Man facing life in jail for murdering widowed foster carer and torching home

Gareth Dack, 33, throttled kind and trusting Norma Bell - described as a "supermum" who had fostered 50 children in her lifetime - with an electrical cable so that he could steal her television and £700 in cash.

Teesside Crown Court heard that between midnight and 5.30am Dack then called numbers from the Babestation TV channel, which, the jury was told, allows viewers to "call scantily-clad ladies while they watch them on TV."

Dack was found guilty by a jury at Teesside Crown of murder and arson after four and a half hours deliberation.

He stared ahead impassively as the verdicts were announced.

He will be sentenced today by Mrs Justice Whipple who thanked the jury for their "thorough consideration and attention" throughout the three week trial.

Mrs Bell had her clothing cut and pushed down, although the court was told there was no evidence she had suffered a sexual assault before her "brutal and unnecessary" murder.

After speaking to the sex workers over the phone Dack tried to cover his tracks by lighting fires upstairs and downstairs in Mrs Bell's home in Hartlepool, Teesside, and turned on the gas hob trying to cause an explosion.

At two points in the evening Dack, a childhood friend of Mrs Bell's foster son John Ahmed, left the house to visit the home of associate Raymond McLoughlin.

On the first occasion at 10pm he sold him Mrs Dack's stolen TV for £60 and then he returned at 1am to take cocaine and cannabis with him.

The alarm was first raised when firefighters attended her home in the town on the morning of April 3 last year.

The fire lit by Dack tore through the home of Norma Bell

Christopher Tehrani, QC, prosecuting, told the jury: "You can be sure Gareth Dack is guilty of the brutal and unnecessary murder of Norma Bell."

After her body was fund by firefightters a post mortem identified 15 "recent injuries" including rib fractures and the lack of soot or carbon monixide in her airways suggested she was dead before the fires were started.

Mr Tehrani said: "The cause of Mrs Bell's death was a result of pressure to the neck by way of strangulation.

"The strangulation was by way of the application of the ligature, the wire cabling recovered from around her neck, and possibly manual strangulation.

"The fractures and the bruising on her back could be the result of someone kneeling on Mrs Bell while applying pressure to the neck while they strangled her.

"The prosecution submits that Gareth Dack is the person who murdered Mrs Bell and then set fire to her house."

In the weeks and days before the murder Dack was penniless and had resorted to borrowing cash from loan companies, friends and pals of Mrs Bell.

A week before he allegedly killed her she had lent him £10, the court was told.

Mr Tehrani said: "His DNA was found inside the home, on Mrs Bell's handbag, on the knobs of the gas hob, on the ligature around her neck and on her clothing.

His car was also parked near the home when firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze at Mrs Bell's home.

"When police seized the car and searched it they found £405 in cash in the glovebox. You will hear evidence that Mrs Bell kept £700 in cash in the house.

"Between just before midnight and 05.30am on April 3 someone used the telephone landline at Mrs Bell's home to phone soft-porn television service where customers may talk to scantily clad ladies while they watch them on the television.

"The caller spoke during two of the telephone calls. You will hear evidence from an expert in voice analysis who has compared Gareth Dack's voice to that of the caller to the television station.

"The expert believes there is strong support for the contention that Gareth Dack was the caller.

"During the course of the night he was the one on the phone to the ladies on the Babestation channels. In fact, we suggest he was switching channels.

"When the TV from the rear reception room was switched on by the police it went to Freeview channel 175 which is entitled 'adult party' channel."

Mother of three sons Mrs Bell and her late husband John began fostering children in 1965 Mr Tehrani said: "Over the years it is believed they acted as foster carers to in excess of 50 babies and toddlers. In the main, the toddlers and babies would be placed with the Bells for short periods of time.

"Six of the foster children stayed for the long-term and were effectively treated as blood children by Norma Bell and her husband."

The couple stopped fostering in the 1990s.

Norma had previously worked on the trams in Hartlepool. She was also an accomplished book keeper and managed her husband's business.

At the time of her death she was fit and went line dancing every Friday.

Dack maintained he knew Mrs Bell and in the days before her death had visited to to pay back a £20 loan, but he denied being in the house at the time of her death.

His barrister Peter Makepeace told the jury how "nonchalant" he had been following his arrest and questioning by police.

The barrister, who said Mr Dack made no attempt to get his rid of any of his clothing, said: “He does not know that the wheels are turning and the cogs are moving which is going to lead him to be accused of the death of Mrs Bell.

