The following article contains spoilers from an episode of Emmerdale that hasn’t aired on ITV yet, but is available to view on ITVX.
Tom King (James Chase) was feeling quite confident by the end of Tuesday’s Emmerdale, telling his solicitor Ollie (Alistair Toovey) that he was confident Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) wouldn’t testify against him at his trial. ‘I’m a free man,’ he boasted.
Tom’s latest manipulative move saw him fake an attempt at s.u.i.c.i.d.e in prison. Being a vet, he knew just how much damage to inflict on himself to make things look realistic but at no real risk to him.
But as news got back to Belle about what had happened, she was terrified that the attempt had been real and that if Tom had died the blame would lie with her for putting him under so much pressure.
Tʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ ʜᴏᴡ Tᴏᴍ ʜᴏᴘᴇᴅ sʜᴇ’ᴅ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀɴ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴅᴏsᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴛᴀʏɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴛᴛᴀɢᴇ ɪɴ Wᴀʟᴇs.
In the village, Belle’s family tried to support her and encouraged her to testify regardless.
She wasn’t convinced, and headed to see Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) to try to understand more about how Tom might be feeling. Paddy, whose mental health once became so bad that he seriously considered taking his own life, knew he couldn’t speak for Tom but he had some advice for Belle.
‘If Tom did decide to take his own life it wouldn’t be your fault, it would be his decision alone,’ he said.
Belle wasn’t convinced, and there was a further blow to her confidence later on when she had a call from her solicitor who aid the judge had ruled that Belle’s mental health history – and the fact that she’d k.i.l.l.e.d her friend Gemma Andrews (Tendai Rinomhota) in 2014 – would be permitted to be brought up in the trial.
Gemma and Belle fought over boyfriends, and their argument turned into a physical fight. Gemma slapped Belle, who pushed her in return – and as Gemma fell she bashed her head on a rock. She d.i.e.d the next day.
Belle turned herself in to the police and was sentenced to three years for manslaughter in a youth facility, getting out after a year. This horrific incident triggered a mental health spiral for Belle, who began to hear voices telling her to do bad things. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Belle knew how all this could be made to sound by Tom’s barrister.
‘It means the jury are going to turn against me before I even take the stand,’ a shocked Belle told Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins). ‘And that’s if I find it in me to testify against someone on s.u.i.c.i.d.e watch.’
Charity had just come from the hospital where she’d seen for herself that Tom King was very far from being s.u.i.c.i.d.a.l and was just doing whatever he thought would stop Belle from testifying. She tried to convince Belle that Tom was faking it.
Belle, however, is almost near breaking point with the pressure. ‘I don’t know what’s real any more,’ she admitted.
Will Belle find the strength to face Tom in court?
