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Privacy NoticeITV’s Emmerdale has been hit with a wave of Ofcom complaints after Piper the dog appeared to be murdered by villainous Tom King. The soap’s fans were left outraged by the recent scenes that saw Tom (played by James Chase) run over Belle Dingle’s beloved dog in an attempt to further manipulate his estranged wife. Viewers expressed their anger on social media, with many claiming they’ve stopped watching the show entirely due to these shocking events. The episode, which aired on August 16 and featured the disturbing scene where Tom ran over Piper in a desperate bid to reconnect with Belle, sparked 183 complaints.
The storyline has been hard to watch for some viewers
(Image: No credit)
Meanwhile, the episode on Monday, August 19, where Tom revealed to Belle that her dog had been hit and hinted at his involvement, received another 99 complaints, reports the Mirror. Discussing the controversial scenes, actor James said: “Tom is well aware of the control he can exert by using his dog in his abuse of Belle. This deliberate act, although horrifying, is Tom’s way of getting back in Belle’s life. “He knows her reaction to Piper being injured will mean he can then be the one to comfort her and get close to her again. It’s a desperate act, but Tom is clutching at anything at this time.” Emmerdale Producer Laura Shaw spoke about the importance of the current storyline with Tom and Belle earlier this year, saying: “Working with the charities and hearing first hand stories from domestic abuse survivors it’s clearly all too common that domestic abusers will use the family pet as a weapon.”
Tom has become increasingly controlling of his wife Belle
Sign up to OK’s TV newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free In upcoming scenes, viewers will see Tom go to even more desperate lengths to try and keep control of his imploding marriage to Belle. But it seems his terrible act could have motivated Belle to report her husband as an abuser, and just yesterday she decided to seek help from the police. Things took a disturbing turn when Tom subtly hinted at his involvement to a horrified Belle, saying, “Although, maybe she recognised the driver! I guess we’ll never know,” which was followed by Belle’s heart-wrenching question, “Did you ever love her? Or was she a weapon? ” Tom’s cold dismissal and departure left Belle reeling. Belle is also attempting to use Clare’s Law, also known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, which gives one the opportunity to find out if their partner or former partner has a violent or abusive past.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnEmmerdale
