Erik was the husband of Mick Chaney, a psychotic gangster involved in several criminal enterprises, including drugs. They ostensibly had a warm and loving relationship and planned to adopt a daughter but behind Erik's back, Mick was having an affair with Todd Grimshaw, treating him to expensive weekend trips to places like Lisbon and presents of pricey Dolce & Gabbana shirts.
Erik started to grow suspicious when he saw various signs that his husband was being unfaithful and his anger was triggered when Eileen Grimshaw rang Mick's number but put the phone down on him when she heard Erik's voice. Ringing back, he realised the call had come from Street Cars and went round there to find out what was really going on. Finding Tim Metcalfe washing one of the cars, he accused the oblivious cabby of being the one who was having the affair and went to assault him, only being stopped when Eileen appeared and intervened.
While Erik had correctly guessed about the affair, what he didn't know was that Todd had stolen £1,000 from Mick and he was out for revenge. A contract had been put on Todd's head and Eileen had been desperate to protect her son, hence her attempts to contact Mick. Now wanting to protect Tim, Eileen made up a story on the spot that Mick had left a present for Erik in the back of a cab and she was keen to return it, having obtained Mick's number from George Shuttleworth, her undertaker friend, who had arranged the funeral of Mick's brother who had died in a gangland killing. Erik remembered George's kindness and calmed down to discuss the matter, though Tim didn't help matters at all by questioning Eileen's desperate story in some depth. Erik apologised to Tim and later brought Mick round to 11 Coronation Street to pick up the fictional present. Mick got his husband out of the way while Eileen told him he was ruining his life by playing around with her idiot son behind his loving husband's back, and as they hadn't dropped him in with the police over another of his assaults on Gary Windass, he owed them. Mick reluctantly agreed and he left with a warning to Todd never to cross his path again. Eileen's parting remark was to remind Mick that he had a present to really buy Erik, otherwise her hole-ridden story would have been exposed!