Casefile True Crime - Case 235: House of Horrors (Part 2)

Episode Date: February 11, 2023

[Part 2 of 3] By 1992, Fred and Rose West were raising their children at their Cromwell Street home. At first glance, the Wests appeared to be a model family. Neighbours viewed Fred as a modest, kind and soft-spoken man. Rose was a dedicated mother and housewife... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn This episode's sponsors: Noom Weight – The last weight loss program you’ll need. Start your trial today Babbel – Get up to 50% off your subscription BetterHelp – Get 10% off your first month of professional counselling with a licensed therapist Article – Get $50 off your first order of $100 or more Subscribe for ad-free episodes and bonus content: Join Apple Premium Join Spotify Premium Join Patreon For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-235-house-of-horrors-part-2

Hey friends, Kaylin here from Teach Me How to Adult and we talk a lot on our show about how to live your best life while also balancing being a financially responsible human. So if you've been dreaming of that epic vacation or you want to explore a new city while still keeping your bills at bay, listen up because we've teamed up with Airbnb to share some ways on how you can easily become an Airbnb host. So when we took the big leap into adulthood and bought our first home, we purposely looked for a place that we could Airbnb whenever we're on vacation or just if we want to try working out of a different city because we both work from home and we love traveling.

And it's honestly the perfect way to have the freedom and flexibility to travel or just go wherever you want while giving you that second stream of income and covering your cost while you're away. And you don't need a mansion or an entire floor of your home. It could honestly be as simple as just renting out a spare room or just occasionally doing it if you are traveling for a little bit. You could honestly be sitting on an Airbnb and not even know it. So whether you could use a little extra money to cover some bills or for something a little

more fun, your home or spare room might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.ca forward slash host. Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis center. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. This episode contains graphic descriptions of child abuse. It won't be suitable for all listeners.

On the evening of Sunday, August 2, 1992, Gloucester constable Stephen Burnside was patrolling his local bead along Cromwell Street. At around 6pm, he was approached by a 13-year-old girl called Sarah, not her real name. Sarah asked the constable, what would you do if a friend was being assaulted? Sarah had been tormented over the past few days after hearing a harrowing confession from her best friend. Visibly upset and feeling she had no one else to turn to, Sarah's friend had divulged that she'd been raped.

For legal reasons, this victim could not be named. The first attack happened inside the victim's home. Her father had summoned her to an upstairs room. He made her sit on a couch and ordered her to keep her eyes fixed on a nearby television. He then raped her, capturing the entire ordeal on a video camera he'd set up nearby. Later, he took her out into the back garden. He explained that he, quote, hadn't done it properly, and it would cause the victim medical problems if he didn't finish the job.

He then took her back to the same room as the initial attack and raped her again. Afterwards, the victim sought help from her mother, who was at home at the time. She just told her daughter, oh well, what do you expect? You were asking for it. The next morning, the victim's father took her to a warehouse that he was painting as part of his job. The building was deserted when he took her inside and raped her for the third time. When it was over, he padded his daughter's thigh and remarked, I'll leave it alone now.

He warned her, you mustn't say anything, I'll go to prison for five years, we'll all be split up and you need a mum and dad at your stage of life. Weeks later, the victim confided in her school friend Sarah about what she had endured. Sarah agonized over what to do with the information. She didn't want to go to the police, but felt there was no alternative. Constable Burnside was a familiar presence on Cromwell Street, so when Sarah saw him, she shared what she knew. Burnside listened carefully as he jotted down notes.

He then returned to the station and reported the information to the sexual offences unit. Weeks later, on the morning of Thursday, August 6, a team of two detectives and four police officers arrived at a residential address on Cromwell Street. While most buildings in the area retained their original red brick exteriors, this house had been rendered with sand-coloured concrete, giving it a bland, flat and featureless appearance. Each of its three stories were defined by a sash window with a pea-green-coloured frame that overlooked the street. They were perfectly aligned, one on top of another.

Neck curtains hung behind them. The house itself had seen better days, with leaking gutters leaving dark streaks of rainwater on the walls. Unlike neighbouring homes which had front doors that opened directly onto the street, the front door was on the right side, behind a low black metal gate with gold spear tips. It spanned the width of a narrow driveway that separated the house from a seventh-day Adventist chapel next door. A second iron gate had been installed several feet behind the small black one.

This one was ornate and six feet tall. A handmade, wrought-iron plaque was affixed to the wall by the house's entrance. Spelled out in white letters was the property's address. 25 Cromwell Street. The home of the West Family. At first glance, the Wests appeared to be a model family. Neighbours viewed Patriarch Fred as a good man who was modest and kind. He was always willing to help out with odd jobs around the neighbourhood.

Soft-spoken, he never raised his voice or showed a temper. He rarely drank and didn't do drugs. One neighbour said, If you asked anybody in the street, you couldn't wish for a better fellow. Another remarked, You would have invited Fred West into your home with open arms. He was so nice. Perhaps the worst anyone could say about Fred West was that he was territorial. It was in a casual, unassuming way, but he seemingly knew everything about everyone who

lived on Cromwell Street, yet he was fiercely protective of his own home life. Whenever he had visitors, he'd follow them around his house and into his back patio garden, never permitting them to wander about on their own. It gave them the feeling that they were always being watched. As his family's breadwinner, Fred worked hard. Although he bounced between jobs, he was never unemployed and often worked on construction sites in the local area. His wife Rose stayed at home, running the household and caring for the children.

On the rare occasions that she ventured out, she was described as presentable and attractive. By August 1992, the Wests had lived on Cromwell Street for over 20 years. During that time, Fred and Rose had grown their family to include eight children. The oldest was Anna Marie, who was the daughter of Fred and his former wife, Rena. Fred and Rose's first child together was Heather. Their daughter, May, was born within months of the Wests moving to Cromwell Street. The couple's long-awaited first son, Stephen, came the following year. Over the next decade, Rose bore five more children, Tara, Louise, Barry, Rosemary, Jr. and Luciana.

Given how many children lived there, 25 Cromwell Street was known to be surprisingly quiet. The Wests weren't entirely unknown to police. Over the years, officers had visited the home to inquire with Fred West about stolen goods. Additionally, some lodgers who lived upstairs had been reported to police for cannabis possession. 25 Cromwell Street had been raided by police in search of illicit drugs on at least three occasions. The Wests remained composed during the raids, and nothing incriminating was ever found. As for Rose West, her criminal record was almost entirely clean. She had a single conviction from 1973 that she shared with her husband.

