Emmerdale star James Chase has weighed in on whether we could see Tom King back in the future following his sentencing.
Tom was arrested and charged last month for coercive controlling behaviour towards wife Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper), who bravely reported him to the police.
The character, as viewers know, did everything he could to postpone the trial and even staged an attempt on his own life in a bid to evade justice.
But despite his best efforts, justice was well and truly served on Thursday (December 19) with a jury finding him guilty after an intense trial which saw the judge hand him a custodial sentence of three years.
Viewers had hoped that Tom would get his comeuppance and, while it was touch and go for a while, they ultimately got their wish.
‘I always knew to some extent Tom was going to lose, because we had always had that conversation’, actor James Chase said of the outcome. ‘Months ago, the producers and I spoke and I agreed with them that Tom had to get his comeuppance.
‘So I always knew he was going to. I didn’t initially know in what form the justice would take. At one point I thought maybe he’d get killed off but I knew it would be either killed off or sent to prison.’
Belle was seen smiling as she got the justice she deserved, which James reckons was crucial to show. ‘Tom has just done so many things to her,’ he said. ‘Not only was it important for Belle but it was important for the viewers to see that it can happen.
‘Obviously, there are so many people affected by this kind of thing. Unfortunately, I believe it’s all too rare in real life for the victim to get through the system and get the justice they deserve. So I think it was nice to see and hopefully give hope that it can happen.’
The actor said that Tom’s conviction and sentencing brings a ‘closure’ to the storyline and that he was glad the show refrained from killing the character off. ‘I think it would have been stooping to a level similar to Tom if they had done that,’ he opined.
‘So I think it’s better that it went down the law abiding route with it, and it keeps Belle clear and she keeps her innocence, and she doesn’t become pessimistic like he is.’
The storyline was one that James branded ‘super intense’, admitting that it came to an end at ‘the right time’.
‘I think it’s better to end something when people are still enjoying it and wanting more than to carry on for too long,’ he added. ‘Also as abuse can go on for a long time in a relationship and takes many forms, we did have to have the time to reflect this too.’
With Tom finally paying for what he’s done, James has inevitably wrapped filming for Emmerdale. But with his abusive character having only received a short sentence, would he be up for reprising his role further down the line?
‘I think, with good behavior, he’s only going to get something like 16 to 18 months, which is crazy,’ said the star. ‘But I think it would depend where they would want to go with the character, because there are many different avenues you could go with it.
‘They could make it that Tom potentially had got even worse, and hasn’t changed at all. Perhaps, he could hate Belle even more for it. Or if he did go the other way and finally did realise the terrible things he’s done, and perhaps did, actually start to try to become a better man.
‘I think he’ll struggle being in prison, definitely, but I think through that struggle, it will humble him, and he’ll hit rock bottom. But I think it could be the best thing for him, because of how tough it’s going to be for him inside. It may make him come out, having realised what he’s done and not take things for granted.’