“He does not know because he was not there.”

'She was our confidant, our friend, our crutch to lean on, our shoulder to cry on and not least she was our mam': Statement from family of Norma Bell

The events of the 3rd April last year turned our lives upside down and in the following ten months we have endured pain we did not conceive possible.

Norma Bell was our confidant, our friend, our crutch to lean on, our shoulder to cry on and not least she was our mam. Her murder has left an enormous gap in our lives and forgiveness will never be given.

Our mother along with our late father John, dedicated her adult life to fostering, looking after children in need, giving them a home, love and a little hope. She fostered over 50 children, some for short term and some for longer, she raised six of them alongside her own three children to be a permanent part of the family. Our mam had a heart as big as a lion.

After retirement from fostering she was hands on in helping to raise twelve grandchildren. She would tease them as to who would be the first to give her a great grandchild. This is something she dearly looked forward to yet this is something she will now never get to see.

Gareth Dack brutally murdered our mother in the place she should have been safest and then burnt out the family home, destroying everything she had for a few quid to feed his drug habit and his actions have left us all in pieces.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our family and friends for helping to keep those pieces together.

We would also like to thank everyone involved with the aftermath of this horrific event, from the fire brigade and paramedics who first attended the scene, the forensics and police who gathered all the evidence, the prosecution team, the judge, the jury and the police liaison officers who have had to put up with our constant badgering for answers.

We would also like to thank you, the press, for respecting our privacy throughout and ask that you continue doing so and let us privately try to put our lives back together.

Statement from Senior Investigating Officer, Chief Superintendent Alastair Simpson:

“On Sunday 3rd April 2016, police launched a murder investigation following the discovery that Norma Bell had been strangled and her house had been set on fire in a callous attack.

“Norma would have celebrated her 80th birthday the following month and had lived in her home on Westbourne Road for 27 years. Norma was a mother to nine children.  Her family describe her as a “loving and caring woman who was full of life”.

“Gareth Dack preyed on Norma’s caring nature and murdered her for his personal gain before trying to cover his tracks by setting fire to her home.

“I’d like to acknowledge the bravery of Norma’s family throughout this trial and thank them for their cooperation during the investigation.

“I’d also like to thank the witnesses that came forward with information that led us to the recovery of important evidence, such as the recovery of Norma’s stolen television.

“Finally, I’d like to thank the investigation team, including colleagues from around the country, who worked tirelessly to bring Gareth Dack to justice as well as the Crown Prosecution Service and prosecuting counsel for support throughout.

“During the criminal justice process Gareth Dack refused to take any responsibility for his actions. Thankfully, he will now be held to account for his crime. Nothing will bring Norma back to her family, however, I hope that his conviction brings some form of comfort to them.”

Statement from John Dilworth, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North East:

“Norma Bell was a woman of generous character. Over the course of her life, she had provided foster care to more than 50 babies and toddlers.

“When Gareth Dack asked to borrow money in the week prior to Norma’s death, she kindly assisted him with a loan of twenty pounds. He repaid that kindness by returning later to take her life, looting her home for financial gain.

“After the killing, Mr Dack crudely attempted to hide what he had done by trying to set fire to her home. It is a small mercy that this act in itself did not cause further harm to those living nearby.

“This has been a complex and difficult case but with the assistance of an excellent police investigation we have painstakingly pieced together the events around Norma’s death, proving beyond reasonable doubt that Gareth Dack was the person responsible.

“I would hope today’s conviction brings a measure of closure for the many people who knew and loved Norma Bell. Our thoughts are very much with them at what must be a very difficult time.”

Timeline of events which led up to Norma Bell's death, and the investigation that followed:

The deceased, Norma Bell, was a 79 year old woman who lived alone at 105 Westbourne Road, Hartlepool.

Norma was a mother of nine and fostered around 50 children.

Saturdays are described as the day of the week that family members will drop in to visit Norma.

April 2, 2016

Norma was visited in the afternoon by her family.

The family describes that Norma seemed agitated.

Norma explained to them that Dack had been to her address on Easter Sunday and he had asked to borrow £20.

Dack arrived in a silver car, he asked for £20, stating his money went into his parent’s bank account and they were in Thirsk and he wanted to go and see them.

Norma told Gareth to go ask a neighbour over the road. Dack replied that he had already asked him and he had no money.

Norma felt pressured by Dack and handed over £10.

Dack returned on the Bank Holiday Monday, informed her he didn’t go to Thirsk as his car broke down, and he didn’t have the money to re pay her.