It was for the indecent assault causing actual bodily harm of their former live-in nanny, Caroline Owens. When police arrived at 25 Cromwell Street to investigate the allegations that Fred West had raped one of his daughters, he had just left for work. His wife, Rose, answered the door. She was informed that detectives had a warrant to search the premises for pornographic material following a serious allegation of child abuse. Rose immediately lashed out. She began kicking and screaming and had to be physically restrained. As it was the summer holidays, the five youngest West children were all at home. Their ages ranged from 9 to 16. Still in their pajamas, the children sat in front of a television in the living room.

They watched as their mother was placed under arrest for aiding and abetting rape and for obstructing the police. As Rose was led from her house, she yelled to her children, Don't you dare say anything. Fred was arrested on a building site later that day. Unlike his wife, Fred didn't resist. He told onlookers, Nothing you need to worry about. He was placed in a police car and informed of the reason for his arrest.

Absolute rubbish, Fred scoffed. Lies, all lies. I never touched her. Fred West was interrogated by police for hours. He talked non-stop in a manner that was described as verbal diarrhea. He didn't seem at all concerned about the situation he found himself in. Instead, he chatted casually, presenting himself with charm, confidence and humour. He had no internal filter and spoke openly to detectives about his private life, saying, quote,

Me and my wife lead an active sex life. We make love every night. I mean, perhaps twice. It just depends on what happens. You'll find harnesses. You'll find bloody God knows what in my home that we make up and things that we do. You'll find tapes where we've been making love and we're not frightened to show it. We enjoy our sex life, but not with our children.

Fred said that he and Rose had everything so they didn't need to mess with their kids. He accused his children of ganging up on him and making the accusations up, saying, There ain't one blade of truth in it as far as I'm concerned. Fred remained in custody overnight. By the end of Friday, his demeanor had changed. His eldest son, 19-year-old Steven West, paid him a visit. Fred looked as though he was scared to death. He had worked himself up into tears, making it the first time Steven had ever seen his

father cry. Fred admitted to his son that he had done some stupid things at night when everyone was in bed. Then in the same breath, he swore he hadn't done anything and claimed the police were setting him up. They're going to have me for it, he told Steven. Fred begged his son to take the blame by saying it was actually Steven who carried out the abuse.

Steven refused. Fred's face hardened. He made a comment that implied to Steven, You either do it or I'll kill you. Reluctantly, Steven did as he was told. But investigators immediately knew that Steven was lying to protect his father. They charged Fred with three offences of rape and one of buggery, and he was remanded in custody. Rose West was interviewed and held overnight, but released the next day.

Twenty-eight-year-old Anna Marie West no longer lived on Cromwell Street. On the morning of Friday, August 7, her phone and doorbell rang simultaneously. As the phone was closest, Anna Marie answered that first. It was her stepmother, Rose West. The very sound of her voice sent a chill through Anna Marie. Rose wasted no time with greetings or preamble. She demanded. If you think anything of me or your dad, especially your dad, you'll say nothing and keep your

mouth shut. She then slammed down the phone. Anna Marie gathered her thoughts and went to answer the door. There was a woman in plain clothes standing before her. Her name was Hazel Savage, and she was a detective constable for Gloucestershire Police. Described as one of the most tenacious female police officers in Gloucesters, Constable Savage was a veteran of numerous major inquiries, many involving women and children. When Fred West was accused of abusing one of his daughters, Constable Savage was assigned

to the case. Her principal job was to interview members of the West family. Constable Savage had a history with the family that dated all the way back to the mid-1960s. Her first encounter with the Wests was through Fred's first wife, Rena, at the peak of the couple's tumultuous marriage. At the time, Fred had custody of their two daughters, Charmaine and Anna Marie. Rena worried about them all the time, and constantly battled Fred over the matter. Constable Savage was a sympathetic listener, and Rena soon divulged that Fred West was

violent, sexually depraved and, quote, probably quite mad. She explained that her husband was pursuing a relationship with a teenager named Anna McFall. Two weeks later, Constable Savage met Fred West for the first time. She thought he was rather strange-looking, with a face she'd never forget. Constable Savage had no further interactions with Rena or Charmaine West, yet she came to know Fred quite well when he moved into Cromwell Street with his second wife, Rose. This was due to his proclivity for theft and for the minor offenses carried out by the

lodgers who lived in his home. Constable Savage also knew Anna Marie West. She had come to the attention of police in her mid-teens for being uncontrollable. She'd run away from home, become involved with gangs, and was known to carry a knife. But Anna Marie's life had settled since her time at Cromwell Street. She had moved to the White City estate in Southern Gloucester, where she was raising two young daughters as a single mother. Constable Savage asked Anna Marie if she knew of anything improper happening at 25 Cromwell

Street. Anna Marie was sickened at the thought that someone else could be suffering the same way she had. It was a fear she'd carried for many years, but she'd reasoned that by enduring the abuse, she'd prevented others from being harmed. Now faced with the prospect that one of her younger sisters was forced to live the same nightmare, Anna Marie was determined to put a stop to it. After nearly two decades, Anna Marie finally opened up about her experience of being raised

by Fred and Rose West. It was the first time she'd made these admissions to anyone. As she spoke, she was so overcome with shame that she struggled to make eye contact with Constable Savage. One summer's day during their first year at Cromwell Street, Fred and Rose led eight-year-old Anna Marie down into the cellar. It was a dingy, damp, and sparsely lit space that had been split into three interconnecting rooms.

In the central area was the staircase. The front room served as a play area for the children, while Fred's workshop was at the rear. Anna Marie noticed several items had been laid out on the floor, including a mattress, some adhesive tape, and a sex toy. Anna Marie wasn't overly concerned. She didn't know what the sex toy was or what the collective items signified. She asked what the objects were for.

Fred and Rose just eyed each other. Rose had a strange smirk on her face, which looked to Anna Marie as though, quote, she was really going to enjoy herself, but wasn't going to say why. The couple locked the cellar door behind them. Fred explained that what he was about to do was his duty as a father. Just do as you're told, he said, as Anna Marie was ordered to remove her clothes. When she didn't move fast enough, Rose violently tore Anna Marie's dress off and threw it aside.

Fred and Rose then pinned Anna Marie onto the mattress where she was restrained and gagged. As Anna Marie later described in her book, Out of the Shadows, I was absolutely terrified. I was eight years old and had no understanding of what was about to happen to me, but I knew it was something awful and that it was going to hurt. My father said very little, but Rose was encouraging him to get on with it. She had this evil look in her eye. There was no emotion at all, just that all-consuming look of pure evil. Rose sat on her stepdaughter's head to stifle her cries.

