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Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
'I visited Fred and Rose West's house - one thing haunted me in my sleep'
Fred West's 'appropriate adult' has opened up, as she shared the lasting impact of having set foot in the couple's home after their ghastly murders had been uncovered One of the few people to visit Fred and Rose West's home after their brutal murders has shared her horror upon stepping inside the infamous property. Widely regarded as two of the country's most notorious serial killers, it took years before the horrific crimes of the husband and wife were finally laid bare. It was only as a result of a chance conversation between some of the couple's children that their heinous crimes finally came to light. It was reported that some of the Wests' children, while they had been placed in social care, told care workers that Fred would often say to them: "If you're naughty, you'll end up like Heather, under the patio in the back garden." It was after hearing of this that the police would obtain a search warrant of their family home in Cromwell Street, Gloucester. After days of digging, they not only found the remains of Heather, but also the bones of several other victims. In the weeks, months, and years that followed, the true scale of their crimes would be uncovered. With Fred West later admitting to a number of murders, he was later asked by police to personally show them where he had buried his victims with several bodies found in his garden as well as even more being hidden away underneath his basement floor. Alongside Gloucestershire police on those visits was Fred's 'appropriate adult', Janet Leach who had been working as a social worker. Acting as West's appropriate adult, Janet was required to attend police interviews alongside him, as he was deemed to be vulnerable due to his learning difficulties and inability to read or write. According to the government website, the appropriate adult's role is to "safeguard the child or vulnerable person's interests. This includes their rights, entitlements, and welfare". In the latest documentary to be released on the couple's crimes, Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story, Netflix viewers watched on as Janet recalled the moment that she became one of the very few people to venture into the couple's basement after their crimes had been committed. Janet could be seen watching on as Fred West tried to show police where he had buried some of his victims, she shared the lasting impact of bearing witness to the surreal ordeal: "It was awful, I could smell it." And she couldn't escape the ghastly odour when she returned home later that day, with it still playing on her mind as she tried to sleep: "When I went to sleep at night, I could smell it." Now over three decades since their crimes were uncovered, Fred West would not go on to stand trial for his murders, having committed suicide whilst in his cell. However, Rose was later found guilty of murdering 10 young girls and women and will never be released from prison.
Daily Record
17-05-2025
- Daily Record
Fred and Rose West's 12 young victims - horror fates during 20 years of terror
A new Netflix documentary has laid bare how the married couple raped, tortured and murdered vulnerable young girls and women in order to fulfil their vile sexual fantasies. Serial killers Fred and Rose West inflicted sickening crimes on at least 12 victims during a 20-year reign of terror before finally being brought to justice in the 1990s. A new Netflix documentary has laid bare how the married couple had raped, tortured and murdered vulnerable young girls and women in order to fulfil their vile sexual fantasies. The bodies of nine victims were found at 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester, which was soon dubbed "The House of Horrors", with three further sets of remains found elsewhere. Before meeting his wife, Fred West worked as an ice-cream man in Glasgow in the 1960s, where he would try to chat up women and young girls. At the time he was married to first wife, Rena, and the couple lived at Maclellan Street in Kinning Park. There has been speculation the serial killer's murder spree may have begun in Scotland, with victims buried in his allotment on Gower Street, now under 1970s semi-detached homes. West's body was found on New Year's Day, 1995, when he took his own life, the Mirror reports. That same year, Rose West was convicted of 10 murders and ordered to spend the rest of her life in jail. She has been behind bars for 30 years and has always insisted she is innocent. Three-part show, Fred & Rose West: A British Horror Story, features new police video and audio footage detailing the Gloucestershire Constabulary's murder investigation and hears from the families of the pair's tragic victims. Ann McFall Ann, 18, became Fred West's nanny when he was married to his first wife Catherine Costello, after moving to the Gloucester area from Glasgow in 1966. The teenager became West's lover and was pregnant with his