She asks for help under Clare’s Law.

The following article references animal abuse and coercive control.

Belle King has gone to the police over husband Tom’s abuse with the help of Clare’s Law in Emmerdale.

Earlier this week, Belle discovered that her abusive spouse had purposefully killed her dog Piper as a way to exert control over her life once again.

Belle has faced scepticism from others in the village, including her own family, as many believe Tom tried to save Piper after a freak accident.

In Tuesday’s (August 20) episode, Tom watched with glee on his hidden cameras as Belle checked around the house for signs that he’d entered without permission.

Belle later arrived at the vet’s office asking for Piper’s remains so she could have a proper burial. She was horrified when Tom intimated he’d already disposed of the remains.

“You are sick and disgusting,” Belle seethed.

However, she soon discovered Tom had outplayed her again when Lydia and Sam revealed that Tom had Piper’s remains shipped to them for burial.

“It’s just a misunderstanding,” Lydia insisted.

Tom insisted on leading the makeshift burial ceremony, but Belle turned the tables by telling Sam and Lydia that Tom used to lock Piper outside all night.

“That’s how he treats his family,” Belle declared.

When Belle snapped at Tom for pretending to get emotional, Lydia accused her of being unfair to her husband with “all this nastiness”.

“How are you not seeing it? It’s not real,” Belle begged.

Once alone, Tom gloated about turning everyone against Belle, suggesting everyone in her life was “sick” of her.

“You’re your own worst enemy,” Tom claimed.

Tom laughed in Belle’s face as she threatened to tell her family about the abuse she’d endured, warning her she’d only look “even more insane” if she did.

Belle was chilled when Tom suggested Piper could have used “a lick of roadside safety” training, before he admitted: “Although, maybe she recognised the driver! I guess we’ll never know.”

“Did you ever love her? Or was she a weapon?” Belle asked, with Tom nonchalantly shrugging as he walked off.

Tom was next seen at the pub where he tried chatting up Gabby. She was not at all interested, even kissing Vinny in front of a jealous Tom to put him off.

Belle later turned up at the police station where an officer asked if there had been an incident that led to her seeking help.

“My husband, I thought if I left him, it’d stop,” she told the officer.

When the officer asked whether Belle was “in any danger” from Tom, she tearfully explained: “I don’t want to report him. I can’t.”

Belle explained she’d been reading up on Clare’s Law, a domestic violence disclosure scheme designed to reduce intimate partner violence.

The officer assured Belle that she wasn’t at fault no matter what Tom told her. Belle broke down in tears as she replied: “I know…”

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.