Kathy hospitalized. Steve was convicted to a 12-year prison sentence while Kim is set to face the same fate once her bail concludes. That night, Chris lures Kim into Home Farm for a confrontation as he attempts to bring Kim to justice for killing his father. When Chris tried to blackmail her into giving him custody of James, she hit Chris over the head and tipped him out of his wheelchair. Kim then confessed to Chris that she had watched his father die, before pouring whisky over him and then escaping the village with James by helicopter. This was the last time Kim and Chris ever crossed paths. In 1999, Chris hires his lawyer Laura Johnstone (Louise Beattie) to help manage the events of his company's business operations. At one stage she helps him reclaim Home Farm from the attempted usurpation of ownership from illegitimate conman Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) and his old lover Stella Jones (Stephanie Schonfield). Soon enough, Chris ends up alienating most of the village and motives are eventually questioned when he later goes missing. Unbeknownst to the villagers, Chris has been kidnapped and is held hostage by his recently new hires employee named Liam Hammond. The kidnapping lasts for a few months, during which Liam reveals himself to be Frank's long-lost son – thus making him Chris's half-brother. Chris gradually forms a bond with Liam and was upset when he was shot dead by Zoe after she got caught up in the same situation. That same year, Chris is distraught to learn that Rachel has died despite getting custody of Joseph in the process; it later transpires that Rachel was murdered by her former boyfriend Graham Clark (Kevin Pallister), who previously killed his old spouse before proceeding to embark on a relationship with Kathy – only for his crimes to be exposed before Graham eventually kills himself. Chris helps Kathy nurse through her ordeal with Graham. In 2000, Chris faces another major crisis when one of his lorry trucks ends up colliding onto a village bus – thus causing a devastating road collusion which leaves Kathy among several other residents critically injured. Kathy survives along with some residents, but four people end up being killed in the resulting Bus Crash – including local resident Butch Dingle (Paul Loughran and one of Chris' drivers named Pete. Despite the tragic circumstances in the Bus Crash, Chris opts to