child when she disappeared in May 1967. The remains of Ann and her unborn baby were found in a field in Kempley, Gloucs, close to Fred's home village of Much Marcle in Herefordshire. Catherine Costello Fred's 26-year-old first wife, known as Rena, was his second victim. They had married at Ledbury in 1962, when she was pregnant with another man's child and she gave birth to her daughter Charmaine in 1963. West's biographer Geoffrey Wansall said Catherine had a "strong personality" and the couple had daughter Anne Marie a year after the birth of Charmaine. Rena left West in 1969 over his violence and sexual abuse but failed to escape his clutches - her remains were later found at a field in Kempley, close to the body of Ann McFall. Charmaine West Catherine's daughter was just eight when she became Rose West's first victim. Young Charmaine is said to have hated her stepmother with a passion and Rose murdered her while her husband was serving time in prison for stealing car tyres and a vehicle tax disc. When he was released, Fred buried Charmaine's body beneath the kitchen window at the couple's home. Lynda, 19, was a seamstress who became friendly with lodgers who were living with the serial killers. Described by biographer Wansall as "naive", she vanished in April 1973 and was reported missing by her parents, who she lived with. Lynda's remains were found in a converted bathroom at 25 Cromwell Street, which was formerly a car inspection pit. Carol Ann Cooper The vulnerable 15-year-old, known as Caz, was staying at The Pine Children's Home when she vanished after a night out on November 10, 1973. Carol had been given permission to spend the weekend with her grandmother when she disappeared after boarding a bus back to the home and extensive enquiries by police failed to find her. In March 1994, the teenager's body was found buried in the cellar of the Wests' home and detectives concluded she had been picked up while hitchhiking. Lucy Partington University student Lucy, 21, had returned home for Christmas to Gretton, Gloucs, in December 1973 when she fell victim to the Wests. She disappeared after leaving a friend's house, with the serial killers thought to have picked her up while she was waiting for a bus. Her whereabouts remained undiscovered for 21 years, when her remains were found beneath the floor of the cellar at 25 Cromwell Street. She was decapitated and dismembered, and her remains were crammed into a shaft between leaking sewage pipes. Therese Siegenthaler Student Therese, 21, is thought to have been another hitchhiking victim of the Wests. Born in Switzerland, she was studying to be a secretary at a college in London when she disappeared in Easter 1974 after she set off to hitchhike to Ireland to visit a friend. The young woman never reached her destination and the Metropolitan Police's investigation failed to trace her until her remains were found under the floor of the cellar at 25 Cromwell Street in the 1990s. Shirley Hubbard Shirley, 15, was described by biographer Wansell as "pretty, spirited and vulnerable". At the time of her disappearance she had left Debenhams in Worcester, where she was undertaking work experience. On November 14, 1974, Shirley disappeared while travelling home and despite being reported missing to the police, her fate remained unknown until her remains were discovered under the floor of the cellar of the "House of Horrors". Juanita Mott Juanita, 18, was believed to have been travelling from her home in Newent, Gloucs, to Gloucester when she vanished. Her family contacted the Missing Persons Bureau and appealed in the local press but it later transpired she had been murdered and buried in the cellar of 25 Cromwell Street. Shirley Anne Robinson Shirley, 18, was lodging at the Wests and sleeping with Fred when she fell pregnant. Biographer Wansall said she "saw herself as Rose's replacement" and claimed that it had "been suggested that Rose told Fred [that] Shirley had to go". Instead, the teenager, born in Leicestershire, vanished in May 1978 when she was eight months pregnant and the body of her and her unborn child were later found buried in the garden of the Wests' home. Alison Chambers Alison, known as Al or Ali, was living in a Gloucester children's home and known to be a frequent visitor to 25 Cromwell Street when she fell victim to the Wests. The 16-year-old was working for a firm of solicitors under a Youth Training Scheme when she disappeared in August 1979. Her remains were later found in the garden at 25 Cromwell Street. Heather West Heather was the Wests' first child together and they murdered her when she was 16. Believed to be their last victim, she was the first to be found at 25 Cromwell Street. Biographer Wansall believes Heather was killed because she had threatened to go to the police about her father's abuse. Despite their claims to the contrary, Fred and Rose didn't report her disappearance and had buried her body under the garden patio. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. 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