Latest news with #HMPBronzefield
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Serial killer Rose West struggling to make friends with fellow inmates
She was asked to wear a bright yellow jumper in prison to highlight that she was at risk of attack from other inmates Rose West has not had a visitor 'in years' as she serves a whole life term for murder. The serial killer has also been shunned by fellow inmates despite trying to make friends by baking cakes and treats for lifers behind bars. Insiders have told how she always has a guard by her side when she moves around prison, including visits to the chapel to pray. Before she suffered from ill health, she even went on the treadmill at the prison gym in Low Newton jail in Co Durham, before her move to HMP New Hall near Wakefield in West Yorkshire. "She has not had a visitor in years" according to one insider. She was asked to wear a bright yellow jumper behind bars to highlight that she was at risk from other prisoners, who would threaten to attack her and spit in her food. And she was nicknamed 'Baker Rose' or 'Ma Baker' when she was allowed to "bake cakes for fellow inmates." Canoe woman Anne Darwin told in her memoir 'Out of My Depth' and how she was mistaken for the mass murderer when she served time for fraud alongside her in Low Newton jail. She recalled: "I was on the treadmill when I became aware of someone getting onto the machine next to me, so I turned to say good morning. "But as I looked round, there was the plump and rather squat figure of notorious serial killer Rose West, with the usual attendant officer close by, just a few feet from me. "She didn't say anything, just stared straight ahead and carried on walking. I thought to myself, now there's a sight you don't see every day." She added: "There was hatred among the inmates for people, like Rose, who'd been a part of such barbaric killings. "Whenever she left her cell, a prison officer was always detailed to her for her own protection and, at least when she first arrived, she had to wear a bright yellow jumper or top to mark her out as a high-profile/ high-risk prisoner. "She was known as 'Baker Rose', because one day a week she was allowed to bake cakes on the wing. I went to the chapel whenever there was a Catholic mass, which was always on a Saturday, and occasionally Rose would turn up with her officer in tow." Rose West, now 71, was jailed for life in 1995 for murdering ten women and girls with husband Fred in Gloucester. She calls herself Jennifer Jones after changing her name by deed poll in 2020, but everyone knows her real identity at the women-only HMP New Hall near Wakefield in West Yorkshire. Her husband, who buried several of the victims at their home in Gloucester, escaped justice by killing himself on remand, aged 53. 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. She spent 11 years at Durham's Low Newton. It is believed she was moved on after fellow serial killer Joanna Dennehy made threats towards her. Before that she was at HMP Bronzefield, in Ashford, Surrey. However a plot to attack her with a sock filled with pool balls was uncovered and she was moved
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
UK's most dangerous female inmate plotted to kill Rose West & chop guard's FINGER to escape ‘Monster Mansion' jail
She was also accused of mutilating a corpse and stuck it in a black sequin dress LIFE OF CRIME UK's most dangerous female inmate plotted to kill Rose West & chop guard's FINGER to escape 'Monster Mansion' jail Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE UK's most dangerous female inmate tried to murder Rose West and chop a guard's finger off to escape jail. Joanna Dennehy, 42, once described killing as "moreish and fun" and has become one of four women in the country to be sentenced to a whole life behind bars. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Joanna Dennehy said she found murdering 'moreish' Credit: PA:Press Association 4 Dennehy was sent to HMP Bronzefield after her dangerous antics Credit: Alamy 4 Rose West is one of four women sentenced to a life behind bars Credit: PA:Press Association The brutal killer was convicted in 2014 after a spree of bone-chilling murders including that of 31-year-old lover Lukasz Slaboszewski, her housemate John Chapman and her landlord Kevin Lee. A judge called her "cruel, calculating, selfish, and manipulative" after a court heard of her murderous antics, which involved mutilating a corpse and squeezing the body into a sequined black dress. She has since been described as one of the most dangerous inmates and has been accused of attempting to kill fellow prisoner and murderer Rose West. It is also understood she drew up an escape plan which involved murdering a guard and using their severed finger to unlock the biometric doors. Professor David Wilson, a criminologist and former prison governor, told how part of her threat was in her ability to manipulate with sex. He told the Mail Online: "She will be using this to get what she wants. "Even when she was being interviewed in a police station in Hereford for attempting to kill two men out walking her dogs, she started to flirt with the female custody sergeant." According to the criminologist, targeting the 71-year-old mass murderer Rose West was an attempt to be "top dog" in prison. West was convicted of 10 murders in 1995 and has also been sentenced to life imprisonment. The murder threat allegedly spurred Dennehy's move to solitary confinement but it wasn't long before the villain was reported having an affair with a prison guard. I've looked dozens of serial killers in the eye… but psychotic Brit terrified me most She was moved to HMP Low Newton where she continued her devilish streak, striking up a relationship with the murderer Emma Aitken. Prof Wilson explained this string of illicit relationships is all part of the killer's vying for control. It's part of her "conning" to use sex as a tool of manipulation, he said. According to the former prison governor, Dennehy will always remain a threat whilst compos mentis because of her "unusual" killer profile. He said: "Dennehy is one of the very few female spree killers in criminological history. Spree murders tend to be a male phenomenon." He added: "I don't know what can be done with her in terms of changing her behaviour because she seems to have extreme violent tendencies. "That is based on having interviewed people who were very close to her - including her former husband."
The Sun
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Grisly plots to KILL Rose West behind bars revealed – from sock stuffed with pool balls to threats from fellow killer
SERIAL killer Rose West is considered among the most sadistic murderers in British history. 6 6 6 In 1995, Rose was jailed for life for her callous crimes after police uncovered multiple mutilated female bodies buried in their garden, under their patio and in a sex-dungeon cellar. Fred never faced justice for his crimes, killing himself in HMP Birmingham before the couple's trial. However, Rose was among the few evil criminals to be sentenced to a whole life term - meaning she will never be released from prison. And the vile killer's story did not end when she went to jail with Rose, now 71, subjected to numerous threats behind bars over the years. West has now spent nearly 30 years in prison, with regular transfers due to threats of violence from other lags. She previously served her sentence at HMP Bronzefield, Middlesex, but was moved to Low Newton in 2008 after a plot to batter her with pool balls in a sock. She then spent 11 years at Durham's Low Newton where she was allegedly targeted in other attacks. Locked up with other lifers, in HMP Durham, her former legal representative Leo Goatley says she had been targeted in an arson attack. He revealed to The Sun: "Rose was on a female wing with lots of other women serving long sentences, women who just wanted to get on and have some peace and quiet, even though they'd been convicted of some serious offences. "About two years after her conviction, in the late nineties, they had women serving shorter sentences coming into the wing. "Someone tried to set light to her cell and that was a total disruption for her. "Rose was never scared of these women but she wanted her space and to get on with her life. Netflix documentary delves into the crimes of Fred and Rose West with new testimony and footage "That was her home so to be moved out of her cell she found distressing." And it is also believed she was moved on after threats from a fellow serial killer. Joanna Dennehy - who was convicted of murdering three men within 10 days in Peterborough - allegedly threatened to kill West during her time at HMP Durham. However, a former inmate who claimed she had been in prison with West dismissed the security concerns and said no one could have gotten near her. West, who was moved once again in 2019, is now being held in a special unit at women-only HMP New Hall near Wakefield in West Yorkshire. She has been at New Hall for six years and enjoys a cushy life. West is one of 36 women serving life sentences at the jail, and one of around a dozen over the age of 60. 6 6 6 She is allowed a comfortable life behind bars despite her ongoing refusal to help investigators find the remains of 20 other rumoured victims of her and her husband. But insiders said she sometimes lashes out at staff if she does not get her own way. The Wests have come back in to the spotlight upon the release of new Netflix docuseries Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story. The harrowing crimes of the couple, who were branded 'the epitome of evil' in court, came to light in 1992 after their daughter Louise, 13, accused Fred of rape and Rose of child cruelty. The case collapsed when eldest daughter Anne Marie, who was abused by them from the age of eight, refused to testify but remarks by the West children raised serious concern with police. They launched a major investigation after hearing the youngsters were regularly threatened to be buried 'under the patio like their sister Heather', who vanished five years prior. Collectively the Wests killed at least 12 women and girls - ranging from youngest victim, Rose's stepdaughter Charmaine, eight, to the eldest Fred's ex-wife Catherine 'Reno' Costello, 27. Eight of the murdered young women were teenagers, some of whom lived with the couple. Others were employed as nannies and some schoolgirls were abducted from the street. LIVES LOST: The victims of Fred and Rose West By Raphael Adelugba, Tanyel Mustafa and Caroline Peacock Anna McFall The nanny of Fred and Rena West's children, McFall was believed to have been murdered in 1967. She was pregnant when she died, with West believed to have been the father. Her body was found in June 1994 in a shallow grave. Fred West denied murdering McFall but he is said to have confided to a visitor after his arrest that he stabbed her following an argument. This happened before Rosemary West met him. Charmaine West With Fred in prison for the theft of car tyres and a vehicle tax disc, Rosemary was left to look after Fred and Rena's daughters Charmaine and Anne Marie. A neighbour Tracey is said to have found Charmaine tied to a wooden chair with her hands behind a back with Rosemary standing with a large wooden spoon. Rosemary claimed she'd been taken by her mother, but her skeleton was found at the Midland Road property, hidden and missing bones. Rena West Rena is believed to have been murdered by strangulation. Rosemary was not charged for this murder. Lynda Gough Lynda Gough was the first sexually motivated killing conducted by the Wests. She moved into Cromwell Street in April 1973, having had affairs with several lodgers. The Wests later claimed she'd been asked to leave after hitting one of their children. Strangulation and suffocation were the likely causes of death. Carol Ann Cooper Cooper was murdered in November 1973, aged just 15. On the night of November 9, she was allowed to spend the night at her grandmother's house before a doctor's appointment the next morning. She attended the appointment and then met her boyfriend, before somehow ending up on Cromwell Street. Her body was found more than twenty years later. Lucy Partington A 21-year-old medieval English student at Exeter University, she returned home for Christmas in December 1973. She left a friend's house in a rush to get the last bus from Cheltenham to Gretton on 27 December, with it believed she was abducted from this bus stop. She was found more twenty years later, her dismembered body in the cellar of Cromwell Street. Therese Siegenthaler A 21-year-old Swiss sociology student at Woolwich Polytechnic. She had planned to hitchhike to Ireland in Easter 