Rose West 'can barely walk and has no friends' behind bars
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Serial killer Rose West was convicted of ten murders back in 1995 and she is one of only four women in Britian to be given a whole life order
New details about how notorious serial killer Rose West spends her days in prison has been revealed.
West, now 71, raped, tortured and killed at least 12 women and girls with husband Fred at their Gloucester home of horrors between them, from 1967 to 1987. Their horrifying crimes didn't come to light untill 1992 when daughter Louise, then just 13, accused Fred of rape and Rose of cruelty. That case collapsed after eldest daughter Anne Marie — abused from age eight — refused to testify, but what the children told police raised red flags.
Officers launched a huge investigation after learning the kids were constantly threatened with being buried 'under the patio like their sister Heather', who had vanished five years earlier. The full horror was soon uncovered, their youngest victim was Rose's stepdaughter Charmaine, just eight, and the eldest was Fred's ex-wife Catherine 'Reno' Costello, 27.
In 1995, Rose West received a whole life order, for life, meaning she will die behind bars after police discovered a series of mutilated bodies buried in the garden, beneath a patio and even in a sex dungeon cellar. Fred never stood trial for the horror he helped unleash. He took his own life while on remand in HMP Birmingham agd 53.
Since she abandoned her attempts to appeal her conviction in 2001, she is understood to be resigned to dying in prison, where sh has already spent nearly 30 years. Shehas regular transfers due to threats of violence from other inmates. She has been at New Hall for six years and enjoys a cushy life. But insiders said she sometimes lashes out at staff if she does not get her own way.
A source told The Sun:"She's in a disabled room now because she can barely walk. She never really leaves the wing she's held on and is escorted all the time by prison officers if she goes anywhere. Sometimes she sits in the communal areas on her own.
"No one talks to her because everyone knows who she is and what she did, even if she has changed her name. When I was there, she tried to make friends with the other women and gave them gifts, like vapes, but she was rejected. She likes to watch nature documentaries on the TV in her cell, especially ones about birds."
In the hope of distancing herself from her evil crimes, West reportedly paid £36 to change her name to Jennifer Jones. It's understood she changed her name by deed poll in December last year and told friends it's her way of moving on. However, everyone knows her real identity at the women-only HMP New Hall near Wakefield in West Yorkshire.
Some inmates spurn her attempts at friendship, and she often eats tomato soup in her cell alone for breakfast, before spending most of her time in her cell knitting and talking to the TV, because she can barely walk.
West is now being held in a special unit at New Hall known as Rivendell House, where 30 prisoners each have an en-suite cell and are allocated a laptop which they can use to order food from. The communal areas are also said to be "more inviting" than other blocks in the prison, according to inspection reports.
Netflix released a new documentary titled Fred and Rose West A British Horror Story earlier this month. It delves into the nightmarish deeds of the Wests from their unassuming home in Gloucester during the '80s and '90s.
The three-part series, which utilises over 50 hours of previously unseen and unheard police interview tapes from 107 interrogations, promises to cast new light on the murders of at least 12 women by Fred and Rose West.
