Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale will air dog cruelty scenes as Tom King’s abuse towards estranged wife Belle continues.
The shocking scenes, set to be broadcast this evening (August 16), will see Tom try to exert control over Belle by intending to harm Piper, with the character deliberately revving his car towards the dog.
The scenes come after Belle's recent return to the village, with Tom letting her live in their home of Dale Head with Piper while he stays away. However, Belle is unaware that he has installed secret cameras and made his own key.
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In last night's (August 15) scenes, Tom let himself in, lying to Belle that the door was unlocked. Belle once again rejected him, leading to menacing behaviour, and later on Tom was seen watching her through the secret cameras.
The new Piper scenes are being made in cooperation with Refuge and The Dogs Trust, with a 2019 study by the latter finding that pets are often abused and sometimes killed by domestic abusers in attempts to control and coerce.
Opening up about the new twist, Tom actor James Chase said: “Tom is well aware of the control he can exert by using his dog in his abuse of Belle.
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“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.”
“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,” producer Laura Shaw added.
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“In upcoming scenes viewers will see Tom go to desperate measures to try and keep control of his imploding marriage to Belle, which puts Piper in great jeopardy. Could this terrible act be the motivation that finally urges Belle to report her husband as an abuser?”
Emmerdale has assured viewers that no dog was harmed in the making of these scenes.
The new storyline comes after the show received over 1,000 complaints earlier this year over scenes of Piper being poisoned by Tom as part of the domestic abuse storyline.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, organisations including Refuge (www.refuge.org.uk), New Beginnings Peer Support (www.newbeginningspeersupport.com) and Women's Aid (www.womensaid.org.uk) can provide further support and information. The 24-hour, freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247. The US National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text LOVEIS to 22522