1974. Her family reported her missing having not heard from her for some time. Prosecution believe she was abducted before being killed, with Fred West later building a fake chimney over her grave. Shirley Hubbard Just 15 at the time of her death, Hubbard is believed to have been abducted by the Wests. Her body was found following an excavation in the concrete and plastic membrane of the cellar floor. Juanita Mott In the summer of 1974, Mott moved into 25 Cromwell Street but later went missing when she was living in Newent. Her body was found in March 1994, 19 years later, with West having concreted over the floor of the cellar. Shirley Robinson The first victim buried outside the house, Robinson had an affair with Fred West, and by autumn 1977, she was pregnant with West's child. It was initially claimed she had moved to Scotland but her body was later found. When questioned, Rosemary West, herself pregnant with her daughter Tara at the time of the murder, claimed she did not remember her, which was described as 'ludicrous' by the prosecution. Alison Chambers The last murder with a sexual motive established. She disappeared just before her 17 th birthday, having been seen at 25 Cromwell Street throughout the summer. Her body was buried underneath the patio. Heather West The first child born to Fred and Rosemary West, there is no evidence she was aware of the killings. Sexually abused by her parents and having told friends, she suddenly went missing in 1987, with Rosemary claiming she had gone to Wales to be with a lesbian partner. The couple would joke to their other children that they would 'end up under the patio like Heather' if they misbehaved. This, and their changing stories, lead to the search warrants for the property, which lead to their arrests.
Powys County Times
21-05-2025
- Powys County Times
Woman who used wigs and false papers to take UK citizenship tests jailed
A woman who travelled around the country to complete false UK citizenship tests has been jailed for four years and six months. A series of wigs and false documents were the tools used by Josephine Maurice, 61, as she pretended to be 13 different people in order to take the Life in the UK Test between June 1 2022 and August 14 2023, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard. Maurice, a former bus driver and of Enfield, north London, had pleaded guilty to 13 counts of fraud, a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud and two counts of possession of another person's identity documents. District Judge Anthony Callaway, sentencing on Tuesday, described Maurice's actions as 'wholesale assault' on the immigration system and there was a 'clear advantage' to people who wanted to progress towards citizenship without following all the procedures. The Life in the UK Test is a requirement for anyone seeking to obtain indefinite leave to remain or naturalisation as a British citizen. According to the Home Office, it consists of 24 questions aimed at 'proving the applicant has sufficient knowledge of British values, history and society'. Her defence lawyer Stephen Akinsanya told the court that Maurice was not the mastermind of the scam but the offences could potentially rise to 'affecting national security if people are passing tests when they have no right to be here'. She was 'gainfully employed' as a bus driver but got sucked into 'something far more serious than she envisioned'. The judge told Maurice who appeared via videolink: 'You attended test centres fraudulently undertaking Life in the UK Tests on behalf of other persons who, naturally, were supposed to and were intended to be there. 'It is clear that the fraud was deliberate and sophisticated and involved the alteration of identity documents, travel documents, false wigs and other matters. 'The geography was varied. You attended in person a variety of centres in London and elsewhere including Stratford, Luton, Hounslow, Reading, Oxford, Nottingham and Milton Keynes.' Provisional driving licences were found at her home after her arrest earlier this year. Maurice has a previous fraud conviction dating back to August 2015 and 'there are similarities' to the current case as it involved her 'impersonating' someone in order to take a driving theory test, the judge said. Maurice appeared via video link from HMP Bronzefield where she has been a 'model inmate'. Earlier prosecutor Nana Owusuh said it is difficult for investigators to quantify the financial benefits of the 'well organised' scam or to 'calibrate any gains'. Mr Akinsanya described it as 'an unusual case' and told the court that for the 'level of sophistication and planning – the crown has provided no evidence that she is the mastermind of this.' He said: 'Clearly in my submission, this is someone who has found herself involved in something far more serious than she envisioned. 'She found herself trapped to people she owed a sum of money. 'There are some levels of coercion and intimidation. She was not motivated by personal gain.' Of Maurice, he said: 'Prior to her arrest she was a bus driver with Arriva and looking after her 25-year-old son who was afflicted with schizophrenia.' Mr Akinsanya said: 'She foolishly agreed to help someone and this is where it has landed her – in custody and away from her son who is clearly vulnerable, that's what keeps her awake at night. 'She understands the implications of what she has done and for national security, and the court can treat such matters harshly.' Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra said: 'Today's sentence serves as strong evidence that this Government will use every tool at its disposal to root out abhorrent immigration offenders and ensure they face the full force of the law for undermining our laws and putting the UK's border security at risk. 'Josephine Maurice used wigs and sophisticated disguises to sit the Life in the UK test on behalf of over 14 genuine applicants in an attempt to gain them British citizenship and evade detection from law enforcement, she now faces over four years behind bars. 'I would like to thank our Criminal Financial Investigations team for their continued dedication to making the UK a safer place by ensuring that criminals like Maurice who participate in this evil trade are brought to justice.'
