Emmerdale boss Laura Shaw has confirmed that Tom King’s (James Chase) abuse of wife Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) will continue for quite some time.
The long-running story, which began prior to their engagement last year, has seen Tom emotionally manipulate Belle and at times, physically abuse her.
He’s also tracked her every movement and in the last week, we’ve seen him lock her in the house whilst a fire broke out in the kitchen. Luckily, she woke up in time to notice the blaze and extinguish it, but alarm bells started ringing in her head when she noticed both of the doors were locked.
To make matters worse, she’s now found out she’s pregnant with his baby, and has sought help from an abortion clinic.
Sadly, in upcoming scenes he learns the truth about the termination and seeks revenge.
Prior to that, Belle will confess to her mental health coordinator that she lied to Tom about having a miscarriage and during their conversation it soon dawns on her that the reality of her situation is that her husband is, in fact, an abuser.
Little does she know, back in the village, Noah (Jack Downham) innocently tells Tom that he saw Belle in town when she was supposed to be walking her dog.
All hell breaks loose, and he begins to smash up the barn he’s in – but as raises the metal bar above his head it connects with the rotary isolator and sends an electric shock through his body, sending him flying across the room.