Latest news with #MyraHindley
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
The woman famed for transforming failing prisons
One of the first female governors of a men's prison in the UK, Veronica Bird, has spoken about her experiences as part of a year-long celebration of "remarkable" women. During her 35-year career in the prison service, Ms Bird was governor of Armley Prison in Leeds as well as New Hall in Wakefield. Now, she is speaking as part of Women Winning, a project that celebrates women in Harrogate. Born in Barnsley, Ms Bird joined the prison service in 1968 at Holloway Prison in London where she met violent prisoners such as Myra Hindley. She has now retired for a quieter life in Harrogate. "Armley Prison was a huge shock to the system," she says. "Being one of the first females in the prison, the transition, not just with staff, but with the prisoners as well. "When women started to work in male prisons, it made a huge difference. The men were respectful. They stopped using bad language when the female prison officers were present. It calmed them down. "It reduced the assaults and fights but, slowly over the past 25 years, it's just gone down and down and they don't care about who's in charge, who's looking after them and that's sad." Ms Bird says the worsening conditions in prisons are largely due to the influx of drugs. "People often say why can't you stop drugs coming into the prison? Well, they swallow them wrapped in cling film, wrapped in condoms. They secrete them internally," she says. "We used to have books coming into the prison and the men would put the powder between the pages and lick them. They would throw oranges over the prison fence. "We had to stop selling Polo mints in prison and we had to stop selling bananas because they would dry the skin and mix it with the cannabis to make it go further. "It's sad to see parents bringing drugs in for their children in prison. So it is a huge, huge battle." Ms Bird says she was disappointed to see a number of recent cases of prison officers having relationships with inmates and taking drugs into institutions. "Sadly, the conduct of some staff taking contraband into prisons has grown. The relationships with prisoners. That's taken off enormously. "Myra Hindley had an affair with officer Patricia Cairns and plotted her escape. So it's not something new but it is increasing all the time. "When I was at Styal Prison, a female prisoner sentenced to life made a complaint that she was being abused by a prison officer in the cleaning cupboard. "I was given the job of investigating and there were sacks full of beautiful underwear, nighties and goodness knows what that this male officer had taken in for her and other prisoners. "But fortunately, the investigation came to a very quick end because he did the right thing and resigned there and then. "The prisoner didn't complain to the police because she had no trust in the police. And she told the area manager the only person that she would trust to do a fair investigation was me." During her time running prisons, Ms Bird became recognised for transforming failing institutions. She was asked to work on what was known as Grisley Risley in Warrington and Brockhill Prison in the Midlands, which she said was the UK's worst prison at the time. "I was given the most difficult prison, the worst prison in the country," she says. "I had no more money than the previous governor, no more staff. But I got the staff together and they changed that prison within one year. It was amazing. "The conditions in 1995 in that women's prison were worse than when I joined in 1968. "The poor staff were having to have their lunch in a prison cell. If you don't treat staff with respect, how are you going to get them to treat prisoners with respect? "Nobody wants to work in a terrible prison. It's not good for them. So everybody rallied round," she says. Ms Bird has high praise for the work of Lord Timpson, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, who employs ex-prisoners to work in Timpson shops. "He's on the right track. Give people a second chance," she says. "How lucky I was to be given a chance in the prison service. Two years I thought I'd be there. But, 35 years later, I was still there and continued in retirement working in jobs to do with prison." During her time in the service, Ms Bird watched over members of the IRA such as Old Bailey bombers the Price Sisters, Rose Dugdale, and the Birmingham Six – who were later exonerated. She "gave her life" to prisons, she says, never having had a family or partner of her own. "Leaving Brockhill, the staff said to me: 'Governor, please can we give some advice - don't give your life to the next prison, like you have given to this prison.' And yes, I suppose I gave my life to prisons and prisoners," she says. "But I couldn't have coped with marriage, family, so I have given my whole life." Ms Bird was awarded an OBE in 2000 and turned her life story into a book, co-written with Richard Newman, called Veronica's Bird, which was published in 2018. Today she tours the UK, giving talks to prison and police officers as well as members of the public. Lynne Mee, co-founder of Women Winning, said it had been a delight to meet Ms Bird through the Harrogate project. She said: "There's lots of amazing and inspirational women living in Harrogate. Veronica did a talk last evening to 70 people and you could have heard a pin drop. We laughed, cried and everything in between." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Mobile 'prison' used to teach children about crime Prison officers deal drugs and ask inmates for sex, BBC told Prison violence harming rehabilitation - families
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
The woman famed for transforming failing prisons
