ITV Emmerdale return ‘sealed’ for star as Tom King prepares his defence against Belle Dingle

After months of relentless abuse, Belle Dingle decided to report Tom King to the authorities for tormenting her – but he may already be two steps ahead as one beloved Emmerdale star could return.

Belle, portrayed by Eden Taylor-Draper, has recently come to terms with the reality of her situation as she confided in Charity and Lydia Dingle over her painful marriage with the sinister vet.

This Wednesday (September 25, 2024), after some encouragement from Lydia, she told Chas and Cain Dingle (respectively played by Lucy Pargeter and Jeff Hordley) that she would be reporting Tom (James Chase) to the police, armed with evidence he neglected to get rid of.

But while many believe Belle, Amelia Spencer (Daisy Campbell) has yet to get rid of her rose-tinted glasses as she continually defended Tom, insisting Belle was lying, before walking out of the Woolpack with baby Esther when Chas reminded her the sinister vet was not to be trusted.

Unbeknownst to anybody, and though Tom is staying away from Belle, Amelia has been keeping up to speed with his comings and goings as the pair’s relationship has continued in secret.

The pair met in a nearby wooded area, where a dismissive Tom had no time to reassure Amelia. Later on, a discussion with Amy and Kerry Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson and Laura Norton) reminded the teen that Tom had not only abused Belle, but also murdered her beloved pooch Piper.

Visibly confused, Amelia broke the news to Tom later on that Belle was planning on going to the police but when she mentioned Piper, panic arose as he insisted he was only protecting the dog.

Tom resorted to love-bombing Amelia immediately to manipulate her into helping him get rid of Belle – and she was only too happy to oblige, unaware of his controlling nature.

Little do Belle, Amy and Kerry know that Piper is not actually dead. As regular viewers of the long-running show have witnessed, Piper was initially mowed over by Tom as he tried to manipulate his estranged wife back into his arms. He later pretended to euthanise her and bury her in a nearby field.

While Belle was mourning for her pooch, Tom brought Piper to a new home behind her back, telling the puppy’s new owners that Piper was previously living with an abusive owner.

As she continues to gather evidence against Tom, a theory now suggests that she may try to use Piper’s death against him, only for the vet to reveal her former four-legged companion is alive and well, living with a new family.

This would, in turn, allow Tom in a potential trial to use Belle’s mental health issues against her again, saying that he feared for Piper’s safety and decided to bring the pup to a happy home for her benefit, therefore shining a favourable light on his actions, which he could justify as a husband’s desperate attempts to keep his wife and her surroundings safe, discrediting Belle in the process.