She laughed as Fred proceeded to rape Anna Marie. Fred told his daughter, it is going to help you later in life. He said it would prepare her for her future husband and having children. When the attack was finally over, Fred and Rose left Anna Marie alone in the cellar, restrained and naked. Her screams and sobs attracted no attention. Fred had soundproofed the space in preparation. Later, Fred and Rose reappeared and resumed the assault.

Afterwards, they sent Anna Marie to the bathroom to clean up. It was obvious that she was in pain. Rose simply laughed, acting as though Anna Marie was making a huge fuss about nothing. Rose told her. Everybody does it to every girl, it's a father's job. Don't worry and don't say anything to anybody, it's something everybody does, but nobody talks about. After this, Fred and Rose sexually abused, humiliated and tormented Anna Marie on countless

occasions. Fred made sexual remarks about all of his daughters. He told them that they needed a good man to sort them out and that he'd do the job himself. He'd single one of his girls out and say, it will be your turn next. Despite these comments, Anna Marie believed she was the only one of her sisters who was being sexually abused by Fred and Rose. She continued on a near daily basis throughout her childhood and well into her teenage years. Fred would say, I made you, you are my flesh and blood, I am entitled to touch you.

If Anna Marie complained, she was severely beaten and the torture only increased. Over time, the abuse became more depraved. Fred was obsessed with the idea of producing the perfect child, which he viewed to be dark skinned. He began saving the used condoms from Rose's liaisons with black men. Tying off the condoms to secure their contents, he then forced Anna Marie to store them inside herself to keep them in, quote, optimum condition. Once ready, Fred combined the semen from different men and injected the liquid into Rose using

a homemade device. Rose ultimately bore four children that weren't biologically Fred's, Tara, Louise, Rosemary Jr. and Luciana. Much to Fred's delight, three of them were mixed race. He referred to them as his love children. Fred and Rose constantly assured Anna Marie that what she was enduring was normal. She didn't tell others about the abuse, partly due to shame and partly because she was under strict orders not to.

Reflecting on her childhood, Anna Marie West said, I used to look out the window at children playing in the street, laughing and running around and wonder how they could look so happy when they must be suffering as I was. I could only think that they were stronger characters and that my stepmother was right. I had a difficult, wimpish nature and I was inclined to winch. These other kids obviously just got on with life, so why should try and do the same? When Anna Marie was 12 years old, she was initiated into Rose's room, the bedroom inside 25 Cromwell Street where Rose carried out sex work.

Anna Marie was forced into the trade. This Fred watched from the doorway while Rose was always in the room, as though making sure Anna Marie wouldn't seek help from the male clients. Anna Marie did what was expected of her, too scared to disobey. She later explained, Fear was enough to keep me under Rose and Fred's control. Life inside the West home was like a prison. All the internal and external doors were kept locked, as was the tall iron gate that led out onto the street.

Rose wore the keys on a necklace or a big ring clipped around her waist. No one was allowed to visit without her or Fred's permission. The West children were confined to the back garden or the cellar and were forbidden from playing in the street. They were permitted to go to school, provided they had no visible injuries and came home immediately after. If they were late, they received a beating. The children were only taken to see relatives if Fred and Rose went to.

Fred told his children, We don't want to have anything to do with people outside. We don't need them. There are people out there who will hurt you. You're with people who will protect you. One day at school, a teacher noticed a bruising on Anna Marie's legs. She asked Anna Marie to roll down her socks and hitch up her skirt for a closer look. The teacher gasped in horror at the extent of the injuries. The teacher asked Anna Marie, Did you have an accident?

Or did someone do it to you? Anna Marie desperately wanted to reveal that her stepmother had caused the injuries. She opened her mouth in preparation for the truth, but her fear of Rose was too great. Instead, Anna Marie lowered her head and said, I fell over miss. I just fell over. Privately, the teacher contacted the welfare department. Later that day, a social worker arrived at 25 Cromwell Street to investigate the matter. Rose answered the door and was informed that there were concerns about Anna Marie.

Rose remained cool-headed and invited the social worker inside. She told the woman a story about Anna Marie falling down the stairs. Anna Marie overheard the social worker reply, Oh, well, that's fine, Mrs West. Then she left, never to return again. Once she was gone, Anna Marie received one of the worst beatings of her life. All of the West children experienced abuse to some extent, but Anna Marie was singled out for the cruelest of treatment. She explained that Rose inflicted pain with either a detached indifference or a calculated

and controlled excitement. Anna Marie suspected Rose resented her for being the only child in the household who wasn't biologically hers. There was a competitive element too, as Anna Marie was Fred's favorite. In contrast to the sadistic, domineering and cruel way that Rose treated Anna Marie, Fred was affectionate. He'd force himself onto her, then say he loved her. Anna Marie felt that her father saw her more as a girlfriend than a daughter.

Yet, Fred witnessed the abuse from Rose firsthand and never stepped in to defend Anna Marie. On the contrary, he chuckled at what his wife was doing. Whenever Anna Marie told her father how Rose treated her, he'd reply, Your mom is doing that because she loves you. It's for your own good. Fred eventually developed a violent streak of his own. His eyes would roll to the back of his head and he'd start hitting, kicking and throttling Rose and his children, all the while spitting out death threats.

He once left Anna Marie bloody after kicking her in the face with still-capped boots. Rose just laughed and said, Serves you fucking right. In the summer of 1979, Rose took 15-year-old Anna Marie to see a doctor. Anna Marie was visibly nervous and gave quiet answers to the doctor's personal questions. The doctor then told her to lie on an examination table where he began poking and prodding her stomach. His expression was stern as he engaged in a private conversation with Rose. Anna Marie was pregnant.

The pregnancy was ectopic, meaning the fertilized egg had implanted outside of the uterus. Ectopic pregnancies can't proceed normally, so Anna Marie was taken to hospital for a termination. Despite being underage, none of the hospital staff reported Anna Marie's situation to authorities. She suspected they viewed her as a, quote, 15-year-old. The truth was, the man who had impregnated Anna Marie was her own father, Fred West. He had a saying that he'd repeat to his daughters, Your first baby should be your dad's.

Days after the termination, Rose made Anna Marie perform housework, despite her still being in recovery and bearing stitches from her surgery. Anna Marie kept her head down like always, avoiding anything that might ignite Rose's wrath. Yet, as she dusted, polished and vacuumed, she could sense tension rising. Anna Marie explained, Something had upset Rose. Nothing I did would be right. Suddenly, Rose's eyes filled with rage.

Behind them was the familiar, strange, dead look. She pushed Anna Marie to the floor and kicked her in the stomach, right in the stitches. In immense pain, Anna Marie fled to her room. When her father returned home later that day, he told her, You shouldn't provoke and upset your mum like that. That night, Anna Marie wept quietly into her pillow. She had reached her limit. One night shortly after this, Anna Marie put a long considered plan into action.

