First Appearance: Episode 112 (1982)

Last Appearance: Episode 443 (1984)

Known Family: Grandfather - James Sheppard

Key Relationships:
Fling with Angela Hamilton; Liaison with Gayle Andrews; Liaison with Wendy Armstrong; Liaison with Christine Matthews

Key Storylines:
Paul Sheppard was studying to be a priest, as it was what his mother wanted for him. His grandfather, James Sheppard, didn't like it, though. When James learnt he was dying, he asked Paul to bum around for a while and consider whether being a priest was what he really wanted to do.

Paul turns up at Fiona's boarding house in Sydney in 1982; he knows Fiona from when she had an affair with James. He learns to his shock that James also had an affair with Patricia Hamilton, and he decides to get to know Patricia better by landing himself a job as the Hamiltons' gardener - calling himself Paul Clark, so that Patricia doesn't twig who he is. It doesn't take long for Patricia to work out the truth, though, and she implores Paul to take up his place on the board of Ramberg, the company his grandfather owned. After much soul-searching over whether he should choose business or religion, Paul decides to opt for business. Things come crashing down around him, though, when he discovers that much of Ramberg is built on money made through prostitution. Paul decides that he can't hold on to money made in such an immoral way, so he sells his shares in Ramberg and gives the lot to charity.

An infatuation with Angela leads to a long-running love triangle between her, Paul and Rob Keegan - even after Angela and Rob have married. Patricia does her best to keep Paul and Angela apart, but to no avail. The situation becomes more complicated when Angela falls pregnant - despite suffering from fertility problems - and isn't sure whether the father is Paul or Rob. When Rob catches Paul in Angela's bedroom, a fight ensues. The stress of the situation causes Angela to miscarry.

It doesn't take long for Angela to realise that her marriage to Rob is over, and she and Paul move in together. Because of Angela's fertility problems, Paul looks into finding a girl who's pregnant but who doesn't want her baby and who would be willing to let his name go on the birth certificate as father; he would then buy the baby for himself and Angela. Angela reluctantly goes along with the idea. However, the girl that Paul finds - Christine Matthews - is very protective of the twins that she gives birth to and Angela ends up telling Paul that she's going to go crazy if she sees Christine again. Further rows lead to Paul moving away and into a hotel with Christine and the twins.

A year later, Paul takes revenge on Patricia for the way she interfered in his life by terrorising her at Toorak - leaving notes around the house and making silent 'phone calls. When Patricia catches him, he flees and heads over to see Beryl, telling her that he wants to see Angela one more time. When Beryl explains that Angela and Rob have moved away up-north and are very happy together, Paul is devastated. He concludes that he's lost everything, and that if the police catch up with him for what he's done to Patricia, that will be the end. He decides that life isn't worth living anymore, and he commits suicide by jumping in the Bay and drowning himself.