Hard villains finally cheated in hearing (6)
I believe the answer is:
strict
'hard' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
(Other definitions for strict that I've seen before include "Demanding that rules are observed" , "Exact, rigorous" , "Not lenient or indulgent" , "Excessive pride" , "Uncompromising in discipline" .)