seen the end of him, but his presence still looms large over the whole series.
We got a hint of Hunter’s predilection for young teenage girls with the Carly Kirk case, but more revelations were made in series three.
Read more: Line Of Duty star Martin Compston warns fans may ‘need therapy’ after explosive twist
Hunter was revealed to have been part of the sexual abuse scandal at Sands View boys home, along with Councillor Dale Roach and CS Patrick Fairbank.
And, in addition to being named as Jo Davidson’s father in episode five, there was more…
His son was implicated in the murder of young black man Lawrence Christopher.
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