Emmerdale tonight once again aired a format-breaking episode as Tom King finally came to an end. And yes, justice was served: he has been sentenced to three years in prison.

The episode went back and forth between evidence being given in court and the jury deliberating their verdict. And once we had reached the conclusion, Tom was taken away and we heard the stories of real women who had been through what Belle had.

Here’s how Emmerdale played out on Thursday December 19.
Belle recounted her abuse in court (Credit: ITV)

Things didn’t look good for Belle in Emmerdale tonight

At the start of the episode, the jury arrived in their room and they were equally split – six for guilty, six for not guilty. So we flashed back to Tom and Belle giving evidence in court.

They each recounted their stories and obviously told a very different tale.  It was very clear in as the jury deliberated Tom had taken some of them in. Denise Welch’s character, Heidi, was not taken in though. She knew Tom was guilty. She just had to convince Karl, the Foreman of the Jury, of the fact.

Back in court, Belle’s past with Gemma was brought up and her mental health called into question. It made some members of the jury think Belle was not a reliable witness – exactly as Tom had planned.

The instances of abuse were recounted as the Dingles sat in the gallery fuming at what they were hearing. But the time Belle assaulted Tom was the only one that had been witnessed.

Credit to Tom, he was putting a sterling performance in court. If we hadn’t been watching all of these months, we might have believed him ourselves. Things were not going well for Belle.

Belle’s case worker Rachel gave testimony too, explaining her own suspicions about Tom’s abuse. However as she had no actual evidence back in the deliberation room, the jury were leaning towards Tom’s side of the tale.

Amelia took to the stand and had to admit Tom wasn’t ever violent to her.

In the jury’s discussion, Heidi continued to fight for Belle, against Karl, who was sure Tom was innocent.
Heidi (Denise Welch) was adamant Tom was guilty (Credit: ITV)

The tide turned against Tom

But soon enough, the tables began to turn against Tom as the tablet and his treatment of Carl Jnr was brought up. Then the prosecution went into detail about Tom’s filming and tracking of Belle and the small cameras he put everywhere, including in the bathroom. Plus the fact he hid it all from the police (by the way, where was DS Foy? A travesty he didn’t appear). Tom squirmed as he clearly didn’t have answers for the evidence in front of him.

And back with the jury, the cameras were a sticking point because even staunch Tom supporter Karl didn’t have an answer this time.

Juror Kenneth had stayed silent pretty much throughout, but then he piped up with a story about an abuser he knew, who had hid it well and was a respected medical professional. Kenneth said he saw the same look in Belle’s eyes as he had seen in the wife of the man he knew and he was firmly on Belle’s side.

This certainly got the jury thinking…
Abuser Tom couldn’t believe the jury had believed Belle in Emmerdale (Credit: ITV)

Tom was found guilty in Emmerdale tonight

As the Dingles waited outside the court for news, they were in a state of worry. But then they were called back into the court and Belle knew this was judgement day.

Karl the foreman stood up and announced they had found him guilty – on both counts. The Dingles cheered and shivers were sent down our spines.

Tom was then sentenced for his crimes with the judge telling him he has shown no remorse and doesn’t want to change. He has been sent to prison for three years.

As he shared a last, dark look with Belle, she sobbed tears of heartache, pain and relief. And it’s clear her ordeal is far from over – but it’s a start.
Belle attended a support group and we heard the stories of real women (Credit: ITV)

Real stories in Emmerdale tonight

We then flashed back to where Belle had got to the day before. She had been to a support group for women who had suffered like her.

We heard their stories, which were those of real women. It had helped Belle realise none of what she had been through was her fault. It was the most moving part of the episode as we can only scratch the surface of what these people had suffered.

Belle then tearfully told Charity she knew Tom was in the wrong and the blame was all with him. But can she move forward with her life now?

Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns