When officers unearthed Heather West’s remains from her parents’ garden in southwest England, and Fred West admitted to placing them there, the authorities believed they were dealing with a heart-wrenching, tragic case.
Yet it turned out they had a serial killer in their midst.
In the span of two months during the year 1994, detectives eventually discovered the remains of twelve individuals whose cases were tied to Fred West and his wife Rose West, who had been married for 22 years. This information is outlined in the Netflix docuseries titled “Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story”.
15 individuals, among them Heather, were discovered hidden in various locations at 25 Cromwell Road, Gloucestershire. Three bodies were found buried beneath the paving stones in the yard, six were unearthed from the cellar, two more were extracted from a field nearby, and the last was found concealed under the kitchen’s foundation at the Wests’ previous residence.
Despite struggling to remember the names of all his alleged victims, it’s been established that Fred admitted to 11 murders, as detailed in police interviews shown in a three-part series. In a chilling and ordinary tone, he even indicated the locations where each of the 12 bodies were buried, with these instances also being recorded on video by law enforcement.
Simultaneously, Rose continued to remain unaware of her husband’s wrongdoings, asserting even today that she herself was not involved.
As we found ourselves sheltered under the watchful eye of the authorities following Dad’s apprehension, a truth I never imagined came to light through hidden microphones. “I believed Dad was gravely ill…and the most deceptive individual I could have possibly conceived,” I shared with our children, my voice heavy with disbelief. “Yet, who would have suspected?
In a twist of fate, I found myself standing before the court in ’95, where she was convicted of ten chilling counts of murder. Each verdict sentenced her to spend the rest of her days behind bars. Despite my fervent attempts to challenge her conviction in ’96, justice did not sway in my favor. As reported by BBC News, I made another valiant effort to appeal in ’01, but ultimately, it was all for naught.
Fred consistently informed the police that Rose was unaware of his actions, but this seemed to change during their initial court appearance. As testified by eyewitnesses who recounted the crucial moment depicted in the Netflix series, it became clear to him at that time that Rose was not intending to remain loyal to him.
Fred expressed to the police during an interview that he wondered why he should be held accountable (take the blame), as Rose had broken all her promises and he had not done any of those actions independently.
He took his own life in jail before the case went to trial.
It’s claimed that Rose wasn’t just aware of Fred’s actions, but actively joined him in kidnapping girls and women, and even took part in the tragic murder of his daughter Charmaine West, who was from a past relationship.
In this account lies a hauntingly real tale about Fred and Rose West – a tragic twist that sparked police investigation and the shocking discoveries made as they delved deeper:
Here is the chilling, authentic narrative of Fred and Rose West, the turning point that ignited police investigation and the startling revelations uncovered as they dug further:
Or
This recounts a gripping true tale about Fred and Rose West – a pivotal clue that set off police inquiry and the unsettling discoveries made once they began their excavation:
Or
The following is an account of the heart-wrenching, true story of Fred and Rose West. It was a crucial tip that sparked police investigation and the grim findings as they delved deeper into the case:
Each option aims to convey the same information but in different ways, providing variety and ensuring easy readability.
At the age of 27, Frederick West first encountered Rosemary Letts when she was employed at a bakery in Cheltenham. As detailed in audio recordings from Netflix’s series Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story, he revealed to the police that on her 16th birthday, they went out together for a date, and just a month afterward, she became pregnant with him.
Heather West, their daughter, came into the world on October 17, 1970. They tied the knot on January 29, 1972, and at that time, the bride was 18 years old.
Besides Fred, there were two young girls in his family from his past marriage to Catherine “Rena” Costello. These girls were named Anna Marie West and Charmaine West.
While Rosemary was expecting their second child, a daughter named Mae June West, she and Fred decided to relocate from their Midland Road apartment to 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester. Mae June West was born on June 1, 1972, and their son, Stephen West, followed in 1973.
In summary, as explained by Detective Constable Russell Williams in the Netflix series, Fred and Rose were parents to a total of ten children. Some of these children were born from their union, while others came from other relationships. By 1994, their younger children had been removed from their care. Along with Anna Marie, Charmaine, Heather, Mae, and Stephen, there was also a son named Barry West and daughters Tara, Louise, Rosemary Jr., and Lucyanna.
Meanwhile, as Rose was raising her family, Leo Goatley, her former attorney, mentioned in the series that Fred was also taking Rose out with other men at the same time.
