Latest news with #HMPDurham
The Irish Sun
29-05-2025
- The Irish 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. Rose tortured and murdered 10 young women, , at their in Gloucester . Advertisement 6 The fiend, now 71, languishes in a room for the disabled on her prison wing= 6 West has been at New Hall in West Yorkshire for six years Credit: Alamy 6 Fred and Rose West are known as two of Britain's most evil killers Credit: Rex Features In 1995, 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. Advertisement Read More in UK News 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 Advertisement Most read in The Sun 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." Netflix documentary delves into the crimes of Fred and Rose West with new testimony and footage And it is also believed she was moved on after threats from a fellow serial killer. Advertisement 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 calls herself Jennifer Jones after changing her name by deed poll in 2020 - but everyone knows her true identity. Advertisement West is one of 36 women serving life sentences at the jail, and one of around a dozen over the age of 60. 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. 6 British serial killer Rose West who committed the murders alongside her husband Credit: Getty 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 Advertisement 6 The chilling 'sex dungeon' cellar where the Wests abused some of their victims Credit: SWNS 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 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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.
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.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- BBC News
Drone used to smuggle drugs and phones found outside Whitemoor
A man has been jailed after a drone used to smuggle drugs and phones crashed outside a Woodall's DNA was on cargo from the crashed drone, which was found in 2023 by a dog handler patrolling HMP Whitemoor in March, said Woodall was arrested the following year when he was seen acting suspiciously outside another prison in 32-year-old, of Yorke Avenue, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, admitted two counts of conspiring to convey prohibited items into a prison, and he was jailed for two years and six months. Police said the package of goods worth more than £200,000 was found on 13 November 2023.A vehicle linked to Woodall seen in the area was scrapped following the said the attempt followed an incident in August 2023 when a driver was stopped by police on the A1, near Catterick, North had the address for HMP Durham in a sat nav, a drone in the back of the vehicle and a package containing cannabis, tobacco and fingerprints were found on the drone and a phone number linked to him in the man's contacts list, police said. At 04:00 GMT on 12 February last year, police received a call from HMP The Mount, near Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, when CCTV operators saw Woodall acting suspiciously in nearby officers arrived, he tried to dispose of his phone and was was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Con Tom Adams said: "We're working hard with prison staff to tackle the issue of smuggling, and we take the matter extremely seriously."This was a large package containing drugs and mobile phones that could have caused significant issues within the prison and been used in criminality."I'm pleased the attempt was unsuccessful and Woodall has now found himself behind bars." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
'Overcrowded' Durham Prison with rising assaults told to improve
An "overcrowded" prison where violence is on the rise needs to improve, a watchdog has Independent Monitoring Board's (IMB) latest report said HMP Durham had seen assaults on staff and between inmates go up by 52%, with self-harm also Durham chair Dr Therese Quincey said that despite the "negative" findings, the board believed staff were dedicated and "committed" to meeting Ministry of Justice has been contacted for a comment. The IMB is made up of unpaid volunteers, who operate in every prison in England and Wales to make sure inmates are being treated fairly and humanely and receive the support they for their latest report on HMP Durham was gathered between 1 November 2023 and 31 October this time, there were 5,436 new 746 of them did not receive a crucial first night healthcare assessment - which was a "significant risk" to their health, the report IMB also stated assaults on staff and prisoner-on-prisoner assaults had increased by 52% since the previous year and self-harm incidents were up by a third, from 596 last year to 798."The board continues to have the view that the level of overcrowding in HMP Durham contributes to increased levels of self-harm and violence," the report said. 'Unhygienic and undignified' The IMB said it had reported "for several years" on overcrowding at the facility, with prisoners sharing a cell in wings that were built more than 200 years ago for one added there was "no privacy" and some cells had a curtain around the toilet which was "unhygienic and undignified"."The prison is non-compliant with the requirements of HMPPS national standards for the Cleanliness and Physical Decency of Prisons, October 2020, particularly regarding the minimum 'kit' entitlement for clothing, towels and bedding," the IMB kitchen and the prison clergy were praised and the board said it believed prisoners were overall treated "fairly and humanely".It added all prisoners were offered a range of part-time education programmes, with a service helping them get work growing "considerably" over the the board said it was "concerned" that up to one in three prisoners was released Quincey said HMP Durham presented "a number of major challenges" including rising levels of violence, self-harm and drug use. "High levels of prison occupancy, combined with continuous arrivals and departures, compound the challenge," she said. "Even in the light of some negative findings; from the board's observations, we believe that the governor and staff perform their duties with dedication and are committed to reach required standards." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
12-03-2025
- BBC News
Pelton MDMA dealer who smuggled drugs into prison jailed
A major drug dealer who was caught importing MDMA into the UK and was later part of a gang smuggling illicit goods into prison has been jailed for almost 11 Mason, 34, was serving a 16 year jail term for dealing when he and five others, including a prison nurse, conspired to import drugs into HMP Durham and HMP Northumberland, Newcastle Crown Court who had to be extradited back to the UK after fleeing to Spain, had two of his previous drug dealing convictions quashed by the Court of Appeal, but has admitted two new counts of conspiring to supply Class A and B was jailed for a total of 10 years and 11 months for the drug and prison offences. Border Force officers in Essex intercepted two parcels from the Netherlands on 16 June 2020, prosecutor Deborah Smithies were addressed to houses in Pelton, County Durham, connected to Mason and were found to contain a total of 10kg of 96% purity MDMA hidden under clothing, the court heard. An undercover police officer delivered decoy packages to the two houses a few days later, with one of the occupants later telling officers Mason had ordered her to be in to take delivery of them, the court raided the homes and seized a mobile phone which was using EncroChat, an encrypted mobile phone service favoured by found messages between Mason and other drug associates arranging the sale of large quantities of ketamine between March and July 2020, Ms Smithies said the evidence showed Mason "played a leading role directing the buying and selling [of drugs] on a commercial scale".By that point Mason had fled from police to Spain after a cannabis farm was discovered, the court was later extradited back to the UK and jailed for 16 years, although that conviction was partially quashed by the Court of Appeal and the case was re-sentenced at Newcastle Crown in prison, he and five others smuggled drugs and electronics into the HMP Durham and HMP Northumberland, the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit of his accomplices were previously sentenced, while his sister Kayleigh Mason, 36, of Homestall Close in South Shields, was given a 12-month community order for transferring £1,100 for her brother as part of the criminal had admitted possession of criminal property while her brother admitted conspiracy to supply drugs and to convey prohibited articles into prison. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.
