Emmerdale fans were horrified at the end of last week as Tom King (James Chase) drove into Belle Dingle’s (Eden Taylor-Draper) dog Piper, which resulted in her being killed.
Ever since Belle’s return from Scotland, Tom has tried to worm his way back into her life. Fortunately, Belle has grown stronger as each day has passed, and regularly reminds Tom that she doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore.
On Friday (August 16), Tom searched for revenge after Belle humiliated him in the pub and told him to leave. It happened right in front of Belle’s family, who were in the Woolpack celebrating Sam’s (James Hooton) birthday.
Driving along a country road, Tom spotted Piper outside Wishing Well, where she had been staying so Belle could spend time with her loved ones. He then revved the car and drove towards her.
Horrific as this was, it sadly reflects the way that abusers can use the beloved pets of their victims as part of the abuse and as a means of exerting control.
Emmerdale worked with the charities Refuge and The Dogs Trust in developing this storyline and producer Laura Shaw said, ‘Hearing first hand stories from domestic abuse survivors it’s clearly all too common that domestic abusers will use the family pet as a weapon.’
At the start of the week, Tom and Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) had been up all night trying to save Piper, with Rhona of course unaware that her colleague was the reason that the dog was badly injured in the first place. When it became clear nothing could be done, Tom broke the news to Belle.
She was, of course, devastated and said her goodbyes to her little friend, before leaving Tom to put the dog to sleep.
In the aftermath, Tom was now in a position to comfort Belle and try to re-establish his place in her life, but as he laid it on a bit too thick she had a sudden realisation that he was the one who’d killed Piper.
Despite Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick) insisting it was her fault for not checking the door was closed at Wishing Well, and despite Rhona believing Tom’s story that Belle’s mental health was once again deteriorating, Belle was firm. She absolutely knew what had happened.
Yesterday, Tom arrived at Wishing Well with a basket that had Piper’s name on for a funeral.
Sadly, as much as Belle tried to reflect on the life Piper had, she couldn’t not focus on what Tom was saying. He claimed he loved the little dog, which of course angered her a great deal.
Prior to the episode ending, Belle made her way to the police station. With Lydia and Sam struggling to believe Belle’s comments about Tom, she hoped the police may be able to help.
Belle asked the police officer about Clare’s Law, which will allow her to learn whether Tom has a history of abusing his partners.
With Belle desperate to have her voice heard, Emmerdale fans recently realised where the key to Tom’s downfall could be hiding.
In a Facebook group that discusses the ITV soap, some audience members picked up on the fact Eric Pollard’s (Chris Chittell) house is right by the Dingle’s, which also happens to be a property with security cameras.
And after Eric’s CCTV caught Samson’s (Sam Hall) friend Josh (Osian Morgan) a few weeks ago, could a similar situation occur with Tom?
‘Seeing as Wishing Well Cottage is next door to Eric’s house, could his doorbell camera have captured Tom’s most vile and cruellest act? Certainly hope so, although a horrible experience for Eric and Brenda if they check the footage’, they wrote.
Over on X, a lot of users are also praying there will be CCTV footage of Tom murdering Piper.
‘I hope that there’s CCTV #Emmerdale’, this fan said.
Paula Boyden, Veterinary Director at Dogs Trust, commented on these scenes and said: ‘The recent storyline involving Belle, Tom and Piper is incredibly distressing, but sadly it is reflective of what we too often see through our work.
‘Those we support share their stories of the many ways that perpetrators use pets to coerce, control, physically harm and threaten within abusive relationships. We’ve heard of perpetrators not letting survivors walk their dogs alone, stopping them from accessing vet care for their dogs or being able to spend money on dog food, and even repeatedly threatening to harm or kill their dogs. This is incredibly frightening, and leaves people feeling very isolated.
‘Sometimes, perpetrators will even buy their partner a pet with the purpose of using it as a means by which to control and entrap them, preying on the strong bonds people have with their beloved pets.