The family were concerned that Dack was attending Norma’s address asking for money.

A telephone call was made to another of Norma’s foster sons who attended the house. He was an old school friend of Dack.

Later in the afternoon the family left Norma’s.

7:25pm

The foster son re-attends Norma’s address with fish and chips for her. He did not have a key so rang the landline number from his mobile to get into the house. The foster son stayed with Norma for 15-20 minutes before leaving.

7:56pm

A female witness states that Dack and her got a taxi home from the Wacky Warehouse, Hartlepool, to the witnesses’ address. The witness states that Dack left an address after a verbal altercation between them.

8:30pm  

Dack left on foot with his phone and car keys.

9pm-9.15pm

A witness sighted a person carrying a large boxed TV, walking along Blakelock Road. 
The witness was driving in the same direction of the person that was walking.  

10pm

A witness states that at around 10pm he was at his home address in Hartlepool, with a friend (witness).  At this time Dack attended the address.

The witness answered the door, Dack had a sealed, boxed television set which he offered for sale. Dack was said to be sweating heavily. Dack said he had got the TV on a friends’ credit card. Dack said that he had walked from his parent’s house to the witnesses house.

Dack first asked for £100 but then agreed a lower price of £60 for the TV.

Dack left the address after the transaction. (It was established on 7th April 2016 that this TV was stolen from Norma’s house).

April 3, 2016

1am

Dack returned to the same witnesses address and he took drugs. After 15 minutes Dack left, collecting his car and he is then believed to have driven back to Westbourne Road.   

April 2, 2016 into April 3, 2016

Norma Bells’ landline phone was used to phone adult sex chat lines on a number of separate occasions during the night between 11.13pm on 2nd April and 5.25am on 3rd April. The calls are made at regular intervals with breaks.

This suggests that Dack was in the address for a considerable period of time prior to the fire being started.

April 3, 2016

8:15am

A witness states he was in Westbourne Road when he heard a window crack, looked across the road and noticed smoke coming out from Norma Bell’s house.

The witness called the fire brigade.

08:23am

On arrival, the fire brigade forced entry to the front door. Fire fighters entered the house and removed Norma. It was established that Norma was dead. A wire ligature was around Norma’s neck.

The fire brigade discovered two seats of fire. One around a sofa in the ground floor room where Norma was located. The second in the first floor bedroom used by Norma. 

Used matches were found in the kitchen of the address and two of the knobs on the gas hob in the kitchen were turned on. These were unlit, which led to a build-up of gas in the kitchen.

A police investigation commences…

Norma’s house has rooms on three floors. Many of these rooms are soot damaged but the damage caused by the fire was largely restricted to the two rooms. There is considerable disorder in the address. Norma’s bedroom had drawers pulled out, papers and receipts spread in a disorderly fashion around the room.

The ground floor back room has suffered the greatest fire damage.

The further ground floor room was used as a storage room and contained a number of items of boxed furniture being stored for a family member. This included a boxed large flat screen TV. It was established that this TV was missing.

Cash was also stolen from the house. The amount has not been established. 

Fire engine CCTV footage recorded Dack’s car near to the scene.

At the post mortem, the cause of death was established as strangulation. Norma was wearing day time clothing at the time, her tights and knickers had been cut to her pubic area. There was no evidence that Norma had been sexually assaulted.

A forensic examination of the scene was conducted.

The defendant was identified as Gareth Dack, date of birth 01/06/1983.

April 6, 2016

1:40am

Dack was arrested at his home address.

April 7, 2016

After hearing a public appeal on the 7th April 2016 for the missing TV and box, a witness reported that he had bought the TV from Dack, after he attended his home address at 10pm on 2nd April 2016.

£405 in cash was recovered from the glove box of Dack’s Silver VW Bora vehicle.

A mobile phone, identified as missing from Norma’s house, was found in the garage of Dack’s parent’s house.

April 8, 2016

5:52pm

Dack was charged with murder.

Forensic examination results

A number of positive hits for Dack have been established. These include:

• In the kitchen - inside rear door handle which led to the rear yard, used matches, cooker knob, mobile phones.
• Strong support that is was Gareth Dack making the phone calls to the chatlines from Norma’s address.
• Norma’s bedroom - handbag, briefcase clasp.
• Norma Bell – ligature, waist band of knickers.

A footprint, matched to Dack’s training shoes, was found on a waist bin lid in the rear yard next to the exit gate.