She took one last look at her sparsely furnished room, then grabbed a bag of belongings and made her way to the front door. Her bag hit a chair and the floor creaked in her haste, but Anna Marie managed to slip through the house without waking her parents. She got past the locked gates and ran along Cromwell Street. She hadn't put much thought into what to do next. She had little money, nowhere to go, and was terrified that her father would come looking for her.

She was also regretting leaving her siblings behind, none of whom knew about her plan to flee. Anna Marie focused on the fact that she was free, telling herself, Quote, I would never go back. No one could abuse me again. No matter what happened from now on, it couldn't be any worse than my life so far. Anna Marie's harrowing statement added validity to the accusations that Fred and Rose West had a history of child sexual abuse and incest.

Rose was charged for causing or encouraging the commission of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and cruelty to a child. She was granted bail under the condition that she not communicate with her younger children. The night she returned home, Rose was rushed to Gloucester Royal Hospital to have her stomach pumped. She had taken 48 painkiller pills, washed down with alcohol. The underage West children, Tara, Louise, Barry, Rosemary Jr. and Luciana, were put under emergency protection orders.

Fred and Rose were forbidden from contacting them and weren't told where they were being held. The couple were eventually allowed to see their children, but only if the child themselves requested the meeting and a social worker was present. Fred and Rose refused to see their children unless they could see them alone. In the lead up to the couple's trial, Fred West was sent to a bail hostel in Birmingham, 60 miles north of Gloucester. Rose visited him two or three times a week, sometimes with their older children May or

Stephen. During visits, Fred and Rose wandered the grounds and had sex in view of passers-by and their own children. Rose wrote Fred a letter during his time away. It was adorned with their names and a drawing of a large love heart with an arrow through it. �Remember, I will always love you� she wrote. And everything will be alright.

In custody, Fred's behavior was described as exemplary. He was consequently transferred to another bail hostel with even more relaxed conditions. Staff only checked on him every three days, which gave Fred time to go to Gloucester and back without anyone knowing he had gone. The younger West children began sneaking out of their foster homes and meeting Fred at Gloucester Park. He eventually coaxed them back to Cromwell Street. Fred worked to convince his children that the authorities were wrong and evil.

He warned them to keep their mouths shut, otherwise the police would take them away from those who loved and protected them. When Fred and Rose went to trial in early June 1993, the West children had been prepared to give evidence against them. But when asked if they were ready, the children all declined to proceed. It was a complicated case from the outset. The West daughter at the centre of the allegations denied that her father would ever do any of the things he was accused of.

Furthermore, Annamarie West retracted the statement she'd made to Detective Constable Hazel Savage. Making the statement had brought up a lot of repressed trauma for Annamarie and she was left shaken and anguished. She was still terrified of Rose and feared what would happen once Rose saw her statement. Annamarie sought police protection, but they couldn't understand why she thought it was necessary. After Annamarie, it felt like everyone thought she was making a fuss over nothing.

She thought about Rose's temper, all those years of vicious beatings, abuse and the men she was forced to have sex with. Wanting to forget it all, Annamarie claimed the whole story was a figment of her imagination because she didn't like Fred or Rose. When Constable Savage learned about this, she confronted Annamarie and said, Tell me to my face this isn't true. Unable to meet the Constable's gaze, Annamarie responded, It's not true, I made it all up. Constable Savage wasn't convinced.

She warned Annamarie that she could be charged for wasting police time and making a false statement, but Annamarie remained steadfast. With her younger siblings now safe from Fred and Rose in foster care, Annamarie had the safety of her own children to think about. The only piece of physical evidence that could help secure a conviction now was the videotape that allegedly contained footage of Fred raping his daughter. Police had caused thousands of pounds worth of damage tearing 25 Cromwell Street apart trying to find it.

It had been no easy feat given that the inside of the property resembled a building site. Tools, wood, sand, cement, electrical cables, water mains, lino, copper pipes, carpet and paint tins were piled throughout. The police broke furniture, sifted through vacuum cleaner bags and searched behind skirting boards and underfloor boards. They uncovered a large amount of sex paraphernalia, some of which was crudely handmade with scrap wood and metal. Police also uncovered a large collection of hardcore pornography magazines, sex toys,

bondage gear, whips, chains, buckles, straps and flails, as well as rubber suits and masks. There were dozens of photographs that Rose and Fred had taken of other people's genitals. In total, police uncovered 99 pornographic videos, both homemade and commercial. The homemade footage was captured on 8mm film by Fred West. It depicted Rose performing explicit sexual acts with, quote, just about anything she could get her hands on, from domestic implements to fruit. The footage also captured Rose having sex with multiple people. Sometimes it was consensual amateur pornography, other times it was filmed via a peephole as

though in secret. There was footage of Rose urinating on her bed, a sofa and the kitchen table. She was captured getting dressed in preparation to meet other men for sex, then later showing off her stained underwear. Fred also recorded himself performing gynecological examinations on his wife, with many gratuitous close-ups. None of the videos contained the alleged child abuse. With no physical evidence or corroborating witnesses, the judge made the decision not

to proceed with the trial. As a result, Fred and Rose West officially received a verdict of not guilty. The couple hugged each other in the dark, and for the second time in their marriage, they walked free from court together. For Detective Constable Hazel Savage, the West case wasn't over. During her investigations into the family, she had managed to track down each of Fred and Rose's older children, except for one. All leads to locate the now-23-year-old Heather West had resulted in dead ends.

One of the last confirmed sightings of Heather occurred on Wednesday, June 17, 1987, when she was four months shy of turning 17. Witnesses recalled the exact date, as it was the day that Annamarie West had hosted a birthday party for her three-year-old daughter. The party was held at Annamarie's home in the White City estate. It had been a pleasant summer day, and the house was at buzz with the children. Annamarie was surprised when her typically anti-social father and stepmother showed up. She was even more shocked to see that they'd brought all the younger West children with

them, as family outings were incredibly rare. Heather West had always been quiet, but party-goers noticed she was particularly distant that day. She spent most of the afternoon alone in the back garden, looking sad and lethargic. If anyone approached her, Fred or Rose would be by her side in an instant. Rose explained to the other guests that there had been problems with Heather before they left for the party. Annamarie had bullied Heather throughout the event, saying, Don't fucking stand there like a lemon, a derogatory word he used for lesbian.

Heather retorted angrily, Why don't you just fuck off and leave me a fucking loan? Annamarie tried to find out what was going on, but Heather was tight-lipped. She actively avoided being in any photos or videos taken during the day. One photo captured her in the garden as she was mid-turn trying to avoid the camera. Standing nearby was Fred with a big smile. At the time, Heather was making arrangements to move to Torquay, a seaside town 130 miles from Gloucester. She had applied for a job as a cleaner for a holiday camp there.

