It is a move that smacks of being the same as what TPTB did with Karl, a little while ago.
Sadly, the character thus becomes more limited even if there isn't a specific and clear shelf-life to them, as killers.
It would be hard to really re-capture and re-create the Hillman days - those were a one-off and just pure, unadulterated classic Corrie. This has a lot to live up to, to get near to that.