Gareth Brannigan was an old associate of Billy Mayhew who was involved in the death of Susan Barlow in February 2001. After finding out what had happened in the crash they were involved in, Billy decided to get in touch with Gareth on social media.
Gareth met up with Billy at the Rovers where the pair initially exchanged pleasantries about their children. After Billy revealed that he wanted to talk about the crash, Gareth admitted to Billy that he already knew that a woman had died as a result of the incident.
Gareth told Billy that the crash had messed him up and caused him to turn to drink but that he had recovered over time thanks to the help of his wife and son. Riddled with guilt, Billy suggested that they should go to the police.
When Gareth told him that they were home and dry with nothing linking them to the crash, Billy revealed that his fingerprints had been found on the car. Gareth threatened Billy that he would know who had grassed him up if the police called and warned him that if he didn't keep his mouth shut, not even God would be able to help him.