Gareth Dack, convicted murderer, found dead in prison

Gareth Dack, who was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 33 years for the 2016 murder of 79-year-old Norma Bell, was found dead in HMP Frankland prison on April 21, 2025. Dack, described as 'perverted and disgusting' by the trial judge, strangled Bell—whom he had known since childhood—before cutting up her clothing and repeatedly calling sex chat lines as she lay dead or dying. He then ransacked her home, stealing cash and a television, and attempted to destroy evidence by setting fire to the house and leaving the gas on. Dack, a drug user deeply in debt, had pressured Bell for money in the days leading up to the murder. The Prison and Probation Ombudsman will investigate his death, as is standard with deaths in custody. Bell's family described her as a generous woman with 'a heart as big as a lion,' and expressed that her loss has left an enormous gap in their lives.