Casefile True Crime - Case 235: House of Horrors (Part 3)

Episode Date: February 18, 2023

[Part 3 of 3] More disturbing secrets are unearthed at 25 Cromwell Street as the investigation into Fred West leads detectives into the remote English countryside. Fred steadfastly asserts that his wife knew nothing of his crimes, and tight-lipped Rose maintains her innocence... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn This episode's sponsors: SimpliSafe – Get a free indoor security camera and 20% off your order  DoorDash – Get free delivery plus 50% off your first order of up to $20 value with promo code ‘CASEFILEPOD’  Smart News – Download the app for free and get the news that matter most In the Shadows – Listen to a new podcast from Casefile Presents (available exclusive on Wondery+) For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-235-house-of-horrors-part-3

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. 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. Rose West sat stiffly in the police interrogation room. Unlike her chatty and boastful husband, Rose was curt and cautious.

She rarely answered a question in full, instead giving vague, monosyllabic responses. She expressed a little concern for her daughter Heather, maintaining that she hadn't heard from her since she left home several years prior. Then, the interviewing detectives cut to the chase. There has been a major development, one said calmly. Fred has confessed to murdering Heather. Rose responded immediately, what? Several seconds of silence followed before she asked, so you know where she is.

The detective replied, Fred has told us where she is. Rose tilted her head back and wailed in a manner later described as sounding like a banshee. Then she snarled. Fred's a dead man if I ever get my hands on him. Her cries grew louder. The detectives were incredulous. If there was one thing they'd learned, it was that Rose West was a cold and cruel woman

who cared little for her children. When speaking to a neighbour about Heather's disappearance, Rose had said she was not bothered if Heather was alive or dead. More enough, Rose's wailing abruptly stopped as though nothing had happened. By the time the detectives informed her that Heather's bones had been found in the back garden, her emotional theatrics were well and truly over. Why have we got to go through this again? Rose replied, before complaining that Heather had given them loads of hassle.

Rose was questioned for almost as long as the law permitted. Unless investigators were prepared to press charges, they would have no choice but to let her go. That came at a risk. The last time Rose was under investigation, she intentionally overdosed on medication. There were genuine concerns that she might again attempt suicide to avoid prosecution. As the deadline to release Rose approached, investigators worked hard to extract a confession or uncover a flaw in her husband's story.

But they were unable to conclusively tie Rose to any of Fred's crimes. They had no choice. Rose was released. Word of the situation unfolding on Cromwell Street was spreading across the country. These crews descended on number 25 as reporters bombarded police and passed by with questions. With all the press activity out front and police efforts in the back, the house itself was eerily quiet. Inside, Rose West settled into a quiet stasis.

She stood at a rear window, watching the dig in the back garden from behind a mesh curtain. She'd just been informed that she had to leave the property. Following Fred's latest admissions, investigators had been granted permission to extend the search into the West's house. They were keen to examine the ground floor bathroom where Fred said he'd dismembered Heather. And the longer Rose remained there, the higher the risk that evidence might be destroyed. Police organised for Rose to stay at a safe house on the outskirts of Gloucester.

She told her eldest children, May and Stephen, I'm spending one night here and then we're off. And we're never coming back to Cromwell Street again. News of the discoveries at 25 Cromwell Street reached John Goff, a senior officer of the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service. The address was significant to John and his wife, June. Almost 21 years earlier, in April 1973, June Goff returned home to find a note from her 19-year-old daughter, Linda.

Dear mum and dad, please don't worry about me, I have got a flat and I will come and see you sometime. Linda was a cheerful, happy and friendly young woman. She accepted advice, but as she grew older, she started to rebel in a typical teenager way. While John and June cared for Linda deeply, they also respected her desire for independence. Although her letter didn't indicate where she had gone or what she planned on doing, her parents discovered that she'd found work as a seamstress.

This eased their concerns. They were certain Linda would eventually return home of her own volition, as she wouldn't have the funds to support living independently for long. But days turned to weeks with no word from Linda. Her 20th birthday came and went without any contact. John and June Goff grew anxious. By the third week of silence, June went looking for her daughter. She visited the seamstress where Linda worked and learned that Linda was residing at a house

a short distance away. She was working as a live-in nanny for the family at 25 Cromwell Street. When June laid eyes on the bleak and quiet three-story residence, a chill ran through her body. She knocked on the front door and was greeted by the homeowners, Fred and Rose West. June recognized Rose. She had stopped by the Goff House a few weeks earlier to take Linda out for a drink. But when June asked about Linda, the West said they didn't know her.

