Tom King (James Chase) has been lying low in Emmerdale recently, after Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) opened up to Charity (Emma Atkins) about the abuse she’s suffered at his hands since before they were married.
Knowing that Belle’s brother Cain (Jeff Hordley) is aware of his crimes, Tom has deemed it sensible to keep out of the way of the angry Dingles.
This is obviously good news for Belle as it’s given her some breathing space, but she knows that Tom is still out there somewhere and he’s pledged to stay in her life for good.
Worse for Belle, she knows that Tom is manipulating Amelia Spencer (Daisy Campbell), who is too naive to listen to the numerous people who are trying to warn her that Belle is telling the truth and Tom is dangerous.
In upcoming episodes Belle gets a call from her landlady, Kim Tate (Claire King), who tells her that Belle’s house has been left in a mess.
Belle has been staying at Wishing Well with Sam (James Hooton) and Lydia (Karen Blick) recently, because even though Tom has officially left Dale Head he kept turning up there and Belle knew she wasn’t safe.
Belle and Lydia go back to Dale Head to find out why Kim was concerned, and discover the place in a mess. Among the chaos, Belle spots a screw on the floor – and to her absolute horror realises that it’s a tiny camera. It’s proof that Tom was secretly watching her while she thought she was alone in the house.
This sickening revelation makes Belle feel violated. She tells Lydia who encourages her to go to the police with this evidence.
Belle refuses, as she can’t bear the thought that she might have to relive her traumas and that personal footage could be shown in court. We’ve already seen how horrified she was when Tom threatened to share intimate photos of her that he took on their honeymoon.
Hoping it might help, Lydia talks about her experience reporting her rape to the police. Belle is left thoughtful as she considers what to do next.
But there’s another grim twist as Tom uses Amelia to lure Belle to a meeting. Belle expects to see Amelia but is terrified when Tom appears at the Dingles, blocks her exit and locks all the doors…
