Steve was introduced as an old university friend of Rachel Hughes, whose husband Chris was jealous of him. When Chris and Rachel split up, Steve and Rachel dated, but Steve soon got bored and had a fling with Charlie Cairns. He then became involved with Chris's stepmother Kim Tate and they married just around the time when their finances were running low. He tried to steal a horse as a means of gaining money, but accidentally ran Kathy Glover over on the way, and later tried to suffocate her to death in the hospital, only to be detained by his wife. He was later imprisoned for the robbery and hit and run, while Kim escaped having set Steve up.