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Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Lonely' Rose West's bizarre morning ritual & bribe to make friends in jail as serial killer's last days are revealed
ROSE West has a bizarre morning routine after three decades behind bars, The Sun can reveal. Britain's most notorious female serial killer, now 71, is serving a whole life sentence for helping her husband Fred torture and murder ten girls and women in the 1970s and 80s. 6 Serial killer Rose West spends most of her days alone in her prison cell knitting and talking to the TV 6 West was jailed for life in 1995 for murdering ten women and girls with husband Fred 6 The fiend, now 71, languishes in a room for the disabled on her prison wing because she can barely walk The murders and sexual assaults, committed at their House of Horrors in Gloucester, etch Rose into public memory as Britain's most abhorrent female killer. After 30 years behind bars, West is now increasingly frail and can barely walk. Read how Rose West is spending her final days in prison exclusively in Sun Club. She is understood to spend a lot of time in her cell and almost never leaves the wing she is kept on. Each morning she has a strange habit of taking down her handmade curtains, The Sun has learned. A source told The Sun: 'She made her own curtains for her cell but would only keep them up for an hour or so and then take them down, fold them, and put them away in her clothing cupboard.' Prisoners are allowed to wear their own clothes and Rose would often wear plain black or blue work trousers with a red top. The Sun revealed earlier this week that West would sometimes order tomato soup and eat it in her cell for breakfast. The strange details shed light on her routine inside one of a handful of Britain's women's only prisons, HMP New Hall near Wakefield in West Yorkshire. The couple's horrendous crimes have come back into the spotlight after the release of new Netflix docuseries Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story. Netflix documentary delves into the crimes of Fred and Rose West with new testimony and footage Now known as Jennifer Jones after changing her name by deed poll in 2020, West spends her days watching nature documentaries in her cell. She is shunned by other inmates despite her attempts to make friends. A source told The Sun: 'She's in a disabled room now because she can barely walk. 'She never really leaves the wing she is held on and is escorted all the time by prison officers if she goes anywhere. Sometimes she sits in the communal areas on her own. 6 West has been at New Hall for six years and enjoys a cushy life Credit: Alamy 6 Despite changing her name, everyone knows Rose's real identity at the women-only HMP New Hall near Wakefield in West Yorkshire Credit: Alamy 6 Ten victims of Rose and Fred West "No one talks to her because everyone knows who she is and what she did, even if she has changed her name. 'She tried to make friends with the other women and gave them gifts, like vapes, but she was always rejected. 'She likes to watch nature documentaries on the TV in her cell, she likes ones about birds.' Prison protocol means that whenever West walks anywhere in the prison she is surrounded by guards on each side. Since she abandoned her attempts to appeal for conviction in 2001, West is understood to be resigned to dying in prison, despite still maintaining her innocence. West was moved to New Hall in 2019 after spending 11 years at Durham's Low Newton. Before that she was kept at Bronzefield prison, in Ashford, Surrey, before a plot to attack her with a sock filled with pool table balls was uncovered and she had to be moved. It is believed she was moved from Low Newton after fellow serial killer Joanna Dennehy reportedly made threats towards her. West is now being held in a special unit which houses women with personality disorders or those with enhanced status. Each of the 16 prisoners in Rivendell House has an ensuite cell and the communal areas are 'more inviting' than other blocks in the prison, according to inspection reports. Raised flower beds and manicured lawns are also designed to form a 'psychologically informed environment'. Lags held there can take part in yoga classes, film nights, and knitting classes. The Sun revealed previously how West had written letters to pals on the outside about her joy at taking part in the prison book club. Hinting at her cushy life at New Hall, she wrote: "I love stories, I like hearing stories being read, and also I have enjoyed taking part. "It's really good to be able to join in with something that doesn't mean too much stress." However, insiders revealed West sometimes lashes out at staff if she does not get her own way. Incredibly, she also still receives letters from twisted 'fans'. The source added: 'She can be quite abusive to officers if she doesn't get what she wants and she's very set in her ways. 'If she asks for something and it doesn't happen within five minutes, she'll get the hump. 'No one wants to talk to her or be close to her. She sits in the social areas around everyone else just to annoy the other women, knowing they don't want to be around her. 'Often she's just in her cell on her own and the other prisoners can hear her talking to the TV if they walk past. 