Latest news with #RoseWest
The Sun
a day ago
- General
- 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
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Prisoners 'plotted to kill Rose West with pool balls and sock' behind bars
Evil Rose West has been behind bars since 1995 for torturing and murdering 10 women and girls alongside husband Fred West - she is said to be deeply unpopular in prison Prisoners plotted to kill sick serial killer Rose West with pool balls and a sock. There was also a plan to set her cell on fire. West was jailed in 1995 for murdering 10 women and girls alongside husband Fred in what became known as the House of Horrors murders in Gloucester. To this day, it is known as one of the most revolting crimes in British history. Multiple bodies were found in their garden under a patio and in a sex-dungeon cellar. Fred killed himself in HMP Birmingham before the trial, meaning he never faced justice to the anguish of the victims' families. But Rose West, 71, has been rotting in prison ever since, as one of few criminals in the UK to ever be given a whole life term that means she'll never be free. And she was reportedly the target of an assassination plot behind bars. The plot in 2008 involved battering her with pool balls in a sock, it is reported. In HMP Durham, she was also targeted in an arson attack when a fellow inmate tried to set fire to her cell. Her former legal representative, Leo Goatley, told 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." West has also received threats from a fellow serial killer. Joanna Dennehy, convicted of murdering three men within 10 days in Peterborough, allegedly threatened to kill West behind bars. West was moved in 2019 and is now being held in a special unit at the women-only HMP New Hall in West Yorkshire. This week, it emerged Rose can "barely walk" and rarely leaves the wing she's held on. She is also said to have attempted making friends by giving other women gifts, but these efforts fall flat when inmates find out who she is. Netflix released 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 more than 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.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- 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
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Where is Rose West now? Inside the serial killer's life behind prison bars
ROSE West is a convicted serial killer who murdered ten girls in her Gloucester home. Her horrifying crime spree was aided by her husband, who was convicted of murdering 12 women. 4 Rose's life behind bars Rose West, born on November 29, 1953, was imprisoned at HMP Low Newton in Durham, where she was initially kept under guard due to fears that other inmates might attack her. She was jailed for life in 1995, after being convicted of ten confirmed murders. After her conviction, West lodged an appeal claiming that her husband committed the crimes alone, and that she had also been abused by him. The Court of Appeal refused to consider her application back in 1996. Fred West committed suicide before standing trial, making Rose a widow. Prisoner Julie McAllister claimed in March 2017 that she pummelled West after being infuriated that she was getting fan mail behind bars. In 2019 she was reportedly moved to New Hall jail in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, after being threatened by another serial killer. wedding proposals - with people mailing love letters to her cell. Netflix documentary delves into the crimes of Fred and Rose West with new testimony and footage She even received Mother's Day cards from adoring fans in 2020. Since serving her time in prison, Rose claims that she has found religion and " believes God will forgive her". She also allegedly applied to change her now-infamous name to Jennifer Jones. It was also reported that she paid £36 to change her name via deed poll. A source told The Sun: '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." After 30 years in jail, Rose is still 'pleading total innocence' despite being found guilty decades earlier. Her former lawyer Leo Goatley has urged her to "find redemption" by confessing. He told the Mirror: 'There is an awful lot Rose knows that she hasn't revealed. 'There isn't much that Fred did that she wasn't aware of. If her inner journey has really gone anywhere since she has been in prison there are things she should say that would help the families of her victims. 'To start with, she could clear up the Mary Bastholm disappearance. 'This blanket pleading of total ignorance of everything that happened is just daft at this point. 'Also she could very simply clear up if there are other victims we don't even know about.' Reportedly, West is battling with dementia and can barely walk - instead remaining in her cell and watching nature documentaries. 4 Meeting her killer husband She met Fred West when she was fifteen, whilst waiting at a Cheltenham bus station. He was 13 years older than her and was living in a caravan. Rose had been sexually abused by her father, who disapproved of Fred, prompting her to move out with her new partner. To support herself and her husband, she began working as a prostitute in Gloucester. Eventually, the pair married in January 1972 and moved to 25 Cromwell Street - the site of their future murders. 4 Rose and Fred West's evil crime spree Rose murdered her step-daughter Charmaine in June 1971, kicking off a horrifying crime spree. The pair sexually assaulted Caroline Roberts in 1973, before abducting girls from bus stops around Gloucester. They would imprison the girls for several days before killing them. Rose gave birth to eight children, five of which were biologically Fred's. The other three were fathered by clients whom she met through prostitution. Fred and Rose murdered their daughter Heather Ann and claimed that she had eloped with her girlfriend, whilst also threatening their living children by saying that they will 'end up' like Heather. Their sickening crimes began to unravel when Fred was accused of raping his 13-year-old daughter in 1992, and Rose was arrested for child cruelty. While the case collapsed when their daughters refused to testify, cops launched a major investigation. Eventually, the bodies of several women were discovered in the Wests' basement and buried in their garden. In 1995, Rose was convicted of 10 murders whilst Fred admitted to 12 killings. Before killing himself, Fred confessed to murdering up to 30 women. Rose West and Myra Hindley One book, written by West's former lawyer Leo Goatley, claimed that the convict was involved in a love affair with Myra Hindley. Hindley was a serial killer, known for committing a series of murders alongside her partner Ian Brady. However, reportedly, West and Hindley's relationship ended on sour terms after the former found her to be manipulative.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
New name Rose West calls herself as serial killer now 'can barely walk'
Serial killer Rose West's new alias hasn't erased her infamy behind bars - with the 71-year-old reportedly shunned by her fellow inmates and increasingly isolated, barely leaving her wing Serial killer Rose West has taken up a new name behind bars, but the alias hasn't erased her dark past among inmates at the female-only prison - where she is reportedly frail, barely able to walk and increasingly isolated. The 71-year-old has spent the last six years being shunned by fellow inmates at HMP New Hall, a women-only prison near Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Convicted in 1995 of murdering twelve women and girls alongside her husband Fred, West changed her name to Jennifer Jones by deed poll in 2020 in an apparent attempt to escape her past. But fellow inmates haven't forgotten - and continue to avoid her. Sources say she rarely leaves her wing, eats alone in her cell most mornings - usually tomato soup - and spends her days knitting and watching nature documentaries. 'She's in a disabled room now because she can barely walk,' a source told the Sun. '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.' Despite claiming innocence, West is said to have resigned herself to dying in prison. Her husband Fred West took his own life in 1995 while on remand, escaping trial for the couple's horrific crimes during the 1970s and 1980s, several of which took place at their Gloucester home. West's notoriety has resurfaced following the release of Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story on Netflix. Now nearly 30 years into her sentence, she remains under threat from other inmates and has been moved multiple times over the years for her safety. While her life inside is reportedly comfortable, insiders say she lashes out at staff when things don't go her way - and still receives disturbing letters from so-called 'fans.' A source said: '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 was caged for life in 1995 after police discovered a series of mutilated bodies buried in the couple's garden, beneath a patio and even in a sex dungeon cellar. Among the victims was West's eight-year-old stepdaughter Charmaine and the couple's 16-year-old daughter Heather, who had been subjected to horrific sexual abuse by Fred. He forced her to watch porn with him and even tried to impregnate her. West is allowed to continue living a comfortable life behind bars, despite refusing to help police find the remains of 20 other rumoured victims of her and her husband.
