Emmerdale fans believe they've uncovered another victim of Tom King on the popular ITV soap.
The show has recently been exploring a storyline centred around coercive control and abuse involving Tom (played by James Chase) and Belle Dingle (portrayed by Eden Taylor-Draper). In recent episodes, Belle bravely left Tom and disclosed to her family the reality of his abusive behaviour, prompting the Dingles to promise their protection for her.
As doubts about him increased, last week saw the villainous Tom dismantle all the surveillance cameras he had set up at Belle's house for spying purposes. Meanwhile, he maintained his innocence to his uncle Jimmy King, dismissing Belle's allegations as lies. As news of Tom's abusive behaviour spread, he was dismissed from his position at the local vet clinic.
Despite many villagers rallying against the villain, there were still some who defended Tom, regardless of his wicked deeds. Jimmy stood by his nephew, insisting on his innocence, while Amelia Spencer, Tom's new love interest, also backed him despite Belle's warnings about his abusive tendencies, reports the Manchester Evening News.
On Friday's episode, it seemed as though Tom had disappeared, but the twist at the end revealed his devious plan. Amelia, who had earlier confronted Belle, met with Tom on the village outskirts and passed on information to the scheming villain.
Despite Amelia's hopes for more time together, Tom coldly turned her down, insisting she continue to spy so he could divorce Belle and be with her.
Taking to social media, viewers think there could be another victim of Tom, as well as Belle and Amelia, pointing out a past storyline. Viewers will recall that last year, Tom was attacked by a mystery group of yobs where he had his car stolen. At the time, many fans speculated that Tom could have set up the attack for sympathy but now viewers are wondering whether there's more to it.
One person said: "Does anyone remember this time last year when Tom was just randomly beaten up and had his car stolen? Nothing happened with that storyline, could this be tied in to previous abusive relationships that we’re not aware of" to which a different account replied: "I was thinking about that recently. Very strange. I hope the writers haven’t just forgotten about it", another said: "I assumed he set that up himself to start into the whole manipulative storyline" while a different fan added: "Fair comment...it's safe to assume he has done it before."
If you have been affected by this story, you can access free and confidential support from Refuge’s 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 and digital support via live chat Monday-Friday 3-10pm. You can also visit the tech safety website to learn more about technology-facilitated abuse.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