'Her hair is grey now and she's put on some weight but she still looks the same and she still wears her glasses. 'She never gets any visitors but still gets loads of post and cards from sick admirers on the outside, which has to go through security checks before it gets to her.' West is one of 36 women serving life sentences at the jail, and one of around a dozen female prisoners there over the age of 60. Collectively Fred and Rose West killed at least 12 women and girls, the youngest of which was Rose's eight-year-old stepdaughter Charmaine. Their daughter Heather, 16, was murdered in June 1987 and buried under the patio after being abused by her parents all her life. Some of the young women who were murdered lived with the couple, while others were abducted from the street. Fred never faced justice for his crimes as he killed himself in HMP Birmingham while awaiting trial. In 2021, police began searching for the body of Mary Bastholm, who was 15 when she disappeared in 1968, in the basement of a Gloucester cafe once frequented by Fred. Detectives made it clear they would quiz Rose if they found the teenager's remains. Police did not find Mary's body and West was ultimately never questioned. The family home on Cromwell Street, Gloucester, was demolished after their horrific crimes came to light. Horrors hidden for years By Julia Atherley FRED and Rose West's gruesome killing spree went undetected for decades. The couple raped, tortured and killed at least 12 women and girls between them, from 1967 to 1987. Their atrocities came to light in 1994 after their children told social workers a sister — Heather, who had not been seen since 1986 — was 'under the patio'. Detectives then uncovered the remains of nine women and girls at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester. Rose had met Fred in 1969 when she was 15 and he 27. She became pregnant with Heather, and looked after Fred's two daughters from a previous marriage, Charmaine and Anne Marie. Charmaine was eight when murdered by Rose in June 1971. Her mum Catherine was also killed. After giving birth to her second child, Mae June West, Rose started working as a prostitute at the house. The Wests also lured lodgers to their death. Lucy Partington, Juanita Mott and Shirley Hubbard were found in the basement. Therese Siegenthaler was hidden under concrete in front of a false fireplace. Police also discovered lodger Lynda Gough, whose jaw was taped to silence her, and Carol Ann Cooper. Fred killed himself at HMP Birmingham on New Year's Day 1995 while awaiting trial for 12 murders. In November 1995, Rose was convicted of ten murders at Winchester crown court. She tried to pin all the crimes on Fred. An appeal was refused. She is one of only four women to be given a whole life order, along with triple killer Joanna Dennehy, baby murderer Lucy Letby, and Moors Murderer Myra Hindley, who died in 2002.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
‘Lonely' Rose West's bizarre morning ritual & bribe to make friends in jail as serial killer's last days are revealed
ROSE West has a bizarre morning routine after three decades behind bars, The Sun can reveal. Britain's most notorious female serial killer, now 71, is serving a whole life sentence for helping her husband Fred torture and murder ten girls and women in the 1970s and 80s. 6 6 6 The murders and sexual assaults, committed at their House of Horrors in Gloucester, etch Rose into public memory as Britain's most abhorrent female killer. After 30 years behind bars, West is now increasingly frail and can barely walk. Read how Rose West is spending her final days in prison exclusively in Sun Club. She is understood to spend a lot of time in her cell and almost never leaves the wing she is kept on. Each morning she has a strange habit of taking down her handmade curtains, The Sun has learned. A source told The Sun: 'She made her own curtains for her cell but would only keep them up for an hour or so and then take them down, fold them, and put them away in her clothing cupboard.' Prisoners are allowed to wear their own clothes and Rose would often wear plain black or blue work trousers with a red top. The Sun revealed earlier this week that West would sometimes order tomato soup and eat it in her cell for breakfast. The strange details shed light on her routine inside one of a handful of Britain's women's only prisons, HMP New Hall near Wakefield in West Yorkshire. The couple's horrendous crimes have come back into the spotlight after the release of new Netflix docuseries Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story. Netflix documentary delves into the crimes of Fred and Rose West with new testimony and footage Now known as Jennifer Jones after changing her name by deed poll in 2020, West spends her days watching nature documentaries in her cell. She is shunned by other inmates despite her attempts to make friends. A source told The Sun: 'She's in a disabled room now because she can barely walk. 'She never really leaves the wing she is held on and is escorted all the time by prison officers if she goes anywhere. Sometimes she sits in the communal areas on her own. 6 6 6 "No one talks to her because everyone knows who she is and what she did, even if she has changed her name. 