The prospect excited her. Then, the night after Annamarie's daughter's birthday party, Heather received a phone call. The woman on the other line apologized, saying that Heather's job application hadn't been successful. Heather was devastated. She kept her siblings up all night with her sobbing. The following day of Friday, June 19, the West children returned home from school to

find that Heather wasn't there. Fred and Rose explained that Heather had received some good news. The job in Torquay was back on. She'd packed a bag and got a lift with a friend, leaving 25 Cromwell Street for good. Fred was calm as he spoke about Heather's abrupt departure. Then he approached his son, Stephen, and asked for help digging a hole in the back garden. Fred explained he wanted to install a fish pond. Stephen did as he was told, but a couple of days later, he noticed that the hole had been

filled in. No one heard from Heather West again. Over the years, Fred and Rose gave conflicting stories as to her whereabouts. To some, they said that Heather had run away or left to start a new job. They told others that she'd become a drug dealer, was involved in credit card fraud, or had fallen in with the wrong crowd. Rose mentioned having our quote, hell of a row with Heather before she left over Heather being a lesbian.

The couple constantly provoked Heather about being gay, even though there was no indication that she was, and Rose herself had numerous affairs with women. It didn't matter anyway, as Fred later told others that Heather had run off with a boyfriend. At one stage, Annamarie West travelled to Torquay in search of Heather, but no one she spoke to had ever seen or heard of her half-sister. Stephen and Mae West also made various attempts to locate Heather, including reaching out to television shows that specialised in finding missing people. At one stage, the siblings told Fred they were going to report Heather missing.

Fred talked them out of it. He said that Heather was involved in some illegal business, and if they alerted police, they'd be snitching. Rose said that if Heather wanted to contact them, she would. Every so often, Fred claimed to have both seen and spoken to Heather. At one stage, he said she was working for a community centre in Gloucester. She looked into this claim, but to no result. Fred conceded that Heather must have quit and moved on.

Whenever Fred told any story pertaining to seeing Heather, Rose would warn him to shut up. Whatever the explanation, Fred and Rose were adamant that Heather was fine. They told others that they'd filed a missing person report, but this wasn't true. Fred would say, Heather's left us, she's disappeared, and that's it, closed. I don't want to hear any more about it. We won't mention it again.

I don't want you coming round in future, if you do mention Heather. Prior to Heather's disappearance, a male guest was spending the night at 25 Cromwell Street. In the early hours of the morning, he woke up to the sound of something rustling around the house. A young woman cried out, No, no, please. This continued on and off for the next 20 minutes.

In the morning, Rose West informed the man that it was her daughter, Heather, who suffered from nightmares. The man had noticed that Heather seemed a bit shy and down in the dumps the night before. Rose explained that Heather was just, quote, backwards and didn't talk much. On a separate occasion, a female lodger at 25 Cromwell Street heard screams coming from the cellar. A girl helplessly shouted, Stop it, daddy.

The lodger didn't investigate or report the matter, but she believed the voice might have been Heather West's. Other visitors recalled that Heather would stand in the corner of a room or in the doorway, wearily watching her father. She bit her fingernails until they bled and rocked herself back and forth for hours, unable to sit still. Heather had a very close friend at school called Denise Harrison. Surely before Heather went missing, Denise noticed Heather was more morose than usual.

One day, Denise was walking near Cromwell Street when she spotted an upset looking Heather sitting on a wall. Denise asked what was wrong, and Heather started to cry. Heather confided in Denise that she had been sexually abused. Her father would come into her room at night and force himself on her. He also beat her. Denise asked, Haven't you told your mum?

Heather explained that Rose refused to do anything about it. Rose thought Heather was a, quote, little bitch who deserved the beatings. Heather said she hadn't told anyone else because she was too frightened. Denise didn't doubt Heather for a second. Heather refused to shower at school and wore long-slaved blouses with her socks pulled up to her knees. But Denise had once caught a glimpse of Heather's bare arms and legs. They were covered in severe bruising.

Denise's mother knew Fred West, and when Denise told her about Heather's secret, her mother refused to believe that Fred was capable of such horrible things. Three weeks later, Heather finished her last term of school. Denise Harrison never heard from her again. By 1992, Heather West had been missing for five years. Detective Constable Hazel Savage believed that Heather could provide further insight into the allegations that Fred and Rose West abused their children. She worked diligently to track Heather down.

But by the time Fred and Rose faced trial the following year, Constable Savage had failed to find a single trace of her. But her suspicions were growing. She had been informed of a West family joke that the younger children had repeated to their foster parents. Whenever they were naughty, their father would tell them to behave or, quote, end up under the patio like Heather. Thursday, February 24, 1994, marked almost a year after Fred and Rose West's not guilty

verdict. That morning, Constable Savage arrived at 25 Cromwell Street, accompanied by four other officers. 40-year-old Rose West answered the door. She was informed that an inquiry had been launched into the disappearance of Heather West and was handed a search warrant. Rose immediately started screaming profanities and calling the officers offensive names. At that moment, Steven West arrived home.

He read the warrant. It specified that the police's purpose was to dig up the back garden to search for the body of Heather West. Steven asked the officers to wait until his father returned home. They told him there was no time. The officers marched into the house armed with tools and spades. Steven called his father on his mobile phone and informed him what was going on. 52-year-old Fred West was at a job site only 30 minutes away, but it was almost three and

a half hours before he arrived home. He never explained why it took him so long. At home, Fred maintained his composure while Rose wept. The couple spoke quietly in the kitchen before retreating upstairs to talk in private. Shortly after, Fred went to Gloucester Central Police Station. Rose remained at home to take part in a recorded interview. She was belligerent throughout, giving short, sharp and evasive answers. She said she couldn't remember much about the circumstances of Heather's disappearance,

telling the interviewing officer, �If you had any brains at all, you could find her. It can't be that bloody difficult.� When asked if she used to punish Heather when she misbehaved, Rose explained, �I just sent her to bed.� As for whether she thought Heather was alive, Rose replied, �Well, why not? Unless something horrible has happened to her.�

The police informed Rose they were aware of the family joke about Heather being buried under the patio in the rear garden of 25 Cromwell Street. Consequently, they were going to dig up the entire area to look for her. Rose responded, �There's nothing you will stop at, is there? Look, the house is yours, have it. Do what you're going to do.� At Gloucester Central Police Station, Fred West voluntarily participated in an interview

with Detective Constable Hazel Savage. Given the situation, he seemed unusually calm and affable. Unprompted, he announced that he had not murdered his daughter. Fred claimed that Heather was alive and that he'd recently seen her in Birmingham, a city 60 miles northeast of Gloucester. He said her hair was expensively styled and she looked more ladylike. Fred claimed that he and Heather were very close and that any of his family members would attest to that.