As they chatted on the doorstep, June Goff looked down and noticed that Rose was wearing her daughter's slippers. Her blouse also looked like one of Linda's. June peered past Fred and Rose and into their rear garden. Several items of clothing belonging to Linda were hanging on the couple's washing line. June pointed this out. Rose admitted that Linda had stayed with them briefly but had since moved on, leaving some of her clothing behind.

According to the West, Linda had mentioned going to a seaside resort called Western Supermaire. John and June Goff were upset and confused that their daughter had left Gloucester without saying goodbye. They went to Western Supermaire but found no trace of Linda there. They followed up with various welfare organizations and discussed the situation with a neighbor who was a police officer. The general consensus was that Linda was an adult seeking life experiences. There was little her parents could do to make her return.

Because John and June never suspected that their daughter met with foul play, they hadn't formally reported her missing. They just lived every day hoping she would reach out or come home. But whenever June Goff passed 25 Cromwell Street, she felt the same uneasy feeling she'd experienced when she first saw the house. More than two decades later, Linda Goff's story was of interest to the police investigating Fred and Rose West. Like Heather West, Linda had vanished from 25 Cromwell Street, never to be seen or heard

from again. The explanation that Linda had gone to Western Supermaire was remarkably similar to Fred and Rose's claim that Heather was in Torquay, another seaside town. When detectives asked Fred about Linda Goff, he denied ever meeting anyone with that name. He also accused the Goffs of making up the story to, quote, get on the bandwagon and make money from the press. Investigators weren't sure where Linda Goff fit into the case, if at all. The dig of the West's back garden had failed to uncover any further remains.

After great difficulty, they convinced Fred to admit that Linda had actually stayed at his house once. However, Fred still insisted that she'd gone to Western Supermaire. Meanwhile, 25 Cromwell Street was stripped from the attic to the cellar. Fitted cabinets were dismantled, baths and sinks were torn out, and carpets and linoleum were rolled up. 1300 items belonging to the West family were removed, recorded, and put into storage for further examination.

The only thing left inside the residence was a large fish tank that was too big to remove. Exposing the home's bare bones revealed its secrets. Concealed behind hanging decor were small peep holes drilled into several doors and walls. These were no doubt used by Fred West to engage in acts of voyeurism. Frem even looked into his daughter's bedrooms. In two separate rooms, police found a small urn and a jar, both on display. Inside them were ashes.

Forensic testing revealed the contents were burnt underwear. According to Fred, the underwear had been worn by Rose when she had sex with other men. Under these encounters, she wrote the date on the underwear, then burned them and collected the ashes. It was, Fred explained, their way of remembering past sexual experiences. Yet, there was no visible evidence pertaining to the death or dismemberment of Heather West, Shirley Robinson, or Allison Chambers. Or was anything found in relation to Linda Goff's disappearance?

No traces of blood were found in any significant areas. If there had ever been bloodstains in the house, they would have faded away over the years. A military-grade, ground-penetrating radar was brought to the house. While the radar couldn't detect human remains, it emitted an electrical pulse that identified disturbances or abnormalities six feet below the earth. Fred West asked often about the condition of his home. When he heard that special equipment was being used to search for additional graves, he seemed rattled and decided to speak with his solicitor alone.

Afterwards, detectives were handed a piece of lined paper torn from a notebook. On it was a handwritten message that began, I, Fredrick West, wish to admit to a further aprox nine killings. This confession came at 5.30pm on Friday, March 4, 1994, eight days after police began searching 25 Cromwell Street. Nothing uncovered had indicated that Fred killed more than the three young women investigators were already aware of. But for whatever reason, he had given up his efforts to outwit them.

Once the initial shock of Fred's admission wore off, police were faced with the severity of the situation. There were at least nine more victims to locate and identify, meaning many more loved ones to break terrible news to. Among them were John and June Goff. While Fred's note was brief, it did name three of his victims. One was Linda Goff. With his confession out in the open, Fred West went back to being his talkative, cool-headed

self. Harboring the secrets of the alleged additional killings had put him back in control. The subsequent interview was as painstaking as ever. Detective Constable Hazel Savage pushed on, knowing they were at the mercy of Fred's mood swings. One minute he was cooperative and willing to divulge details of his crimes. The next, he denied everything and started waffling on fanciful tangents. Whenever Fred appeared to be in a helpful state, Constable Savage worked quickly to

gain as much information as possible. Fred said that the women he killed were mostly hitchhikers, runaways, or sex workers. He'd picked them up from various places in and out of Gloucester before taking them back to Cromwell Street. Sex acts had occurred, but Fred insisted these were consensual. In all cases, Fred strangled the women to death, then cut up their bodies to make them easier to bury. Fred didn't know his victims' names or exactly how many there were.