'She tried to make friends with the other women and gave them gifts, like vapes, but she was always rejected. 'She likes to watch nature documentaries on the TV in her cell, she likes ones about birds.' Prison protocol means that whenever West walks anywhere in the prison she is surrounded by guards on each side. Since she abandoned her attempts to appeal for conviction in 2001, West is understood to be resigned to dying in prison, despite still maintaining her innocence. West was moved to New Hall in 2019 after spending 11 years at Durham's Low Newton. Before that she was kept at Bronzefield prison, in Ashford, Surrey, before a plot to attack her with a sock filled with pool table balls was uncovered and she had to be moved. It is believed she was moved from Low Newton after fellow serial killer Joanna Dennehy reportedly made threats towards her. West is now being held in a special unit which houses women with personality disorders or those with enhanced status. Each of the 16 prisoners in Rivendell House has an ensuite cell and the communal areas are 'more inviting' than other blocks in the prison, according to inspection reports. Raised flower beds and manicured lawns are also designed to form a 'psychologically informed environment'. Lags held there can take part in yoga classes, film nights, and knitting classes. The Sun revealed previously how West had written letters to pals on the outside about her joy at taking part in the prison book club. Hinting at her cushy life at New Hall, she wrote: "I love stories, I like hearing stories being read, and also I have enjoyed taking part. "It's really good to be able to join in with something that doesn't mean too much stress." However, insiders revealed West sometimes lashes out at staff if she does not get her own way. Incredibly, she also still receives letters from twisted 'fans'. The source added: 'She can be quite abusive to officers if she doesn't get what she wants and she's very set in her ways. 'If she asks for something and it doesn't happen within five minutes, she'll get the hump. 'No one wants to talk to her or be close to her. She sits in the social areas around everyone else just to annoy the other women, knowing they don't want to be around her. 'Often she's just in her cell on her own and the other prisoners can hear her talking to the TV if they walk past. 'Her hair is grey now and she's put on some weight but she still looks the same and she still wears her glasses. 'She never gets any visitors but still gets loads of post and cards from sick admirers on the outside, which has to go through security checks before it gets to her.' West is one of 36 women serving life sentences at the jail, and one of around a dozen female prisoners there over the age of 60. Collectively Fred and Rose West killed at least 12 women and girls, the youngest of which was Rose's eight-year-old stepdaughter Charmaine. Their daughter Heather, 16, was murdered in June 1987 and buried under the patio after being abused by her parents all her life. Some of the young women who were murdered lived with the couple, while others were abducted from the street. Fred never faced justice for his crimes as he killed himself in HMP Birmingham while awaiting trial. In 2021, police began searching for the body of Mary Bastholm, who was 15 when she disappeared in 1968, in the basement of a Gloucester cafe once frequented by Fred. Detectives made it clear they would quiz Rose if they found the teenager's remains. Police did not find Mary's body and West was ultimately never questioned. The family home on Cromwell Street, Gloucester, was demolished after their horrific crimes came to light. Horrors hidden for years By Julia Atherley FRED and Rose West's gruesome killing spree went undetected for decades. The couple raped, tortured and killed at least 12 women and girls between them, from 1967 to 1987. Their atrocities came to light in 1994 after their children told social workers a sister — Heather, who had not been seen since 1986 — was 'under the patio'. Detectives then uncovered the remains of nine women and girls at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester. Rose had met Fred in 1969 when she was 15 and he 27. She became pregnant with Heather, and looked after Fred's two daughters from a previous marriage, Charmaine and Anne Marie. Charmaine was eight when murdered by Rose in June 1971. Her mum Catherine was also killed. After giving birth to her second child, Mae June West, Rose started working as a prostitute at the house. The Wests also lured lodgers to their death. Lucy Partington, Juanita Mott and Shirley Hubbard were found in the basement. Therese Siegenthaler was hidden under concrete in front of a false fireplace. Police also discovered lodger Lynda Gough, whose jaw was taped to silence her, and Carol Ann Cooper. Fred killed himself at HMP Birmingham on New Year's Day 1995 while awaiting trial for 12 murders. In November 1995, Rose was convicted of ten murders at Winchester crown court. She tried to pin all the crimes on Fred. An appeal was refused. She is one of only four women to be given a whole life order, along with triple killer Joanna Dennehy, baby murderer Lucy Letby, and Moors Murderer Myra Hindley, who died in 2002.