But for reasons he didn't understand, Heather had something against Rose and was prone to insulting her. Fred maintained that neither he nor Rose reported Heather missing because they didn't want to get her in trouble. He implied that Heather was involved in illegal sex work and changed her name frequently as a result. Constable Savage asked outright, �Where is Heather, Fred?�

Fred replied, �You find her and I'll be happy. That's all I can say.� The garden at the rear of 25 Cromwell Street was less than 30 feet long and 20 feet wide. Fred had done extensive renovations that impacted the space over the years. Neighbours had heard him banging, scraping and digging long into the night, earning him a reputation as �the man who couldn't stop working.� He had demolished a garage and replaced it with a ground floor extension that consisted

of more rooms and a new kitchen. In the back garden, he tore out the fruit trees and chicken coop, leaving just a row of tall, thin, layland pine trees that blocked his neighbour's view. He then completely paved over the garden with heavy stone slabs to form a patio. Searching the small area required great effort and cost. Just as the sun began to set, it started to rain. The search was called off until the following morning, with a uniformed Constable standing guard in the patio overnight.

That night, Fred and Rose went for a walk in a nearby park, which was completely out of character. When they returned, Fred showered and sat down to watch the news. It was the only thing he ever watched on television, never missing the one, six, nine, ten o�clock or midnight broadcast. These need to watch it and know what was happening, bordered on obsession. The following day, a small excavator and mechanical digger were brought to 25 Cromwell Street. A team of 15 men in boiler suits crammed into the small patio and started digging by machine

and hand. Rain drizzled on and off throughout the afternoon as a small shed and a homemade barbecue were dismantled. The stone slabs were then lifted up and stacked to one side. Under the slabs was a crusty layer of solid ground and gravel. About a foot down was thick, dark mud that reaped of sewage. Underneath the sludge was dense, impervious gray clay. As dug six feet down and made a discovery, small bones and bone fragments.

It was quickly concluded that they were from dead animals. The further they dug, the more liquefied the mud became. A pump was brought in, but as soon as the sludge was pumped out, more seeped back in and flooded the hole. The larger the hole became, the worse the liquid smelt. It developed a thin custard-like consistency. A detective standing on a wooden plank that framed the edge of the dig site identified the unmistakable odor.

It was the stench of decomposition. Rose West was becoming increasingly rattled by the police work. Fred settled her upstairs and then approached Detective Constable Hazel Savage. Can we go to the police station? He asked. As soon as he was in the police car, Fred said, I killed her. It had all happened on Friday, June 19, 1987. Heather West was 16 years old and had just found out that the job in Torquay had fallen

through. Given her eagerness to leave home, Heather was crushed. Fred said they'd talked it over for most of the night before Heather retired to bed in tears. The following morning, Rose told Fred, Let her go. I will go draw out £600 and give it to her and let her go. Fred replied, All right then, don't hurry back, give me a chance to talk to Heather. He hoped he could persuade her to stay.

Rose left for the shops. The younger West children were already at school. Heather's school term had just finished. She had packed her bags and left them by the front door. Fred called out to her. Heather appeared looking smug with her hands tucked in her pockets. Fred asked, What's this about you leaving home? He told Heather she was too young and that being a lesbian meant she would catch AIDS.

He told Heather, I'm not going to let you go. She responded arrogantly, If you don't fucking let me go, I'll give all the kids acid and they'll all jump off the church roof and be dead on the floor. Fred lost his temper. He went to slap Heather's face but quickly stopped himself. He had once slapped Rose during an argument and subsequently dislocated her jaw. Instead, he grabbed Heather by the throat and tightened his grip. I just wanted to shake her, Fred told Detective Constable Hazel Savage.

I wanted to take that smirk off her face. As Fred throttled Heather, she began turning blue. He quickly let her go. She fell back against the washing machine, then slid down to the floor. When Fred realized that Heather was no longer breathing, he tried to perform mouth to mouth resuscitation and chest compressions. But he'd only ever seen it performed on television and didn't actually know what to do. Heather's body turned cold and Fred noticed she had wet herself.

He thought to himself, What the hell's gone wrong? I never intended this. He dragged Heather to the bathroom, stripped her naked and placed her into the tub. He then doused her in cold water in an attempt to rouse her. Fred West recalled, I can remember standing there and thinking, How do you know when someone's dead? He took Heather's body out of the tub and dried it off. He intended to dismember her, but didn't want her to, quote, suddenly come alive during

the process. So he tied a pair of tights around her neck. He also closed her eyes, as he didn't want her looking up at him while he worked. Fred then cut Heather's neck with a serrated saw used for cutting ice blocks and frozen meat. He twisted off Heather's head. He did the same thing to remove her legs. He then stuffed Heather's body parts into a bin liner and he hid them behind the patio

shed. It was bin day, so he collected Heather's possessions and took them to an area where people disposed of rubbish, confident that they'd be taken away. Rose came home an hour or so later. She asked, Didn't you persuade Heather to stay? Fred said no. That Heather decided she wanted to leave. That night, under the cover of darkness, Fred buried Heather's body in the back garden,

about four feet under the Leyland pines. Long after, he extended the patio to cover the burial site with stone slabs. By the time Fred told police this story, just over six and a half years had passed. He appeared calm and disassociated, as though he'd completely detached himself from the incident. He maintained that it was an accident, that he didn't intend to kill Heather. But his version of events was full of contradictions. He kept backtracking and revising his statements.

It was clear to the police that he wasn't being entirely truthful. As Annamarie West once explained, With my dad, it's a case of you'd listen to what he'd say, and then if you cut it in half, and then half again, you were somewhere near the truth. Asked if there was a sexual motive for the killing, Fred said, No, nothing like that. Did anyone else know Heather was under the patio? Fred said, Nobody, that's a secret I've kept to myself for… years, and never told anybody.

Fred was taken back to 25 Cromwell Street in handcuffs to point out exactly where he had buried Heather. By this point, the excavation of the patio was well underway. Fred mocked the search team's efforts, saying they were going to damage the roots of his Leyland pines. But as he was led closer to the deep reeking pit, his cold indifference faded away. He became dazed and unsteady. He kept sliding in the mud and slipped on one of the wooden planks.

Fred told the officers, My head hurts and I keep seeing stars. They gave Fred a seat and some water. Fred announced, Heather is not in the garden, Heather's alive and well. She's possibly at this moment in the Middle East. She works for a drug cartel. She's got no identification, that's why you can't find her. They're looked after like queens. I have no idea what her name is because I will not let her tell me.

