Angelica King returned to a shocking spectacle in Emmerdale as she spotted Tom King’s damaged car outside Victoria Cottage. But is everything ever really as it seems with the vet?

Tom King was horrified to find his car’s windshield had been vandalised by a mystery culprit in recent Emmerdale scenes – but one theory now suggests he may know more than he lets on.

Walls have been slowly closing in on the abusive vet portrayed by James Chase, after his wife Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper) called time on their marriage and exposed the abuse she’d endured at his hands to her family.

In scenes aired on ITV this week, the Emmerdale villain was shocked to find his car, parked outside Victoria Cottage, where he has been staying since his split with Belle, had been vandalised by an unknown assailant, leaving the King family horrified.

This Friday (November 1), Angelica King (Rebecca Bakes) returned to the eponymous village after several months in a secure children’s facility, and believed she was to blame for the act, while her father Jimmy (Nick Miles) assured her the Dingles were the true culprit.

Tom’s vandalised car may be used against Belle in another sad turn of events for the wedding planner (Image: ITV)

But with Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler) slowly realising Belle was telling the truth, she was the latest to be considered as the one to blame. After an awkward run-in with Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw), Angelica was put at ease, with Nicola promising her to help her rebuild her life.

This then prompted Nicola to make a huge decision as she decided she could no longer stay in Victoria Cottage, under the same roof as Tom. Though Jimmy wanted to pay no heed to Nicola’s threats, the co-owner of Cafe Main Street followed through with her promise, taking her children away from their home.

As Emmerdale drew to a close, with Tom letting slip a smug smile amid Jimmy’s despair, one viewer took to social media to share a new theory. They wrote on Twitter, now X: “I think Tom smashed his car on purpose to drive a rift between Jimmy & Nicola.” And the theory is not as much of a leap at it may seem.

Tom has shown clear skill at breaking apart close-knit circles through the way he has treated Belle, isolating her from her pals, her family and even her own dog. At a time where comeuppance is looming for Tom, he could have decided to do the same to Jimmy, the only real ally he has left.

To top it all off, Tom could also use the act against Belle, who has gathered plenty of evidence against him. Belle’s gut-wrenching ordeal – which has received input from The Refuge, the UK’s largest domestic abuse organisation – has often shown Tom heavily gaslighting her, using blame-shifting tactics to ensure complete control over her actions, forcing Belle to perpetually blame herself for his actions.

While Belle is currently trying to mentally recover from the torment she was thrown into by Tom, his vandalised car could prove her family is out to get him, leaving the police with no other choice but to brand him a victim.