One of the first female governors of a men's prison in the UK, Veronica Bird, has spoken about her experiences as part of a year-long celebration of "remarkable" women. During her 35-year career in the prison service, Ms Bird was governor of Armley Prison in Leeds as well as New Hall in Wakefield. Now, she is speaking as part of Women Winning, a project that celebrates women in Harrogate. Born in Barnsley, Ms Bird joined the prison service in 1968 at Holloway Prison in London where she met violent prisoners such as Myra Hindley. She has now retired for a quieter life in Harrogate. "Armley Prison was a huge shock to the system," she says. "Being one of the first females in the prison, the transition, not just with staff, but with the prisoners as well. "When women started to work in male prisons, it made a huge difference. The men were respectful. They stopped using bad language when the female prison officers were present. It calmed them down. "It reduced the assaults and fights but, slowly over the past 25 years, it's just gone down and down and they don't care about who's in charge, who's looking after them and that's sad." Ms Bird says the worsening conditions in prisons are largely due to the influx of drugs. "People often say why can't you stop drugs coming into the prison? Well, they swallow them wrapped in cling film, wrapped in condoms. They secrete them internally," she says. "We used to have books coming into the prison and the men would put the powder between the pages and lick them. They would throw oranges over the prison fence. "We had to stop selling Polo mints in prison and we had to stop selling bananas because they would dry the skin and mix it with the cannabis to make it go further. "It's sad to see parents bringing drugs in for their children in prison. So it is a huge, huge battle." Ms Bird says she was disappointed to see a number of recent cases of prison officers having relationships with inmates and taking drugs into institutions. "Sadly, the conduct of some staff taking contraband into prisons has grown. The relationships with prisoners. That's taken off enormously. "Myra Hindley had an affair with officer Patricia Cairns and plotted her escape. So it's not something new but it is increasing all the time. "When I was at Styal Prison, a female prisoner sentenced to life made a complaint that she was being abused by a prison officer in the cleaning cupboard. "I was given the job of investigating and there were sacks full of beautiful underwear, nighties and goodness knows what that this male officer had taken in for her and other prisoners. "But fortunately, the investigation came to a very quick end because he did the right thing and resigned there and then. "The prisoner didn't complain to the police because she had no trust in the police. And she told the area manager the only person that she would trust to do a fair investigation was me." During her time running prisons, Ms Bird became recognised for transforming failing institutions. She was asked to work on what was known as Grisley Risley in Warrington and Brockhill Prison in the Midlands, which she said was the UK's worst prison at the time. "I was given the most difficult prison, the worst prison in the country," she says. "I had no more money than the previous governor, no more staff. But I got the staff together and they changed that prison within one year. It was amazing. "The conditions in 1995 in that women's prison were worse than when I joined in 1968. "The poor staff were having to have their lunch in a prison cell. If you don't treat staff with respect, how are you going to get them to treat prisoners with respect? "Nobody wants to work in a terrible prison. It's not good for them. So everybody rallied round," she says. Ms Bird has high praise for the work of Lord Timpson, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, who employs ex-prisoners to work in Timpson shops. "He's on the right track. Give people a second chance," she says. "How lucky I was to be given a chance in the prison service. Two years I thought I'd be there. But, 35 years later, I was still there and continued in retirement working in jobs to do with prison." During her time in the service, Ms Bird watched over members of the IRA such as Old Bailey bombers the Price Sisters, Rose Dugdale, and the Birmingham Six – who were later exonerated. She "gave her life" to prisons, she says, never having had a family or partner of her own. "Leaving Brockhill, the staff said to me: 'Governor, please can we give some advice - don't give your life to the next prison, like you have given to this prison.' And yes, I suppose I gave my life to prisons and prisoners," she says. "But I couldn't have coped with marriage, family, so I have given my whole life." Ms Bird was awarded an OBE in 2000 and turned her life story into a book, co-written with Richard Newman, called Veronica's Bird, which was published in 2018. Today she tours the UK, giving talks to prison and police officers as well as members of the public. Lynne Mee, co-founder of Women Winning, said it had been a delight to meet Ms Bird through the Harrogate project. She said: "There's lots of amazing and inspirational women living in Harrogate. Veronica did a talk last evening to 70 people and you could have heard a pin drop. We laughed, cried and everything in between." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Mobile 'prison' used to teach children about crime Prison officers deal drugs and ask inmates for sex, BBC told Prison violence harming rehabilitation - families
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Veronica Bird: The Harrogate woman famed for transforming prisons