She contacts me whenever she's in this country. Now whether you believe it or not, he's entirely up to you. As far as I'm concerned, I'd like to see them all still over there digging my garden. They can dig there forever more. Nobody or nothing's under my patio. Later that afternoon, a digger was searching directly below the bathroom window of the single story extension that Fred West had installed at the back of his house. It was a significant distance from the main search site near the Leyland Pines.

As he dug, he noticed something sticking out of the ground just below the surface. It was another bone. But unlike the smaller animal bones found previously, this one was large, dirty and dulled looking. The bone was placed in a brown paper exhibit bag and taken to pathologist Professor Bernard Knight for examination. Within seconds of viewing the bone, Knight confirmed it was a human femur. He estimated that it hadn't been in the ground for long.

Its curvature and length indicated it came from a young woman between the ages of 15 and 25. As the dig at 25 Cromwell Street progressed, the pit became structurally unstable. The sides kept crumbling, resulting in cave ins. The stench had become unbearable. Yet, the shifting earth exposed more bones near the Leyland Pines, compelling the diggers to persevere. At 7pm, Professor Bernard Knight arrived on site and crouched down by the pit.

He noticed traces of soapy off-white liquid in the dark mud, another telltale sign of decomposition. He observed the freshly unearthed bones and immediately confirmed that they too were human. Professor Knight worked by touch, inserting his hands into the slimy earth and feeling around until he felt a bone. He slowly and methodically removed each one before wiping the muck off to identify what part of the body it originated from.

All leg bones were recovered first. They had been removed from a torso, which was found next. The victim's decapitated head was then pulled from the sludge. The unique conditions in the ground had worked to preserve the victim's remains. Her thick, dark hair was still intact. The body belonged to Heather West. Her burial site was almost directly opposite Fred's barbecue. This meant he had corked and entertained for his family and guests, knowing his daughter

was buried just a few feet away. A black polythene bin liner was under Heather's torso, along with two long pieces of rope. Orange, green and brown fibers were stuck to it, which matched tufted carpet from inside 25 Cromwell Street. Although Fred hadn't mentioned the rope during his confession, its presence suggested that Heather had been restrained prior to her death. The carpet fragments indicated that she'd likely been held against the floor in the process.

During his excavation work, Professor Knight pulled a second broken femur from the muck, treating the pair with the other that had been found earlier that day. Professor Knight then noticed another bone. As he pulled it out, he realized it was yet another femur. Well, he announced to the detectives gathered around. Either we have found the world's first three-legged woman, or there's another victim around here somewhere. After being informed that human bones had been unearthed in his back garden, Fred West was

taken in for a second police interview. The constable Hazel Savage got straight to the point. She asked if anyone else had been buried in any other part of Fred's garden. He sat in silence for a long moment before responding. That's a peculiar question to ask, isn't it? Backtracking from his story about Heather working for a Middle Eastern drug cartel, Fred admitted, Heather is in there, and there ain't no more.

There's nothing else. Constable Savage informed Fred that three human thigh bones had been found. Again, she asked if anyone else was buried in his garden. Only Heather, Fred maintained. Constable Savage pressed on. You've never said to us that you scattered Heather all over the garden, and Heather didn't have three legs. The room fell silent.

Fred was asked, have you any knowledge of where this other bone might have come from? Fred pondered for a moment, then answered softly, yes, surely. Surely who, Constable Savage asked? Robinson, Fred elaborated. The girl who caused the problem. Fred West spotted Shirley Robinson in Gloucester in 1977. The thin, undernourished teenager was in the care of social services and performed sex work to get by.

Described by a social worker as extremely withdrawn and sullen, Shirley was also lost lonely. She had few friends and was known to latch onto people for companionship. So when Fred offered Shirley a place to stay at his home on Cromwell Street, she gratefully accepted. However, Fred waited until Shirley turned 17 and was no longer supervised by social services before the move took place. Shirley was settled in a small room towards the back of the first floor.

In time, a three-way relationship began with Fred and Rose West. It wasn't a secret affair. Fred introduced Shirley to guests as his lover. He was openly affectionate towards her, playfully announcing that she was going to be the next Mrs West. Within a year of her stay at Cromwell Street, Shirley became pregnant with Fred's baby. Rose was excited about the pregnancy. She cheerfully pointed Shirley's growing belly and tell neighbours, it's Fred's.

Shirley organised to have a professional photo taken with Fred during her pregnancy. He dressed for the occasion in a suit and tie. The pair held hands while smiling at the camera. Despite the age gap, they looked like a loving couple. Shirley sent the picture to her father with a letter that read, This is the man I'm going to marry. What do you think of him dad? I have never been so happy in my life.

The West children loved Shirley Robinson. She was silly and carefree, which was a welcome change to their violent and abusive mother. But as Shirley's due date approached, her demeanour changed. She became emotional and nervous and no longer wanted to live at 25 Cromwell Street. Tensions had risen in the West home. Rose became jealous and increasingly antagonistic and Fred seemed to enjoy provoking her. On one occasion, Rose lashed out violently chasing Fred through the house with a carving knife.

He rushed into a room and slammed the door shut behind him, just as Rose brought the knife down. The blade sunk deep into the door and almost took several fingers off Rose's right hand, leaving them hanging by the tendons. Rose wrapped her wounded hand up in a towel and simply told Fred, Right fella, you've got to take me down to the hospital. The resulting damage prevented her from ever fully closing her right hand. She was told to return to the doctors to have the stitches removed, but Rose just plucked

them out herself. While Fred enjoyed watching Rose fight for him, he felt that Shirley Robinson was coming between them. He told a friend, Shirley wants Rose out so she can take over and take her place. I'm not having that. She's got to fucking go. Shirley grew fearful of the couple. In an effort to wheeze the hostilities, Shirley spent some nights sleeping on a friend's

couch. By the start of May 1978, the now 18-year-old Shirley was 8 months pregnant. She attended a prenatal appointment as she readied herself for the birth. On Tuesday May 9, Shirley met a friend at a cafe for a cup of tea. Her friend noticed that she seemed fatigued and depressed. After that, Shirley was never seen again. Fred and Rose told others that Shirley had gone to live with her father in Germany and probably wasn't coming back.

