Category: News

Tom King has been found guilty of abusing wife Belle Dingle in Emmerdale and sent to prison for three years. It’s the end of what has been a very real, but very long storyline.

And while it looks like Tom has gone for good, no one would blame fans for wondering if that was the case. After all, we’ve been teased plenty of times before that Tom would be no more. He’s survived multiple near-fatal incidents including being electrocuted and stabbed in the back with an axe by Belle. Plus fans thought Tom had gone for good when he was caught trying to escape and sent to prison.

However, this time, it looks like there’s no getting away from it: Tom is going to jail. So is this the last we will see of Tom King? Has he left Emmerdale for good at last?

What happened in Emmerdale tonight

In another format-breaking episode, that Emmerdale has become well-known for, tonight’s scenes flipped between the evidence being given in court and the jury deliberating their verdict.

Although the jury consisted of 12 people there were three particularly vocal ones: foreman Karl, played by Charles Dale, Heidi, played by Denise Welch and Kenneth, played by Jack Ellis.

Karl was very much Team Tom in the beginning, using all of Belle’s past deeds against her to paint her as unstable. In fairness, Tom did give a very convincing performance in court.

Heidi, however, knew the signs and knew Tom was guilty as sin. Kenneth stayed quiet as the two locked horns, but eventually piped up and revealed a personal experience with an abuser that made him doubt Tom and realise Belle was being truthful. He said he could see the look of sheer terror in her eyes.

After it looked like things were going Tom’s way, the vote suddenly swung in Belle’s favour and the jury reached the unanimous verdict Tom was guilty. Hallelujah!

Has Tom left Emmerdale for good?

It’s music to our ears: Yes, this is the last we will see of Tom King. Emmerdale Insider reached out to the soap who confirmed the news.

At last the village is free of the evil that is Tom. His last trick has failed. He was found guilty and will serve his time.

Whether in three years he gets out and comes back to terrorise Belle is another thing, but for now, she can sleep easy knowing he is behind bars. And we don’t have to see his smug face again!

Even better than that, Belle will be smiling again by Christmas when she is reunited with her beloved Piper. She realises Tom lied about the dog being dead and lovely Vinny, with Gabby’s help, tracks Piper down and returns her to Belle on Christmas Day.

All the tissues please, this is at last the justice she deserves.

Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.

Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.

Visit our Facebook page @emmerdaleinsider for all the latest Emmerdale news, gossip and spoilers and let us know what you think! Or find us on Twitter @emmerdaleinside

 

Belle Dingle took on her abuser Tom King in court this week’s Emmerdale and saw him sent to prison. It was a chilling episode that really highlighted the truth about domestic abuse, and people’s attitudes towards it.

Tom’s trial was the end of a year-long storyline that has been carefully and thoughtfully plotted with a lot of shocking moments, as well as tearjerking parts.

But did the finale really do justice to the rest of the plot? We’re not completely sure.

Was the ending of Tom King too rushed in Emmerdale?

The majority of the trial was in Thursday’s double episode. On paper, it looked that it would be plenty of time. But actually it felt rushed. The discussions with the jury were really interesting and we definitely felt engaged with the new characters we met. But we wanted to hear more.

Denise Welch’s character, Heidi, clearly had a backstory that we were desperate to hear more about. The debates threw new light on Belle’s ordeal. But suddenly, everything was resolved and Tom was found guilty – it felt like we’d only seen half of it.

We reckon Tom’s trial could even have stood up to running across a whole week’s worth of episodes. There is a fine line between giving a story the time it deserves and dragging it out, but this all felt wrapped up too quickly – Tom was only arrested a couple of weeks ago!

Some of story missed out?

In a similar vein, it was fascinating to hear Tom and Belle’s take on various incidents, then have the jury discuss how they saw it. But it felt like lots of incidents were glossed over, or not even mentioned at all.

Which then gave the impression that Belle’s ordeal wasn’t that bad, that it was being vaguely downplayed – even though we’d watched it all and seen how she’d suffered.