One of the first female governors of a men's prison in the UK, Veronica Bird, has spoken about her experiences as part of a year-long celebration of "remarkable" her 35-year career in the prison service, Ms Bird was governor of Armley Prison in Leeds as well as New Hall in she is speaking as part of Women Winning, a project that celebrates women in in Barnsley, Ms Bird joined the prison service in 1968 at Holloway Prison in London where she met violent prisoners such as Myra has now retired for a quieter life in Harrogate."Armley Prison was a huge shock to the system," she says."Being one of the first females in the prison, the transition, not just with staff, but with the prisoners as well."When women started to work in male prisons, it made a huge difference. The men were respectful. They stopped using bad language when the female prison officers were present. It calmed them down."It reduced the assaults and fights but, slowly over the past 25 years, it's just gone down and down and they don't care about who's in charge, who's looking after them and that's sad." Ms Bird says the worsening conditions in prisons are largely due to the influx of drugs."People often say why can't you stop drugs coming into the prison? Well, they swallow them wrapped in cling film, wrapped in condoms. They secrete them internally," she says."We used to have books coming into the prison and the men would put the powder between the pages and lick them. They would throw oranges over the prison fence."We had to stop selling Polo mints in prison and we had to stop selling bananas because they would dry the skin and mix it with the cannabis to make it go further."It's sad to see parents bringing drugs in for their children in prison. So it is a huge, huge battle."Ms Bird says she was disappointed to see a number of recent cases of prison officers having relationships with inmates and taking drugs into institutions."Sadly, the conduct of some staff taking contraband into prisons has grown. The relationships with prisoners. That's taken off enormously."Myra Hindley had an affair with officer Patricia Cairns and plotted her escape. So it's not something new but it is increasing all the time."When I was at Styal Prison, a female prisoner sentenced to life made a complaint that she was being abused by a prison officer in the cleaning cupboard."I was given the job of investigating and there were sacks full of beautiful underwear, nighties and goodness knows what that this male officer had taken in for her and other prisoners."But fortunately, the investigation came to a very quick end because he did the right thing and resigned there and then."The prisoner didn't complain to the police because she had no trust in the police. And she told the area manager the only person that she would trust to do a fair investigation was me." During her time running prisons, Ms Bird became recognised for transforming failing was asked to work on what was known as Grisley Risley in Warrington and Brockhill Prison in the Midlands, which she said was the UK's worst prison at the time."I was given the most difficult prison, the worst prison in the country," she says."I had no more money than the previous governor, no more staff. But I got the staff together and they changed that prison within one year. It was amazing."The conditions in 1995 in that women's prison were worse than when I joined in 1968."The poor staff were having to have their lunch in a prison cell. If you don't treat staff with respect, how are you going to get them to treat prisoners with respect?"Nobody wants to work in a terrible prison. It's not good for them. So everybody rallied round," she Bird has high praise for the work of Lord Timpson, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, who employs ex-prisoners to work in Timpson shops. "He's on the right track. Give people a second chance," she says."How lucky I was to be given a chance in the prison service. Two years I thought I'd be there. But, 35 years later, I was still there and continued in retirement working in jobs to do with prison." During her time in the service, Ms Bird watched over members of the IRA such as Old Bailey bombers the Price Sisters, Rose Dugdale, and the Birmingham Six – who were later "gave her life" to prisons, she says, never having had a family or partner of her own."Leaving Brockhill, the staff said to me: 'Governor, please can we give some advice - don't give your life to the next prison, like you have given to this prison.' And yes, I suppose I gave my life to prisons and prisoners," she says."But I couldn't have coped with marriage, family, so I have given my whole life."Ms Bird was awarded an OBE in 2000 and turned her life story into a book, co-written with Richard Newman, called Veronica's Bird, which was published in she tours the UK, giving talks to prison and police officers as well as members of the Mee, co-founder of Women Winning, said it had been a delight to meet Ms Bird through the Harrogate said: "There's lots of amazing and inspirational women living in Harrogate. Veronica did a talk last evening to 70 people and you could have heard a pin drop. We laughed, cried and everything in between." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Rose West's life now from royal treatment to Myra Hindley 'romance'