Leader Live
20-05-2025
- Leader Live
Woman who used wigs and false papers to take UK citizenship tests jailed
A series of wigs and false documents were the tools used by Josephine Maurice, 61, as she pretended to be 13 different people in order to take the Life in the UK Test between June 1 2022 and August 14 2023, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard. Maurice, a former bus driver and of Enfield, north London, had pleaded guilty to 13 counts of fraud, a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud and two counts of possession of another person's identity documents. The case was heard at Snaresbrook Crown Court, east London (John Stillwell/PA) District Judge Anthony Callaway, sentencing on Tuesday, described Maurice's actions as 'wholesale assault' on the immigration system and there was a 'clear advantage' to people who wanted to progress towards citizenship without following all the procedures. The Life in the UK Test is a requirement for anyone seeking to obtain indefinite leave to remain or naturalisation as a British citizen. According to the Home Office, it consists of 24 questions aimed at 'proving the applicant has sufficient knowledge of British values, history and society'. Her defence lawyer Stephen Akinsanya told the court that Maurice was not the mastermind of the scam but the offences could potentially rise to 'affecting national security if people are passing tests when they have no right to be here'. She was 'gainfully employed' as a bus driver but got sucked into 'something far more serious than she envisioned'. The judge told Maurice who appeared via videolink: 'You attended test centres fraudulently undertaking Life in the UK Tests on behalf of other persons who, naturally, were supposed to and were intended to be there. 'It is clear that the fraud was deliberate and sophisticated and involved the alteration of identity documents, travel documents, false wigs and other matters. 'The geography was varied. You attended in person a variety of centres in London and elsewhere including Stratford, Luton, Hounslow, Reading, Oxford, Nottingham and Milton Keynes.' Provisional driving licences were found at her home after her arrest earlier this year. Maurice has a previous fraud conviction dating back to August 2015 and 'there are similarities' to the current case as it involved her 'impersonating' someone in order to take a driving theory test, the judge said. Maurice appeared via video link from HMP Bronzefield where she has been a 'model inmate'. Earlier prosecutor Nana Owusuh said it is difficult for investigators to quantify the financial benefits of the 'well organised' scam or to 'calibrate any gains'. Mr Akinsanya described it as 'an unusual case' and told the court that for the 'level of sophistication and planning – the crown has provided no evidence that she is the mastermind of this.' He said: 'Clearly in my submission, this is someone who has found herself involved in something far more serious than she envisioned. 'She found herself trapped to people she owed a sum of money. 'There are some levels of coercion and intimidation. She was not motivated by personal gain.' Of Maurice, he said: 'Prior to her arrest she was a bus driver with Arriva and looking after her 25-year-old son who was afflicted with schizophrenia.' Mr Akinsanya said: 'She foolishly agreed to help someone and this is where it has landed her – in custody and away from her son who is clearly vulnerable, that's what keeps her awake at night. 'She understands the implications of what she has done and for national security, and the court can treat such matters harshly.' Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra said: 'Today's sentence serves as strong evidence that this Government will use every tool at its disposal to root out abhorrent immigration offenders and ensure they face the full force of the law for undermining our laws and putting the UK's border security at risk. 'Josephine Maurice used wigs and sophisticated disguises to sit the Life in the UK test on behalf of over 14 genuine applicants in an attempt to gain them British citizenship and evade detection from law enforcement, she now faces over four years behind bars. 'I would like to thank our Criminal Financial Investigations team for their continued dedication to making the UK a safer place by ensuring that criminals like Maurice who participate in this evil trade are brought to justice.'