Fred indicated that Shirley had bailed without paying rent and implied that he didn't care about their baby. Rose was seen rummaging through the clothes Shirley had left behind, keeping the pieces she liked and tossing out the rest. Nobody reported Shirley missing or went looking for her. After all the conflict that had arisen during Shirley's time at 25 Cromwell Street, Fred and Rose were noticeably happy in her absence. Thirteen years later, upon the discovery of a second set of human remains in the West's

backyard, Fred admitted to police that the bones belonged to Shirley Robinson. He claimed that Shirley had been supplying drugs to his children, so while Rose was away, he strangled Shirley to death in the hallway of his home. He then dismembered her and buried her in the back garden. Fred was taken back to 25 Cromwell Street and led out to the patio. He paused, looked around, and then pointed to the ground directly in front of the back door. It was a small area wedged between the doorstep and the wall of the neighboring chapel.

This was where he'd buried Shirley Robinson. Police had been walking back and forth over this very area since the search began. A dig revealed that the ground wasn't as liquefied here as other areas of the garden. Professor Bernard Knight, squatted by the edge of the hole and identified the back of a human skull. The Knight retrieved some vertebrae, followed by some leg bones. They featured distinct deep marks, indicating that Shirley's body had been violently hacked with a heavy cleaver or axe.

As Professor Knight uncovered other larger bones, he also removed several matchstick-sized ones. They were the skeletal remains of a nearly full-term fetus. When Fred West was asked what he did with Shirley's unborn baby, he responded frankly without a hint of remorse. Quote, I packed her up. I didn't have much room to put it in, so I had to be packed. Just pushed her in with a spade.

The discovery of Shirley Robinson's remains raised more questions. Heather West was found by the Leyland Pines. Shirley was buried by the back door. The third unidentified femur that led to Fred confessing about Shirley was found in a different area entirely under the bathroom window. Fred didn't hesitate to clear up the confusion. He pointed to the bathroom window and told police this is where they'd find Shirley's, quote, mate.

Fred acted as though he couldn't remember the name of the third victim. He just kept referring to them as Shirley's mate or her lesbian lover. All he knew was that she came from Bristol. Fred claimed that the woman had shown up at Cromwell Street looking for Shirley. Once he informed her that Shirley no longer lived there, the woman left, only to return a few weeks later. This time, she accused Fred of killing Shirley and threatened to go to the police. Fred persuaded her not to and offered her a lift back to Bristol.

As they drove out of Gloucester, Fred stopped in a lay-by on the side of the road. He proceeded to strangle the woman with his bare hands. Afterwards, he took her body back to his home, dismembered it, then buried the remains in the back garden. In a bid to identify the victim, investigators scoured records of young women who had been reported missing around the time that Shirley's mate crossed paths with Fred West. One name in particular kept cropping up. Jordan's Brook House was a Gloucester institution that housed vulnerable adolescents who had

been removed from other forms of care and who typically had severely unstable and abusive childhoods. Jordan's Brook aimed to rehabilitate the troubled youths by providing stability and training that would help them find employment. It was a strict institution and therefore it wasn't unusual for residents to abscond and later be brought back by police. It became common knowledge among Jordan's Brook girls that sanctuary could be found with a local couple named Fred and Rose West.

The pair offered girls lifts and would sometimes invite them to their home on Cromwell Street for juice and biscuits. Fred and Rose were considered to be fun and lovely. Rose established a rapport with the girls as she had spent a part of her youth in care and could relate to their experiences. She listened sympathetically and with understanding to their stories. Words spread among Jordan's Brook residents that 25 Cromwell Street was a safe place. Sixteen-year-old Alison Chambers had been placed into Jordan's Brook House after her

divorced parents were unable to care for her. A known daydreamer with an active imagination, Alison escaped the difficulties of her daily life by composing romantic poetry and drawing pictures. Although the home had helped her secure a trainee position at a solicitor's office, Alison wasn't happy at Jordan's Brook as she was often mocked by her peers. Alison began retreating to Cromwell Street where she would talk to Rose over squash and biscuits. Over time, she began spending the night.

Alison soon began telling others that she'd fallen in love with an older man. He'd given her various gifts, including a gold necklace with her name on it. He'd also promised to take her to his farm in the countryside where she could lay in the grass and write poetry. Alison even had a picture of the farm which she stared at longingly. It was clear to others that the image had been cut from a real estate brochure. They thought the older man was a figment of Alison's imagination created as a coping mechanism.

However, they also noticed that Alison had been given her very own key to 25 Cromwell Street. On Sunday, August 5, 1979, Alison Chambers packed up her things and absconded from Jordan's Brook House. It was the eighth time in nine months, but this time she didn't come back. Alison was reported missing and because she was underage and had been in care, police were obligated to search for her. However, she turned 17 two weeks after she went missing, meaning she was automatically

released from care and was no longer considered vulnerable. Even though her whereabouts were still unknown, police were no longer required to actively search for her. Two months after Alison went missing, her mother received a letter. In it, Alison explained that she was living with a very homely family, whom she was helping by providing childcare and housework. She apologized for causing any concern, and told her mother that she would ride again soon.

But she never did. Despite this, police took the letter as evidence that Alison was alive and well, and no further inquiries were made. Fourteen and a half years later, the third femur bone found under the bathroom window at 25 Cromwell Street, was identified as belonging to Alison Chambers. The garden space was respectfully quiet as Professor Bernard Knight began the process of uncovering the rest of Alison's remains. The burial site was too small for the pump to be used, so black slime continuously seeped

back in as Professor Knight trawled through the mark with handheld tools. The tip of Alison's head became visible, her hair still attached. As Professor Knight worked to excavate it, he noticed something was wound under Alison's chin. He realized that it was also wound around the top of Alison's head. And gently, Professor Knight scraped the mark away with his fingers until he revealed the item to be a wide belt. Although Fred hadn't mentioned restraining or gagging Alison at any point, the way the

belt was positioned meant it had been used to prevent Alison from opening her mouth. By the time Professor Knight had retrieved Alison's remains, he was paddling around in two feet of filthy water. Despite Fred indicating that Alison Chambers was surely Robinson's mate and lover, no connection between the pair was established. It was clear to police that Fred West was a compulsive liar. They had to treat any information he offered with a higher degree of caution. Obtaining information from Fred was an arduous and time-consuming task.

He kept meandering and telling meaningless, long-winded stories, many of which were obviously fantasies. As the hours slipped by, interviewing officers became increasingly impatient. Fred West was a masterful manipulator, and it became obvious that he was controlling the interview, a smug grin often spreading across his face. So far, Fred had confessed to killing three young women, Shirley Robinson in 1978, Alison Chambers in 1979, and his own daughter, Heather West, in 1987. For the level of detail he offered about each incident varied, he was adamant about

one thing. Fred told investigators, The thing I'd like to stress, Rose knew nothing at all. She hasn't done anything. Rose West was, in the words of her husband, the perfect mother. To be continued next week.