Murderer’s ex-partner sentenced for stealing from Harrogate victim

The ex-partner of a convicted murderer has been sentenced after helping him steal £3,500 from his victim.

Dale Tarbox, 51, was jailed for 16 years after he murdered Harrogate woman Susan Howells in 2019.

A police investigation started in August 2019 when Susan, who was 51, was reported missing.

On Tuesday, Tarbox’s then partner Joan Arnold, 64, admitted theft at Bradford Crown Court.

The court heard how Arnold used Ms Howells’ bank card on numerous occasions after her murder.

Arnold was sentenced to an eight months jail term suspended for one year.


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She was also given 25 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement to be completed, an electronically monitored curfew between the hours of 9pm and 7am for six months and ordered to pay a victims surcharge of £149.

The sentencing follows the imprisonment of Tarbox in December last year at Leeds Crown Court.

Tarbox, of Independent Street, Little Horton, was arrested in September 2019 in Doncaster and charged with the murder of Ms Howells at his home address in Bradford.

Dale Tarbox was jailed for 16 years for the murder of Susan Howells.

Dale Tarbox was jailed for 16 years for the murder of Susan Howells.

Police enquiries led officers to a caravan park when Tarbox was living. A few days later the police found human remains.

Further investigations led to the arrest of Keith Wadsworth, who was convicted of assisting an offender in preventing lawful burial.

Tarbox was jailed for 16 years for Susan’s murder and given two years to run concurrently in preventing her lawful burial.

Wadsworth, 61, from Doncaster, was sentenced to three years and seven months for assisting an offender in preventing a lawful burial.