As Netflix viewers tune into shocking new docuseries Fred and Rose: The West Murders, the Mirror takes a look at what the life of Britain's most reviled woman looks like now A harrowing new docuseries will explore the diabolical crimes of Fred and Rose West, two of the most notorious serial killers in British history. The evil couple were arrested on February 25, 1994, on suspicion of the murder of their daughter Heather, who'd been missing since 1987. The following day, the teenager's skeletal remains were recovered from the garden of an address that would later become known as a 'House of Horrors', 25 Cromwell Street. Horrifyingly, this tragic discovery was only the tip of the iceberg. Over the course of 20 years, the Wests brutally slayed at least ten vulnerable young women and girls, whom they subjected to depraved acts of torture and sadism. It's believed there could potentially be more, as of yet undiscovered, victims. Fred West died by suicide on New Year's Day, 1995, leaving his wife Rose West to stand trial in October of that year. Although she protested her innocence, trying to portray Fred as the sole killer, grim witness testimonies painted a very different picture with many even viewing her as the dominant force behind the sick crimes. At 71, Rose is living out the remainder of her life behind bars, where she reportedly enjoys tuning into Strictly Come Dancing, partaking in prison Bake Offs, and even providing hairdressing services for fellow inmates... Myra Hindley 'love affair' Two of the most despised and feared women in Britain started having a 'love affair' in prison. Myra Hindley, along with her boyfriend Ian Brady, was jailed in 1966 for killing five children, Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans, in what became known as the Moors Murders. She was sentenced to spend the rest of her life behind bars for her twisted crimes and was jailed in HMP Durham when she first met West in the mid-1990s. The two women are said to have quickly become close, and one fellow prisoner has insisted they were more than just friends. Prisoner relationships are allowed, but sex is against the rules because the premises are regarded as public places. The pair reportedly enjoyed a fling, with West telling her former solicitor Leo Goatley: "Yeah, Myra, she's all right, we get on, I want to see how it goes." Mr Goatley claims West was "impressed by Hindley's knowledge and ability" as the serial killer had studied with the Open University. The lawyer, who represented West for 12 years, published the book, Understanding Fred and Rose West, in which he revealed the relationship between the two women. He said: "Rose's first paramour was the Moors murderer, Myra Hindley, who happened to be on the hospital wing at HMP Durham at the same time in 1995 an early 1996." However, Mr Goatley claims their relationship didn't last long with West saying Hindley could be "very manipulative". He told the Daily Mail: "When I visited a few months later, Rose's opinion of Hindley had changed dramatically. She was saying, 'You have to watch Hindley, mind. She is very manipulative. You don't realise it, but she gets you doing stuff for her. Oh, she's clever, all right. She's flippin' dangerous, that one. She ain't going to take me for a c*** again.' And so heralded the end of the romance." Middle-class life behind bars West was reportedly enjoying a 'middle class' life behind bars in November 2017. She spent her days listening to The Archers, baking cakes and getting foot massages. Far from being seriously ill, West was said to be in good health and regularly hitting the gym while attending yoga classes several times a week. Having taken a hairdressing and beauty therapy course, West started cutting her own hair in a short, feathered style, dyed dark brown at HMP Low Newton, County Durham, according to reports. She also provided a hairdressing service to other prisoners, although she was only allowed to use blunt-nosed scissors under prison rules. Despite rumours West was suffering from a life-threatening illness, a prison insider said: "There's nothing wrong with her, more's the pity. "But it's hardly surprising, is it? She's treated like royalty in there." West spent most of her time on F-Wing, along with other women prisoners serving life and long-term sentences, in her own en-suite cell, complete with curtains at the window, a 'fluffy rug' on the floor and a coffee machine, TV and radio. According to sources in the jail, West liked to see herself as the prison matriarch. "She is always very welcoming to new convicts and often befriends some of the harder cases coming into the prison," said a second source. "Despite her years in prison, she has always maintained her innocence and encourages others to fight their cases if they also claim they are not guilty. She sees herself as a barrack-room lawyer and will spend a lot of time helping people with legal problems." Bake-off winner The notorious killer won first prize in a prison bake-off competition with a Victorian sponge cake, it was reported in October 2018. West impressed fellow prisoners with her offering, and her sweet treat was voted the best in the contest, which was held among inmates in Low Newton Prison's F-Wing in County Durham. Despite her horrific crimes, West enjoyed baking cakes and was reportedly allowed to use knives under the supervision of staff. A source told the Daily Star she used her skills in the kitchen to win over lags, claiming: "West uses her cooking skills to win people over. "There are some very violent women on the wing, and a lot of them are very aggressive towards West because of her crimes. But she tends to defuse situations by offering other prisoners cakes and biscuits." Obesity struggle In February 2019, it was reported that West was "dangerously overweight" after ballooning to 18 stone. She was told to lose weight by doctors or face an early death, so she chose a ketogenic diet in a bid to lose excess fat, according to reports. Her unhealthy diet behind bars consisted of cake, crisps and chocolate, but she was told to ditch the sugary treats for more nutritious foods such as fish, salads and vegetables to see her health improve. Medics said West suffers from high blood pressure and risks developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. "West has been told on a number of occasions that she is dangerously overweight," one jail source told The Daily Star. "She has opted to go on the keto diet, which promises rapid weight loss quickly if you