With Tom King now being sent to jail for his torment against Belle Dingle, fans are now convinced he will find a way to get out of prison – with a surprising ally to help him
Emmerdale fans are convinced Tom King will escape from jail thanks to an unlikely village resident.
ITV viewers rejoiced as evil baddie Tom King, played by James Chase, was finally served justice for his torment of Belle Dingle, played by Eden Taylor-Draper, who recently confirmed her future
on the soap. In harrowing scenes, Tom had coerced Belle into becoming something of an object for him, including controlling her and gaslighting her whenever she spoke up.
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The catalyst for Tom’s downfall came after Belle finally snapped and attacked him with an axe in self-defence. And in scenes which aired on Emmerdale on Thursday (December 19), Tom finally got his comeuppance as he was sent down for three years.
After the axe incident, Belle found the courage to report Tom to the authorities for his controlling and coercive behaviour over the last 18 months. Speaking about her traumatic relationship with Tom, Belle told the court about everything he put her through, leaving her alone and vulnerable.
Tom’s reign of terror over Belle was finally stopped on Thursday
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Trying to save his skin and present himself as a mistaken man, Tom continued to lie in an attempt to spread his vile false narrative. Jurors listening in on the trial – including Heidi, played by Denise Welch – would eventually cause friction between themselves as they tried to work out who was telling the truth.
Heidi was a strong believer of Belle’s harrowing story and pushed for her fellow jurors to find him guilty, but an unsympathetic Karl rather believed Tom’s version of events, leading to the pair almost coming to blows. Luckily, the jury were eventually convinced of Tom’s dirty deeds and found him guilty of both charges of assault and controlling and coercive behaviour.
The jury sentenced Tom to three years in prison for assault, as well as controlling and coercive behaviour
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But fans are now certain that while Tom is now behind bars, this is not the end of the story, predicting that a secret ally will help Tom get out of prison and exact his revenge. Following the broadcast of the episode, some fans shared their relief on social media with one user saying: “I’m expecting him to break out of prison, I’m not gonna lie.”
A second user suggested a new potential storyline: “I think someone will try to help him escape.” This was responded to by a different account who asked: “Amelia? She’s leaving and they could both run off together.”
Fans are now convinced Tom will escape prison with the help of an unlikely villager
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The theory was not completely thrown out, as another viewer had their own thoughts on who could help Tom get out early. “Her or his dodgy solicitor friend who he was blackmailing?” they asked.
Other fans were in awe at the way the episode was structured, praising ITV bosses for their storytelling. “Not long enough, three years,” they said. “Should have been a lot more; amazing episode and absolutely fantastic acting from Belle.”
