has withdrawn from consideration at the TV Awards after one of its scriptwriters was convicted of domestic violence - after helping to write Belle Dingle's abuse storyline. The ITV soap is no longer being considered for the Best Soap award at this year's ceremony, after writer Martin Fustes admitted to assault causing actual bodily harm and intentional suffocation.

He pleaded guilty to the charges at Hull Crown Court this week, and was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence along with 150 hours unpaid work, 15 days rehabilitation and a probation service domestic abuse programme lasting 26 sessions. He will also have to pay £2,000 compensation and £150 costs, and was given a 10 year restraining order.

Fustes, who has worked on Emmerdale since 2014 and wrote more than 170 episodes, most recently worked on Tom King's domestic abuse trial after his coercive control and physical abuse of wife Belle Dingle. Now he has been axed from the soap and Emmerdale has withdrawn itself from consideration at the BAFTAs.

A statement from a soap spokesperson said: " and Emmerdale have taken the decision to withdraw the episode nominations from this year's BAFTA TV Awards. This is in consideration of developments in recent days involving a member of the scriptwriting team."

One Emmerdale spokesperson confirmed to Digital Spy this week: "We were shocked and appalled to learn about the recent court case involving Emmerdale writer, Martin Fustes. Mr Fustes is a freelance writer and he has been informed that he will no longer be writing for Emmerdale.

"Everyone at ITV and Emmerdale abhors domestic abuse, which is why we have been highlighting the issue in a major storyline over the last 12 months. The Emmerdale production team were not aware of these charges against Mr Fustes until we were alerted over the weekend."