Belle wasn’t on trial

We understand how trials work – we know Tom’s creepy barrister Ollie had to plant reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury and convince them that perhaps Tom wasn’t guilty of everything he was accused of. And we also understand that one of the ways he was going to do that was by discrediting Belle.

BUT Belle wasn’t on trial. All the stuff about her history with Gemma seemed totally irrelevant. You know what would have been relevant, though? Tom stalking Chas and making her think she was losing her mind, back in 2013.

The real-life stories

Soaps play such an important role in raising awareness when they tackle issue-based stories like this. This storyline has been managed so well and really highlighted the horror of coercive control. And we loved the idea of including real-life stories in the trial. But aside from the one story told by juror Kenneth, the stories were just stuck on at the end. It made them feel like an afterthought.

Missing witnesses at the trial of Tom King in Emmerdale

Belle has come into contact with quite a few people throughout her ordeal who could have been witnesses for the prosecution. Rhona and Vanessa both had the measure of Tom, so did Charity and Cain, who trailed her all the way to Wales. Even the bus driver who saw Belle run away while an angry Tom pursued her would have been a helpful witness.

And of course, there’s DS Foy. Where was he?! He’s been so dogged in his determination to see Tom in court, only for him to vanish at the last minute? Very disappointing.

Now Tom’s been sent to prison and we’re looking forward to Belle rebuilding her life. It was definitely the right ending to an excellent story, but we’d have liked to see it play out slightly differently.

Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an early release at 7am on ITVX. 

Classic Emmerdale usually airs weekdays at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm on ITV3. 

Follow us on our Facebook page @EmmerdaleInsider for the latest Emmerdale spoilers, news and gossip. Or find us on Twitter @EmmerdaleInside. Let us know what you think!

 

In recent Emmerdale scenes, Belle turned up to court at the last minute and exclaimed that she was ready to tell her story, and fans couldn’t be more thrilled!

It’s been a tough year for Belle, having suffered physical abuse and coercive control at the hands of husband Tom King. She eventually found the courage to leave Tom and report him, but that wasn’t the end of her ordeal.

Tom continued to harass Belle and he fooled others into believing Belle was unstable. As the court case approached, Tom has attempted to scheme his way out of things.

It was touch and go whether Tom would get his way, especially when it appeared that Belle was a no show at court. However, she delighted fans when she arrived at the last minute.

Tom to face justice

The list of Tom’s crimes against Belle is endless. From holding her hand under scolding water and poisoning her dog to locking her in the house and punching her – poor Belle has been through it.

All the while, Tom used gaslighting to make Belle believe she was to blame or that she had misunderstood the situation. He also tried his best to alienate her from her family in order to make her rely on him.

Earlier in the week, Tom was rushed to hospital after apparently trying to take his own life. The incident left Belle feeling guilty and doubting if she should give evidence at the trial.

Fortunately, Belle saw sense. In Wednesday’s episode (December 18), after her family spent ages trying to track her down, Belle arrived at court at the last minute declaring: “It’s time to tell my story”. Go, Belle!

Fans thrilled as Belle arrives in court

Fans took to social media to express their joy at Belle’s court arrival. “Phew! Belle has made it to the court! You’re screwed now Tom,” wrote one viewer on X. Another added: “Oh well done Belle, tell the court what an abuser Tom really is.”

Over on Instagram, another fan wrote: “Thank goodness Belle turned up to wipe that smug smile off his face.”

A fourth fan admitted to feeling emotional over the episode, writing: “I knew that Belle would turn up, but I had tears in my eyes when she did.”

A fifth fan said: “What a fab ending !! Come on Belle you can do this !!!” With a sixth adding: “YESSSS BELLE!!! I KNEW IN MY HEART SHE’D TURN UP!!”

Will justice be served?

Read more: Christmas Spoilers for Emmerdale: Terror at Home Farm!

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an early release at 7am on ITVX. 

Classic Emmerdale usually airs weekdays at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm on ITV3. 

Follow our Facebook page @EmmerdaleInsider for the latest Emmerdale news, gossip and spoilers. Or find us on Twitter @EmmerdaleInside. Let us know what you think!