Detective Sergeant Nicholas "Nick" Henshall, played by
Michael McKell, was a local police officer. He made his first appearance on 31 December 2008. He returned in 2010 and began a relationship with
Katie Sugden and started a fire that killed two people. He departed on 17 February 2011 when he killed himself. In January 2011, McKell told
Inside Soap that Henshall did not intend for anyone to be hurt by the fire he started. The fire claimed the lives of
Terry Woods (
Billy Hartman) and
Viv Hope (
Deena Payne). McKell revealed that Henshall's wife, Alison, was killed in a fire that was intended for him. He could not rescue his wife and uses the fire at Victoria Cottage as a way to make amends. McKell said "Because he felt powerless to help, he invested his life in his career and actually became a very good cop in the process. When he set alight Katie's cottage, he only wanted to start a little fire so he could be a hero and she'd need him." Henshall later became unstable and a hostage situation occurred between him and
Katie (
Sammy Winward). Detective Constable Henshall is first seen when he and
DS Karen Williams (Annie Fitzmaurice) investigate the murder of policeman
Shane Doyle (
Paul McEwan) and they initially arrest
Eli Dingle (
Joseph Gilgun) for the murder and he implicates
Debbie Dingle (
Charley Webb) and
Jasmine Thomas (
Jenna-Louise Coleman) as being Shane's killers and Henshall and Williams arrest and charge Debbie with the murder. However, Jasmine later hands herself in and confesses to Henshall and Williams that she killed Shane. Henshall investigates the disappearance of
Will Wylde (
Oscar Lloyd) and later questions
Cain Dingle (
Jeff Hordley) about a break-in. He is promoted to Detective Sergeant and returns to investigate the murder of
Mark Wylde (
Maxwell Caulfield). He and DC Laura Prior initially arrest
Nathan Wylde (
Lyndon Ogbourne), but release him without charge due to a lack of evidence. They then arrest and charge
Ryan Lamb (
James Sutton) with the murder, but
Natasha Wylde (
Amanda Donohoe) is proven to be the killer and Henshall is present when she is arrested. Henshall investigates the theft of two horses from Home Farm and he later buys stable manager, Katie Sugden a drink. Katie's ex-husband,
Andy Sugden (
Kelvin Fletcher) is not happy with Katie dating Henshall and they goad each other. Henshall investigates the disappearance of
Jacob Gallagher (Joe Warren-Plant) and he suggests to Jacob's parents
Alicia (
Natalie Anderson) and
Justin (
Andrew Langtree) that they hold a televised appeal.
David Metcalfe (
Matthew Wolfenden) eventually finds Jacob in an old building and rescues him, despite Henshall telling him to wait. Katie and her housemates,
Gennie Walker (
Sian Reese-Williams) and
Chas Dingle (
Lucy Pargeter), receive prank calls and they are later burgled. Gennie tells Henshall that she thinks Andy may be responsible. On a date with Katie, Henshall mentions his dead wife, Alison. When they get back to Katie's, Henshall argues with Andy in the street and she decides to end their relationship. Later, Henshall returns with a petrol can and starts a fire at the back of Victoria Cottage. He tries to ring Katie, but she does not answer and he assumes that she has gone out. Henshall hides and watches as
Carl King (
Tom Lister), Andy and other residents try to put the fire out. The fire spreads and kills Terry Woods and Viv Hope when the Post Office catches alight. Henshall returns the following morning to investigate the fire with Prior and they interview both Andy and Carl. In the coming weeks, Katie and Henshall get back together. Henshall attends both Terry's funeral and Viv's memorial service at The Woolpack. Andy makes a complaint about Henshall harassing him and reveals his relationship with Katie to his colleague Prior. Henshall is then taken off the case and he blames Prior for ruining his chances of promotion. Henshall threatens Andy by holding his face over a gas cooker in his caravan. Henshall and Gennie go to Butler's Farm after
Brenda Walker (
Lesley Dunlop) goes to confront Andy. When they arrive, they discover that Brenda crashed her car into Andy's caravan. Henshall talks to Andy's landlords
John (
James Thornton) and
Moira Barton (
Natalie J. Robb) and they agree not to press charges. Henshall's colleague
DC Laura Prior (
Elaine Glover) warns him to stay away from the case and that she knows that he withheld information from Katie and Carl's statements. On Valentine's Day, Henshall takes Katie for a meal at the B&B and tells her that he is falling in love with her. Andy arrives with Alicia to watch them and Henshall demands that he leave. Henshall asks his colleague DC Darren Foster for updates on the case and Foster tells Henshall that they have CCTV footage from the shop where the phone used to make the calls to Victoria Cottage was bought from. Henshall asks Katie to come away with him and she agrees. At his home, Katie finds some newspaper clippings about his wife Alison's death. Katie asks Henshall about them and he tells her that Alison died in an arson attack on their home. Katie discovers her stolen bracelet and Henshall locks the front door and starts to barricade the house. Katie realises that he is responsible for the prank phone calls, the burglary and the fire. Henshall tells Katie that he tried to save his wife and that it was his fault she died as their home was targeted by some criminals he had arrested and imprisoned. He tells her that he wanted to make up for Alison's death and that he wanted her to need him, so he started the fire at her home in order for him to rescue her. Henshall insists that Terry and Viv's deaths were accidental. Katie demands that he let her go but he refuses, telling her that he loves her and insists that she loves him. Katie tries to escape, but Henshall stops her. Prior and Foster call round to question Henshall after discovering he is responsible for starting the fire and realise that Katie is in the house. Prior calls Katie's phone and Henshall answers and shows them Katie at the window to prove she is alive. He produces a gun and Katie begs him not to use it and he suggests killing them both in order for them to be together. A shot is fired and Katie leaves the house. She tells Prior and Andy, who had arrived at the scene with Gennie, that Henshall has killed himself. ==Other characters==