stick strictly to the rules. She is so heavy that she is often out of breath and sometimes has to have help getting off the toilet." West could only have 20g of carbohydrates a day and was told not to consume more than 1,500 calories daily. Prison move after killer threat West was moved out of her cushy prison cell after more than a decade in July 2019 because another notorious serial killer threatened to murder her. West burst into tears as prison chiefs packed up her belongings for a secret transfer after psycho stabber Joanna Dennehy was moved to the same jail. Insiders at top-security Low Newton, where West has been held for more than ten years, said she was gutted to lose her easy life. But jail bosses feared Dennehy, who stabbed three men to death, would carry out a similar attack on West after saying: "I'll kill that bitch." The double transfer was carried out amid high security because prison bosses did not want them in the same jail. A source said, "Rose West lived a life of luxury in there. She's got it made because she's in the lifers' unit. She doesn't even leave her cell, and they bring food to her. So she was gutted when she had to leave. She was in tears, and the prison officers just packed her things up. She was really upset. "She didn't want to go. It's been her home for more than ten years, and West is an elderly woman. Low Newton is the highest security prison for women in the country,y and they had to send Dennehy there. She's one of the UK's most dangerous inmates. She said, 'Send me there and I'll f***ing kill Rose West.' Prison officials took the threat seriously. They moved West to another prison because they said it was a massive security threat." Name change 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. But the decision reportedly infuriated fellow inmates at New Hall women's jail, near Wakefield, West Yorks hire. A pal said, "Rose thinks the name will give her some anonymity, but there's a lot of anger about it. She's chosen the new surname because it's so common, and the Christian name just because she's always liked it. For her, it's more about getting rid of any association to Fred for good." Coronavirus vaccine In February 2021, it was reported that West had become the latest of Britain's notorious prisoners to receive the coronavirus vaccine. The murderer even had the jab before the prison officers and other staff at HMP New Hall, where she is currently being held. She has been classified as 'clinically extremely vulnerable' due to her weight and now struggles to even walk up a flight of stairs, sources told The Sun. West received the jab even though many people in the 'extremely vulnerable' group had not yet been vaccinated. The serial killer apparently suffered a bad reaction to the AstraZeneca jab. "There were lots of flu-like symptoms and she took to her bed," a source told The Sun. While West was said to be at greater risk from COVID-19 due to her weight, there were questions over how early she got the vaccine. The source added: "But does that really mean she should be the first in the queue?' Dancing on Ice and Strictly West is said to be a huge fan of some of the nation's biggest celebrity talent shows. The serial killer is a huge fan on both Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing on Ice, according to reports. In 2021, it was revealed that West has been watching the ITV skating contest from prison every week and getting her friends to cast votes for her. A source told The Sun: "Rose is a huge fan. Every weekend, she clears a slot in her evening to watch the latest episode - it's a big part of her prison life. She's got a friend outside prison who she chats to and who makes the call to put a vote in for Rose. If you were the dancer she was backing, it'd be enough to send a shiver down your spine." Underwear display Last month, the Mirror reported that West's underwear was on display at the True Crime Museum in Hastings after its curator splashed an extraordinary £2,500 on a pair of the murderer's knickers. Museum curator Joel Griggs managed to get hold of the undergarments after they were discovered at HMP Bronzefield – Europe's largest women's prison and current residence of Lucy Letby – where West was incarcerated for four years until 2008. Joel shared: "A prison worker retrieved them from a laundry basket and later offered them to us for a ridiculous amount of money, which we turned down at the time. "Tiny squares of material from the knickers were then offered for sale on eBay, but because the sale contravened eBay's rules and procedures, the items were taken down and the sale never proceeded. On the underwear, you can see small biro marks which the seller planned to cut around to sell off bit by bit. "When our tenth anniversary came round, I thought it would be worth contacting the prison worker, now retired, again, which I did, and that resulted in us buying them for £2,500." Ahead of this new documentary series, a Netflix spokesperson said: "Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story is a definitive documentary series revealing the lives and crimes of Britain's most notorious and prolific husband and wife serial killers. "With exclusive access to previously unseen police video and unheard audio recordings, the three part series will show how the Gloucestershire police were able to unearth the remains of the West's 12 victims to build a case against them that would bring closure for the families of the victims.", reports the Daily Record. "The series features family members of some of the victims - a few of whom are speaking for the first time - giving insight into the pain and torment they went through for decades. From discovering that their missing loved ones were brutally murdered, to the trauma they experienced and the strength they displayed during the trial."