It was decided that he should be taken back to 25 Cromwell Street again to pinpoint where he'd buried them. As night descended, the police present at the West House dwindled. Only a small crew remained to stand guard overnight. Reporters camping in front of the property took this time to return to their offices or head to the nearest pub to gossip with locals. Once the coast was clear, Fred West was brought to the scene disguised as a member of the digging crew.

He was discreetly ushered inside the empty shell of his home. Fred went down into the cellar where he became noticeably stressed. He kept staring around the space as if he was lost. Holding a can of red spray paint, Fred moved to the area of the cellar that was once used as his children's play area. The walls were adorned with scribbles and art painted by the West children. Fred stood in an alcove and sprayed a red circle on the ground below. Lucy, he said.

Underneath the timber stairs that led out of the cellar, Fred drew another circle. A girl from Newent, he remarked. He moved in front of an imitation fireplace, sprayed a third circle, and said, the Dutch girl. At the base of a wall covered with wallpaper featuring actress Marilyn Monroe, Fred drew another circle by an open fireplace, announcing a Worcester girl. The final circle was on the right hand side. Fred explained that there were in fact two girls from Worcester buried in the cellar.

He led investigators into the extension he'd built at the rear of the ground floor. He entered the bathroom and drew a seventh circle on the floor there. Linda Goff efforts to identify Lucy, the Dutch girl, the girl from Newent, and the two girls from Worcester commenced. Facing all the women who had encountered Fred West over the years was a massive undertaking. Most of the 150 lodgers who'd stayed at 25 Cromwell Street were young women. They had drifted in and out, often remembered only by nicknames or limited physical descriptions. Then there were the hundreds of other people who had visited the property over the years,

from the party guests and friends or partners of the lodgers, to the many men and women who met with Fred and Rose for sexual relations. Investigators sifted through the records of regional police, social services, local care homes and charity organisations to find the details of any young women who had vanished in the last 20 years. The missing persons helpline rang off the hook, as callers sought to find out if their absent loved one might have crossed paths with Fred West. Whenever a new name emerged, investigators tracked that person down and confirmed their

identity to ensure they were accounted for. Anyone who wasn't was highlighted and looked into further. It took two men to drag the ground penetrating radar equipment along the bare concrete floor of the West's cellar. Abnormalities were detected in the earth below the red circles that Fred painted. Large pneumatic drills were used to break through the concrete, filling the confined space with dust and sending sharp fragments ricocheting off the walls. The earth underneath was then carefully removed by hand.

The holes contained the same black clay-like sludge that plagued the pit in the back garden. Soon the cellar reeked with a stench of decomposition. The first set of remains were uncovered by the imitation fireplace. 21-year-old sociology student Therese Seagantala had vanished in April 1974, while Fred had referred to her as the Dutch girl. Therese was actually Swiss. She had been raised in the German-speaking Bern area, giving her a distinct Germanic accent. Therese was last seen alive at a party in South London, where she spoke of her plans

to hitchhike to Wales and then take a ferry across the Irish Sea to visit a friend in Dublin. Friends had warned her about the danger of accepting rides from strangers, but Therese was confident that all would be okay. She jokingly remarked, I can look after myself, I'm a judo expert. Therese had informed her father that she would return from Dublin in a week's time. She never did, and the police failed to find any trace of her. Just two decades later, Therese's skeletal remains were unearthed in the cellar at 25

Cromwell Street. There was no history between Therese Seagantala and Fred West. Therese had likely accepted a ride from Fred, who was known to drive around offering young women lifts. After burying Therese in his cellar, Fred built a fake chimney over her graveside as a disguise. Like the young women found outside, Therese Seagantala had been dismembered with her legs and head separated from her torso.

A waterlogged mud-soaked scarf was retrieved from her grave. It had been tied into a bow. Therese's brown hair was knotted inside, indicating the scarf had been tied around the back of her head as a gag. By the open fireplace on the other side of the cellar were the remains of victim number five, one of the so-called Worcester Girls. Fifteen-year-old Shirley Hubbard had been in care since the age of two. Described as pretty and spirited, she was also vulnerable and had been taken advantage

of by older men. In November 1974, Shirley was living in the city of Worcester, 25 miles north of Gloucester. She was completing work experience behind a makeup counter and seeing a young man whom she had met at a fun fair. One night, the couple met for a date along the River Severn, where they shared a bag of hot chips. At 9.30, Shirley boarded a bus home. She made plans to meet up with her boyfriend again the following day but didn't show up.