Fred shared with the police that he had trained Rose to suit his preferences, which was the key factor behind their successful marriage. Simply put, Rose adapted seamlessly to his lifestyle, having no independent habits of her own.
Rose is also heard on tape talking about doing sex work at her husband’s behest.
According to the authorities, Heather was last known to be alive in June 1987. In interviews with police in February 1994, Fred admitted that he had not reported his 16-year-old daughter as missing.
In the chilling account of “A British Horror Story”, it was disclosed during Howard Ogden’s recollection that Fred had already acknowledged his guilt before they even reached the police station. However, Fred asserted that he never meant to inflict harm on Heather in any way.
As a die-hard admirer, all I yearned for was to convince Heather to nestle at home, but if she insisted on leaving, so be it. However, by then, my thoughts had completely slipped from my grasp, leaving me powerless.
He remembered using an electric cord (a 13-amp extension) to strangle her, and then checking the cabinet for something sharp to dismember her.
Subsequently, Fred employed a kitchen knife for the gruesome act of severing his daughter’s body, later burying her remains in the backyard located at 25 Cromwell Street.
1994 saw Detective Constable Williams of Gloucester Police, a police officer with 12 years of service, reveal in the Netflix series that Fred and Rose attracted the attention of authorities due to their children sharing at school that “anyone who misbehaved would wind up under the patio just like their sister Heather.
On February 24, 1994, Fred willingly showed up at the police station in response to their investigation about Heather’s location. According to recorded conversations, when asked about Heather supposedly being under the patio, Fred dismissed it as nonsense and stated that if they found her, he would be pleased.
Police started digging up the Wests’ yard but, not finding anything that night, sent Fred home.
On the next day, as police officers visited the residence, Fred admitted to them in his personal lounge – according to the recollection of Detective Assistant Darren Law in old recordings – “I am the one who murdered Heather, but you’re looking in the incorrect location.
In a heart-stopping moment, I found myself face-to-face with Fred at the police station, as lawyer Ogden from the Netflix series put it, “Our encounter was destined to leave an indelible mark on everyone present, an impact that would linger for the rest of our lives.
After hearing Fred explain, in a matter-of-fact manner without showing any tears or distress, how he had allegedly murdered Heather, those present in the room later gathered for a quiet, mutual embrace near the tea area.
On Feb. 26, Fred led detectives to where he buried Heather’s remains seven years prior.
In a previous interview, Janet Leach mentioned that Fred appeared more distressed about the condition of his garden. When she was called to act as his appropriate adult during his arrest, Fred would occasionally wink at her, giving the impression it was a playful game.
In the chilling tale “A British Horror Story”, it was mentioned that Rose was apprehended under suspicion of murder. Her previous attorney, Goatley, brought this up. Upon learning that Fred had admitted to the crime, he exclaimed that this triggered a piercing scream from her, and she vehemently denied any wrongdoing, stating, “‘If Fred’s responsible, it’s not Fred West!’
Fred informed the authorities that Rose, whom he referred to as an “impeccable mother,” was unaware of his actions towards Heather, as she had been out of the house during the time he discarded her.
“If she’d have known,” Fred said, “she’d have been the first to report me.”
Goatley reported that Rose was granted bail and subsequently shifted to a secure police shelter along with her kids.
Simultaneously, she attributed her lack of awareness about household matters to the sex work she was involved in, stating, as documented by police recordings from the bugged safehouse, “I had to go out with this man and another man…spend the whole night together and return home in the morning.
Ogden stated in the series that this was all about locating Heather, case closed. However, unfortunately, it turned out that this was just the start, and things took a tragic turn.
Upon discovering three femur bones belonging to females in the West’s backyard, it became clear to them that they had uncovered at least one additional victim.
Initially, when the detective enquired whether anyone else was buried in the backyard, Fred found it an “odd query.
However, upon hearing about another bone, he reportedly responded, as indicated by the interview recordings, “Yes, it was Shirley Robinson, the one who created the issue.
In 1978, Fred and Rose were hosting a guest named Shirley in their home, who later went missing. At that time, Shirley was nearly 19 years old and carrying Fred’s child, which he later confirmed to Ogden, as disclosed in the series.
Fred explained to the police that he “struck her hard on the cheek, grabbed a length of wire, and wrapped it around her throat,” and he “may have” dismembered her in a similar manner as he did with Heather.
“I’m realizing that is three,” Fred said. “Two. Sorry, that’s two, not three.”
