Harlow: Detectives secure life sentence after pick-up truck murder

A violent offender has been jailed for life for murdering a man with a pick-up truck in Harlow – and his associates face a combined sentence of six years for robbery.

Drug addicts Jeremy Heath, 51, Joe Jones, 38, and Matthew Arnold, 40, were looking to fuel their habits when they set out together in Harlow on the morning of 29 March last year.

An investigation led by our Serious Crime Directorate meticulously pieced together their movements, actions and communications.

Touring the town in a Mitsubishi pick-up truck, they first arranged and staged a knife-point robbery to steal a Ford Fiesta.

They likely believed the car carried drugs or cash.

When a search found neither, they travelled to a nearby pub, where they tried to sell stolen meat.

At around 5pm that day, they encountered 26-year-old Arlind Xhokola in the area of Momples Road.

It is likely a dispute took place and Arlind fled on foot onto a nearby cycle path.

Heath, driving the truck, pursued at speed.

Undeterred and using his vehicle as a weapon, he smashed through a bollard and onto the cycle path, aiming directly at the fleeing Arlind.

Arlind was pinned to a tree by the vehicle and killed.

Heath, Jones and Arnold abandoned the pick-up truck at the end of the path.

Heath set it on fire in an attempt to conceal his actions and the trio’s link to the previous robbery.

All three men were tracked down and arrested.

Heath was traced to an address in the town, which was surrounded by armed officers from our Force Support Unit on 31 March.

He was promptly detained and taken into custody.

Arnold had suffered serious injuries during the collision and was later admitted to hospital, where he was arrested on 1 April.

Jones, with the help of associates, fled to an address in Sheerness, Kent, where he hid.

He was tracked down and arrested on 2 April.

Heath denied charges of murder, robbery, possession of a knife in a public place, and perverting the course of justice.

Jones and Arnold denied robbery, and Jones further denied possession of a knife in a public place.

Due to the weight of evidence, they were convicted on all counts at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday 26 January.

At a sentencing hearing today, Heath was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 27 years.

Jones was jailed for four years, and Arnold for two years, for their parts in the robbery.

In a statement, Arlind’s partner said:

“Arlind was a very sweet, kind, and gentle young man, who wanted to make his own family.
“He had a good heart, and those who truly knew him know that he was not a bad person.
“He was respectful, caring, and left a positive impression on the people around him.”

Detective Inspector James Holmes, who led the investigation, said:

“This was a deliberate and ruthless act of violence, using a heavy vehicle as a weapon.
“We have continued to seek justice for Arlind and his family, as well as answers for the community in Harlow.
“Jeremy Heath is a prolific and dangerous criminal. During the course of our investigation, we found he had previously bragged about robbing drug dealers.
“His actions in driving that pick-up truck, with lethal purpose, at Arlind Xhokola were the violent crescendo to a day of criminality carried out by Heath and his associates on 29 March last year.
“Harlow is a safer place with them convicted and behind bars.
“Heath, Jones and Arnold spent the day selling stolen goods and committing robbery in order to obtain drugs.
“It is a familiar story when it comes to Class A drugs, and I fully recognise how awful the facts of this case will be for the people of Harlow to hear.
“The majority of the community in Harlow are good, honest people who were horrified – and likely remain horrified – by what happened that day.
“I want to reassure them that we understood their concerns and matched them with a thorough, relentless investigation, dedicating countless hours and long shifts to securing these convictions.
“Drug-driven violence is an issue we are committed to prioritising and stamping out. Drug addiction and supply lie at the heart of much of the offending we see not just in Harlow, but across Essex.”

As a force, Essex Police is committed to tackling the drug supply behind offending just like this.

Operation Raptor and Orochi are teams which work solely on the issue of county lines supply, disrupting drug dealers at every level.

In Harlow alone in 2025, they:

• Dismantled 43 county line gangs.
• Made 102 arrests.
• Charged 68 suspects and remanded them in prison.
• Secured 915 months in prison sentences for drug dealers.
• Seized 36 weapons, £150,000 in cash and 14kg of drugs.

Are you worried that a friend or someone you know may be being exploited through County Lines or organised criminal activity?

Maybe they are returning home late, staying out all night or even going missing for days or weeks at a time.

Are they suddenly being secretive about who they are talking to or where they are going?

Or perhaps you’ve noticed they have large amounts of money on them, or new clothing, jewellery or phones they wouldn’t be able to afford.

Through Fearless, young people can pass on information 100% anonymously to get help.

If you need help from police, call 101 or, if it's an emergency, always call 999.