Emmerdale’s Belle Dingle had justice on Thursday night, as Tom King’s plan to flee the police was rumbled on the ITV soap moments after he vowed to one day kill her

It was the moment Emmerdale fans had been waiting for, as Thursday’s episode saw one villain finally caught out – and Belle Dingle got her revenge.

Belle was on the road to getting the justice she deserved, as her abusive husband Tom King led away by police after an attempt to flee for good. He couldn’t resist one last torment towards his ex though, and it was his downfall.

Tom was on his way out of the village after deciding to do a runner, but he spotted Belle and pulled over. What followed was a horror showdown as Tom issued sinister threats to Belle, and she took swift, clever action to ensure Tom faced up to his crimes.

Viewers will recall that Tom coercively controlled Belle for months, before turning violent. After their split he tried to turn everyone against her, setting her up as the abuser and blaming everything on her mental health struggles.

As Belle spiralled she struggled to prove he was guilty, but after a deadly showdown she reported him to the police. It’s taken weeks for officers to find the evidence they needed to expose Tom’s crimes, and corroborate Belle’s story.

This week they finally found evidence he had stalked her and recorded her, and he was charged with coercive control and assault. But after being released on bail, Tom realised he had no one left to turn to and plotted his exit.

It was the moment Emmerdale fans had been waiting for, as Belle Dingle got her revenge (Image: ITV)

Tom tried to trick people so that no one would find him, having people believe he was headed for the airport and even switching cars. But on his way out of the village he found Belle walking alone and decided to confront her one last time.

Belle realised what he was planning and knew that she had to stop him, but not before he issued chilling threats about how one day, he’d come back and kill her. As he went to leave she shouted out and told him he needed to accept responsibility for what he’d done, telling him she’d go with him to the police station.

But Tom screamed at her before she suddenly walked away. He repeated his vow that she would never get justice and that the police would never find him, planning revenge on her in the future for “ruining his life”.

Belle had already sealed his fate though without him realising, and later in the episode we learned that while she was by his car, she’d snuck her phone into his bag on silent. Knowing her phone could be tracked, she put it amongst his baggage and told the police her details.

She also gave them a reason to arrest him, confirming his threats and him breaking his bail conditions. With this and his exit plan in mind, the police tracked him down and were able to stop him, arresting him and taking him away.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.