When questioned about his mistake, Fred acknowledged that among the women he mentioned, there was “Heather, Shirley’s acquaintance, whose name I can’t remember at this moment.
Besides Heather, Shirley, and her companion Alison Chambers (known as a rebellious girl whose family last had contact with her in 1979), authorities discovered nine additional sets of remains. They determined that Fred committed 11 murders, with Rosemary involved in or participating in at least 10, and one murder being attributed solely to Rosemary while Fred was imprisoned for theft.
Back in February of 1994, I found myself standing before a courtroom, as charges for the heinous murder of Shirley and Alison were brought against me. Their remains, tragically, had been discovered beneath the paving stones in the Wests’ yard. A heavy burden now rests upon my shoulders, and every day since that fateful day, I have carried the weight of their loss with me.
In an archived interview, Scott Canavan, who was hired as a legal assistant by Ogden for Fred’s case, recollected posing the question to Fred about whether there might be additional deceased individuals.
“And his words were,” Canavan said, “’There’s a f–king load more.’”
Investigators began searching the basement of 25 Cromwell Street, where they uncovered the remains of several individuals: Lucy Partington (age 21) who vanished while returning home from a friend’s house in 1973; Lynda Gough (age 19), who was last seen leaving her home around the same time and stayed with the Wests; Carole Ann Cooper (age 15) who ran away from a children’s home during that year; Therese Siegenthaler, a 21-year-old Swiss student who vanished while hitchhiking; Shirley Hubbard, who lived with foster parents before she disappeared; and Juanita Mott, aged 18, who went missing in 1975.
Simultaneously, DC Williams reminisced in the Netflix show that “We were aware other relatives of Fred’s were absent and their whereabouts unknown.
Fred guided the authorities to Kempley Fields in Much Marcle, where he confessed to interring his first wife Rena in 1971 and Ann McFall, a teenage girl from Scotland who had served as their nanny, in 1967.
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Fred directed the authorities to Kempley Fields in Much Marcle, where he admitted to burying his first wife Rena in 1971 and Ann McFall, a Scottish teenager who worked for them as a nanny, in 1967.
Both sentences convey the same information but with slight differences in structure and emphasis.
Later on, Fred guided authorities to his previous residence located at 25 Midland Road, where they unearthed the tragic discovery of his 8-year-old daughter Charmaine, who was shared with Rena, beneath the kitchen’s base. However, he did not confess to being responsible for her death.
He simply expressed relief that she was found, that’s all,” he replied. When directly asked if he was the one who harmed her, he responded, “I prefer not to comment on that.
Investigators eventually pinpointed the specific time period when Charmaine passed away in 1971 – it happened during the time that Fred was incarcerated for a six-month term due to car tire theft, while Charmaine resided with her sister Anna Marie, half-sister Heather, and Rose.
In the course of the unsettling revelations, Fred reportedly informed the authorities that he acted independently, as documented, “I concealed everything from Rose, made her believe I was the father while she was with other men. All this secretive behavior happened while I carried out my actions.
However, the police quickly located Caroline Owens, who disclosed that she had served as a nanny for Rose and Fred back in 1972. In a past interview, she revealed that she departed from their employment after sensing their intentions to involve her in their extra-marital sexual relationships.
On December 6, 1972, as she was hitchhiking, Caroline found herself in a car belonging to the Wests. In old recordings, she recalled this event. She entered their vehicle because she believed they wouldn’t harm her, she stated, but then Fred assaulted her. When she regained consciousness, she discovered her hands had been bound behind her back. However, Fred dismissed Caroline’s story as complete nonsense when he spoke to the police.
According to her account, instead of what Fred said – “We’re going to take you home, clean you up, calm you down, give you a cup of tea, and then return you home” – she claimed that she was actually led to the basement where there was only a mattress on the floor. She further asserted that the situation quickly escalated into a sexual assault.
In the show, DC Williams stated that she successfully fled from a situation. Subsequently, she informed the authorities about Fred and Rose, leading to their charges in 1973 for rape, assault, and inflicting physical harm. However, Caroline chose not to proceed with her testimony. Eventually, Rose and Fred admitted guilt to indecent assault and causing bodily harm. They were each fined £50 as a result.
Williams pointed out that it was a “lost chance to increase the public awareness of Fred and Rose as potential sexual predators who had committed abduction, kidnapping, and confinement.” He emphasized that while they did receive lenient sentences for their crimes.
