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EMMERDALE's Tom King took his control of wife Belle to a whole new level despite the couple calling it quits.

Viewers of the ITV soap opera were left cheering when victim Belle finally took a stand against her abusive husband and fled the clutches of their marriage.

Tom King sunk to a brand new low in Emmerdale
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Tom King sunk to a brand new low in EmmerdaleCredit: ITV
Tom secured a key to Belle's house in exchange for cash
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Tom secured a key to Belle's house in exchange for cashCredit: ITV
The locksmith agreed to hand over a key to the home to Tom
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The locksmith agreed to hand over a key to the home to TomCredit: ITV

The pair embarked on a disaster-filled trip to Wales which saw Tom more controlling of his partner than ever before.

Belle decided enough was enough as she managed to flee wales and head back to the Dingle home.

With her abortion exposed, she finally decided to leave Tom despite him managing to win over many of her family and friends with his master manipulation.

It left Belle questioning once again whether or not if she was in fact being abused as she continued to defend Tom despite his actions.

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With the end of their marriage remaining a mystery to the rest of the family, Belle remained firm that although she kept much of the abuse quiet that she would not be reuniting with Tom.

With Belle living back at the Dingle home, Tom hatched up a new plan to get her back into the marital home and continue to keep a watchful eye on her after refusing to admit that she had managed to get away.

Having asked Nicola if he could move in with her and the rest of the King family, he told Belle that freed up their house for her to move back in with Piper.

Reluctant, Belle initially turned down the offer but then agreed on the condition that the locks to the home were changed and that she was the only one with the keys.

Tom agreed to this and the pair set about getting the locks changed as quickly as possible.

With a locksmith at the house, he handed over a set of keys to Belle whilst Tom tried one of the sets of keys on the back door.

Watch harrowing Emmerdale scenes that have fans threatening to switch off

He appeared unconvinced as he handed them back and asked if they could be re-cut, fearing they were not working properly.

However, as the locksmith left the house, Tom quickly chased after him to say that Belle had changed her mind and that she did want the set of keys after all BUT he still wanted a new pair cut so that Belle would never know.

The locksmith told him: "They either work or they don't."

Desperate to get his hands back on a set of the keys in order to still have control to Belle's home at all times, Tom said: "She gets really bad with her nerves and everything has to be accounted for."

Belle requested that the locks be changed so that Tom did not have access to the house
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Belle requested that the locks be changed so that Tom did not have access to the houseCredit: ITV
The couple had lived there together prior to their split
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The couple had lived there together prior to their splitCredit: ITV

Clearly not believing what he was saying, Tom then added: "Of course, I'll pay you for it."

Tempted by the offer of money, the locksmith slipped Tom a set of keys and seemingly agreed to remain quiet in exchange for the extra cash with Belle none the wiser.

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With Tom now having 24/7 access to where Belle is staying, could he be planning another sinister move on his wife?

And when will Belle realise that he is still trying to control her despite agreeing to split?

Most complained about soap storylines

Over the years, all three of the main soaps have featured plots that have had even die-hard fans reaching for their phones and laptops so they can get in touch with Ofcom and complain. Here are just some of the most scandalous...

  • EastEnders baby theft: 13,400 Ofcom complaints - Back in 2011, EastEnders was flooded with complaints when Ronnie Branning (RIP) swapped her baby for the dead son of Kat Moon. The storyline drew the most number of objections in the soap’s long history and saw it roundly criticised by campaigners - with 13,400 flying in over the course of the storyline. Some viewers called it “distressing” and “horrific” but Ofcom ruled the scenes were not "unduly disturbing”.
  • Emmerdale dog-napping: 550 Ofcom complaints - Back in 2016, Ross Barton and Charity Dingle came up with a plan to steal a dog and hold it ransom - but viewers didn’t like it one bit. The nation’s pet owners rose up, insisting the storyline would encourage copycats (not to mention copydogs). Complaints over two episodes totalled a staggering 550 and soap writers quickly learnt you don’t mess with animal-lovers.
  • Coronation Street double murder: 546 Ofcom complaints - Marginally less people complained about a gruesome double murder than objected to a dog-napping plot when Pat Phelan was at the centre of a spate of killings. First he forced Andy Carver to shoot dead Vinny Ashford - and then Pat killed Andy. All the bloodshed back in 2017 proved to be too much for some viewers, who lodged complaints in vast numbers about the “violent scenes”.
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