Tom King has been found guilty of assaulting and coercively controlling wife

Belle Dingle in Emmerdale. He is off to prison for three years.

James Chase, who plays Tom, has left the soap – but he hasn’t ruled out a future return.

Tom King goes to prison in Emmerdale

After tense trial scenes on Thursday night (December 19) Tom was found guilty by the jury and given a sentence of three years in prison. Belle sobbed as he was lead away from court and they shared a final look.

Actor James Chase has now left Emmerdale and has spoken out about Tom’s ending.

He said: “It would have been understandable if the story had ended up with Cain taking matters into his own hands, but this way offers more closure.

“I’m glad we didn’t go down [the Cain killer] route as in some way, I think it would have been stooping to a level similar to Tom if they had done that. So I think it’s better that it went down the law abiding route with it. It keeps Belle clear and she keeps her innocence, and she doesn’t become pessimistic like he is.”

Not the end of Tom in Emmerdale?

However James also revealed that because Tom’s sentence is quite a short one, but sadly realistic, he would be open to revisiting the character or the story further down the line.

“I think, with good behaviour, he’s only going to get something like 16 to 18 months, which is crazy,” James said.

“But I think it would depend where they would want to go with the character, because there are many different avenues you could go with it. They could make it that Tom potentially had got even worse, and hasn’t changed at all. Perhaps, he could hate Belle even more for it.

“Or if he did go the other way and finally did realise the terrible things he’s done, and perhaps did, actually start to try to become a better man.”

A changed man?

But can a leopard really change its spots? James reckons prison might be the only way for him to admit who he really is.

“I think he’ll struggle being in prison, definitely,” the actor said. “But I think through that struggle, it will humble him, and he’ll hit rock bottom.”

“I think it could be the best thing for him, because of how tough it’s going to be for him inside. It may make him come out, having realised what he’s done and not take things for granted.”

So could a reformed Tom make a return? Or a vengeful one wanting to have the final say?