Barbara "Babs" Dabner was the wife of accountant Arthur Dabner, a colleague of Derek Wilton at Barkers stationery firm. In March 1989, when Derek invited Arthur to a soiree at The Kabin flat, he thought Arthur was single but he was actually separated, living on his own since 1986. Babs and Arthur were still on good terms, and occasionally spent weekends under the same roof. In April, after spending an afternoon discussing their future, they decided to give their marriage another go.