In 1994, Owens’ story convinced officials that Rose willingly assisted Fred in finding victims. Having Rose in the car made female hitchhikers feel more secure about accepting a ride from him. Faced with the prospect of Rose not supporting him, Fred eventually confessed to the police that he did not act alone in these crimes.
And while she didn’t do it 20 years prior, Owens did testify during Rosemary’s murder trial.
In old recordings, Fred and Rose’s child, Stephen, shared that he and his brothers and sisters frequently received physical punishment from their mother. However, they chose not to disclose this to anyone as they feared being separated from each other.
They were “happier at school, where we felt safe,” he said, “better place to be than at home.”
According to a recording, Detective Constable Hazel Savage relayed that the couple’s daughter Mae claimed that Fred began sexually abusing both her and her sister Heather back in 1985. The sisters chose to take action against him and not let him escape justice for his actions.
When the detective confronted Fred with Mae’s statement, he replied, “No comment.”
In the old recording, Stephen expressed that he despised his father due to his actions, yet he sought approval to pay a visit while he was imprisoned.
Stephen shared that he would always keep the entire truth hidden from others, revealing it to be far more severe than one might assume.” He also added, “He swore to me that he would carry the secrets of his actions to the grave, ensuring they would never fully comprehend the magnitude of his deeds.
On January 1, 1995, Fred was discovered deceased by suicide within the confines of his prison cell. His arrest previously involved charges for a total of twelve murder cases.
Rose faced charges for allegedly taking the lives of ten individuals: Heather (her daughter), Charmaine (her stepdaughter), Lynda, Carole Ann, Lucy, Therese, Shirley Hubbard, Shirley Robinson, Juanita, and Alison.
Despite maintaining her claim of innocence and refusing to change this stance, she was found guilty on all ten charges and received a life sentence in prison for each victim back in November 1995.
At her sentencing, Charles Mantell, the judge at Winchester Crown Court, made it clear to Rose that if she takes my thoughts into account, she will remain imprisoned.
In 1996, Rose’s initial plea claiming she was compelled by her spouse and not responsible for the murders was denied. In 2001, she chose not to pursue another appeal.
In a previous statement, as reported by The Independent, Rose expressed that she anticipated spending the remainder of her life behind bars. However, she continued to claim her innocence, choosing instead to work towards reconciling with her children rather than continuing legal battles.
Rose, now 71, remains incarcerated at HM Prison Hall in West Yorkshire, England.
In 2021, it was testified during an inquest that Barry West passed away due to a painkiller overdose in the year 2020. At the time of his death, he was 40 years old and residing at a halfway house in Maidstone following his release from a mental health facility in Canterbury. His death was categorized as an accident or “misadventure.
Conversely, it’s reported by Mail Online that three of the remaining West siblings continue to reside in Gloucester, whereas the other four have relocated throughout the U.K., seeking fresh beginnings and distancing themselves from the location associated with their parents’ infamous crimes.
Mae is a wife and mother who released the 2018 memoir titled “Love As Always, Mum xxx“, which chronicles her journey of accepting and dealing with her family’s past.
In those days, she frequently met up with Tara and Louise, and on occasion exchanged texts with Stephen. However, it’s possible that she’s currently not in contact with her brother.
42-year-old Stephen expressed in an interview with Mail Online before the Netflix premiere of “Fred and Rose West: A British House of Horrors“, “I have no connection with my siblings, and there are no joyful family gatherings due to past events. The pain is too deep for us, making it inappropriate at this time.
Stephen expressed that his focus is now on safeguarding his own family, which includes his children, as he mentioned, ‘They are unaware of our past.’ What matters most to him is the well-being of his kids. They’ve each chosen their own paths and are living their lives separately.
As a devoted admirer, I couldn’t help but share my personal account of events unfolding at Rose’s trial. You see, it was Anna Marie, the cherished daughter of Fred and Rena, who was 60 years old, that stood up to testify about the ordeals the children endured. She bravely spoke out, giving voice to the silent suffering they had experienced.
The affected siblings find it unbearable to communicate or meet due to the deep-rooted trauma from their shared past in that house,” Philip explained to Mail Online. “Though some of them reside in close proximity, they choose to avoid each other because such encounters only reopen their old wounds.
He commented on the Netflix series by saying, “Every few years, the case resurfaces in the news, such as this current documentary, rekindling public interest. Yet, it is the victims who endure the daily anguish of the past events.
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2025-05-24 16:18