Characterisation Kerry was initially billed as "a confident woman who lands in some tricky situations." She thought they were both "defensive and protective" when it came to their feelings, but Kerry was "more of a doer" and very impulsive. While talking about Kerry's early scenes with the
Sunday Mail's Mickey McMonagle, Cordingly said "I've been on
The Bill for about a year and a half and in my first year I had loads of storylines. It was all quite mad and traumatic with gay husbands and miscarriages and lots of tears. She was happily bobbing along being lovely and everything kept going wrong for her. I have had great stories and stuff but it has been a little bit boring playing nice all the time. I'd like to see her stretched a bit more." Not long after, she "caught the attention" of PC
Luke Ashton (
Scott Neal) and they begin dating. However, Luke is also having an affair with their sergeant
Craig Gilmore (
Hywel Simons). Kerry and Luke's relationship becomes strained when Martin is arrested on suspicion of being a serial killer. Luke also has sex with Gilmore on his stag night and they are caught by Inspector
Gina Gold (
Roberta Taylor). McPherson and Cordingly began a relationship in real-life shortly after meeting for lunch during his first day. Their characters also establish a relationship on-screen after Cameron turns to Kerry for support, following the death of Sergeant
Sheelagh Murphy's (
Bernie Nolan) daughter, whom Cameron was babysitting. McPherson said he and Cordingly had barely any scenes together since his arrival, and he could not think of anyone else he would have liked to have acted alongside. He pointed out that they already had the chemistry and were able to discuss and rehearse their scenes together.
Date rape accusation and explosion In April 2004,
Gabriel Kent (
Todd Carty) targets Kerry and manipulates her into thinking that Smithy
date raped her, before she is caught up in an explosion. Cordingly explained that viewers see a kiss between Smithy and Kerry and nothing else, so it is ambiguous. However, Kerry cannot remember anything about that night. Gabriel, who hates Smithy, uses this to his advantage and starts trying to convince her that Smithy date raped her. The storyline begins with the announcement of Kerry and Cameron's engagement, which angers Gabriel as he did not hear the news from Kerry herself. An
Inside Soap writer observed that Gabriel mistakenly believes there is a connection between them, which leads Gabriel to visit Kerry at her flat. Things between the pair take "a shocking turn" when Gabriel forces himself on Kerry. When a fight breaks out between Gabriel and Cameron, Gabriel takes every opportunity to taunt his "rival" about Kerry. Cameron "finally cracks under the pressure and his frustrations surface in a violent outburst." Cordingly explained that her character initially goes undercover to prove that she is a good officer. Even when Smithy warns her about how dangerous the Radfords are, Kerry refuses to give up because she is getting close to them and she is attracted to David Radford (
Alex McSweeney). Her frustration with her career and "constant clashes" with Inspector Gold makes Kerry an easy target for the Radfords. Head of the family Irene Radford (
Lynda Bellingham) later asks Kerry to help them with a job, which makes her consider cutting ties with the police force. Kris Green of
Digital Spy reported that producers had promised Cordingly "an explosive exit" which would be filmed during the UK summer. She said "I was given a long contract, I decided to leave on a high, while my character was going through some really challenging times. The workload has been exhausting but really worth it." Up until her departure, Cordingly was filming six days a week for twelve hours, which she admitted left her feeling tired. In the lead up to her final scenes, Kerry's involvement with the Radford family comes to a conclusion, she uncovers Gabriel's real identity, and discovers
Andrea Dunbar (
Natalie J. Robb) is an undercover journalist. Farah Faouque
The Sydney Morning Herald branded the episode a "cheerless outing", saying viewers follow the character's "descent from happy-go-lucky officer to victim" mostly because of her "bad taste in blokes." Kerry's funeral takes place under the strictest security as the sniper has yet to be caught. There is also a high degree of tension due to the "explosive secrets" that Kerry took to the grave. Gabriel offers to read at the service, before he breaks down in tears. Walkinshaw stated "It's quite a shock for everyone, not just Smithy. People didn't think that Gabriel and Kerry were that close, but Smithy is too overcome with grief to confront Gabriel about his actions at the funeral. It's not that Smithy thinks Gabriel doesn't have the right to mourn Kerry, but when he breaks down it seems inappropriate – it's just so out of the blue. Some people are surprised, some are embarrassed, but Smithy is livid!" The revelation that Kerry was carrying Gabriel's child, as the result of the rape, further enrages Smithy and he confronts Gabriel in the pub. Walkinshaw said that his character knows Kerry did not like Gabriel, so he cannot believe they had any type of relationship. Cordingly admitted that she was planning on watching the filming of her character's funeral, but chose to go on holiday instead, as she felt that she needed to get away. After learning that the funeral was in the newspapers, Cordingly felt "wobbly", but she said she could not think of a better exit storyline. ==Reception==