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I was locked up with Rose West - she flew into a rage at another crime'
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Linda Calvey, once dubbed the Black Widow, has rubbed shoulders with some of the most evil women in British history – including child murderers Myra Hindley and Rose West Ever wondered what it's like to be incarcerated in prison alongside some of Britain's most notorious criminals? Few can imagine the chilling experience of sharing a prison wing with sadistic child murderers. However, one woman who knows all too well is Linda Calvey, also known as the Black Widow. The infamous East End gangster, now 76, made a name for herself as a bank robber but ended up behind bars for gunning down her lover Ronnie Cook. Her crimes put her behind bars for more than 20 years, and at one point she held the title of Britain's longest-serving living female prisoner. In a book published back in 2019 after her release, she unveiled the reality of being locked up with two of Britain's most wicked women – Myra Hindley and Rose West. West, now 71, was handed a life sentence in 1995 for her role in assisting her husband Fred to rape and murder at least 12 women and girls at their Cromwell Street home in Gloucester. She's locked up in HMP New Hall where 'she can barely walk and has no friends'. And Hindley was sentenced to life imprisonment for the torture and murder of five children with her partner Ian Brady during the 1960s. Fred and Rose West are currently the subjects of a Netflix documentary, Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story. It includes never-before-seen footage from the depraved dungeon where the evil duo carried out some of their heinous murders. Looking back on her time inside, Calvey recalled, "I was in Durham prison. Myra and Rose were both there too. They used to sit together and became very pally but then suddenly they stopped talking. I think Rose's solicitor told her it doesn't look good." Calvey went on to describe West's unpredictable temper, often triggered by the most peculiar things. "I saw her go into a rant once and it looked like toothpaste coming out of her mouth," she said. "She was foaming like a mad person. She was upset about a drink driver who ran over a cyclist. "We were in a debating class where they look through the papers and get us to discuss something. She kept screaming, 'It's disgusting, his poor family.'" Calvey added, "She also got upset when her cell was set on fire and it nearly killed her budgie. She went to pieces. She was sobbing over this little bird, begging them not to let it die." Calvey further revealed: "She was so angry at Fred for hanging himself. We all heard the boys chanting next door 'Fred is dead' and she was the only one who didn't know what it meant at the time." During her time inside, Calvey started a grim collection of trinkets made or given to her by the killers. She purchased a cushion crafted by West. Hindley gifted her a nightie, a cardigan, some Christmas cards and an empty heart-shaped box. Despite her heinous crimes, Calvey describes Moors murderer Hindley – whom she once slapped in prison – as appearing more like a "suburban housewife" than a monster, complete with pink nail varnish and a flowing kaftan. Hindley had a fear of spiders, once pleading with Calvey to kill one in her cell. "She screamed and hid behind me and told me to kill it, saying, 'You're the Black Widow,'" Calvey recalls. "I was astounded that the woman who had murdered children could be frightened of ending a spider's life." She added: "That's when I noticed she had a locked briefcase under her bed. "She told me it was her personal papers. But we weren't allowed to keep private documents on the wing. I've always wanted to know what was in that case." Calvey became acquainted with Hindley when she was appointed as her hairdresser at Highpoint prison in Suffolk. "She was fussy about her hair as that was the only control she had left," Calvey revealed. "She liked it dyed a dark shade of red once a month. And twice a week I had to wash it. She would sit there chain smoking roll-ups." Hindley introduced Calvey as her friend to her mother, even asking her fellow inmate to converse with the elderly woman over the phone. Calvey recalled: "She phoned her mum to say she had a lovely friend. "I would think, 'I'm not your friend'. I was only there as I was forced to do her hair. She asked me to speak to her on the phone and I did every Sunday. I felt sorry for her having a daughter like that." According to Calvey, Hindley spent her final days harbouring resentment towards the mothers of her victims. "She was very bitter about being in prison and believed she shouldn't be. She was especially bitter towards Lesley Anne Downey 's mum and called her 'that b****y woman'. "She didn't speak about her crimes except once, when she said Brady forced her to do it. Calvey first encountered the child murderer at Cookham Wood prison in Kent when she was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for armed said: 'I worked in the library and she would take out violent and gory books that were banned to her under other people's names.' Hindley died in prison in November 2002, aged 60. Calvey revealed that she received marriage proposals from gang boss Reggie Kray and notorious armed robber Charles Bronson, who recently made a fresh bid to be released from prison, aged 81. She shared: "Reggie asked me to marry him over the phone. He phoned me twice a week and I used to get bouquets of flowers from him. He sent me trainers once. I said it wasn't good for either of us, really thinking it wouldn't be good for me as I'd still be sitting there now if I was Mrs Kray.' On Bronson, Calvey remarked: "He proposed to me so many times but he's a serial proposer."