He never saw her again. Fred West had likely spotted Shirley Hubbard making her way home after her date and offered her a lift. Like Fred's other victims, Shirley had been cut into three parts. As pathologist Professor Bernard Knight extracted Shirley's skull from the West's cellar, he paused. Something was stuck to it. He wiped the sludge off the skull to get a better look.

It took him a moment to realize exactly what he was looking at. Shirley's entire skull, from forehead to jaw, had been encircled in multiple layers of a light-colored duct tape. A 17-inch plastic tube was stuck deep in one nostril. Another was found in her grave. The tubing had been inserted into Shirley's nose to enable her to breathe through the duct tape mask. Professor Knight was lost for words.

Not even the seasoned detectives in the room had ever seen anything so horrific. But there was more work to be done. Professor Knight was led to the alcove of the children's play area. Here, in another of Fred's crude gravesites, lay the remains of the victim Fred had referred to as Lucy. In late December 1973, 21-year-old Lucy Partington was visiting a friend in Cheltenham, which was a 30-minute drive northeast of Gloucester. During the course of the evening, Lucy and her friend discussed their shared interest

in medieval art. Their conversation motivated Lucy to write a letter of application to London's Courtauld Institute, a college specializing in art history. The school would suit Lucy well. While she was a typical youth who enjoyed parties, sports, and spending time with her family, she was just as content to sit in front of a fire reading literature. Lucy's friend's mother gave her a stamp so she could post the letter on her way home. Lucy left at around 10.15pm and headed for a bus stop a three-minute walk away next to

Marble Hill Park. She'd caught the bus from there before, though it was a dark, quiet spot, and she was often the only person around. In the past, some bus drivers had driven straight by without noticing Lucy waiting. Lucy Never Made It Home An extensive search commenced, the largest and most publicised for one of Fred West's films thus far. Police used sniffer dogs, televised appeals, and reenactments of Lucy's last known movements

to try and determine what had happened. They failed to find any answers at the time, but now believed Lucy Partington had also been coaxed into Fred's car while on her way home. Like Shirley Hubbard, Lucy's skull was tightly wound with light-coloured duct tape. Also found with her remains was a six-inch knife with a black handle and a makeshift restraint made from two pieces of cord. Fred referred to the victim he'd buried under the cellar stairs as a girl from Newent. He eventually remembered her name, Juanita.

In the spring of 1975, 18-year-old Juanita Mott had left her job at a bottling factory and was staying with a family friend in the town of Newent. In early April, she left to Hitchhike the roughly 10-mile journey into Gloucester to sign up at a job centre. She had travelled to Gloucester this way many times before, accepting lifts on the side of the B4215, a rural road that led to and from the city. Juanita had promised to babysit her friends' children the following day, but she never showed up.

Even though her personal belongings were left behind, Juanita's family believed she had run away, possibly to London. Her two sisters regularly travelled into the city, spending all their money at the registry office to sift through records and phone books to try and track her down. They had no idea that Juanita was actually a street away from one of their homes, buried under 25 Cromwell Street. Juanita Mott had a known history with Fred West. She associated with people who had lodged at the West home and stayed there herself

on occasion because the rent was cheap. But on the day Juanita went missing, she hadn't mentioned any plans to go there. It was deduced that Fred had likely spotted Juanita as she hitchhiked and recognised another opportunity. When pathologist Professor Bernard Knight dipped his hand inside Juanita's muddy grave to retrieve her bones, he was met with resistance. Feeling around, he soon realised the bones were connected by something. He managed to get a good grip on an arm and lift the entire mass of remains with it.

Grey clothesline rope was knotted around Juanita's arms, torso and legs. The ends had been fashioned into wrist-sized slipknotes. A noose was also found, along with a ligature made from various items of clothing. Among them was a bra and two long white nylon socks, similar to those often worn by Rose West. Professor Knight believed that Juanita had likely been hog-tied and suspended from the ceiling beams above. While it was believed Fred's other victims had died either by strangulation or asphyxiation,

Juanita's skull featured a depressed fracture behind the right ear. It was a heavy blow caused by a circular object, similar to a ball-headed hammer. But it couldn't be ascertained whether the injury was sustained pre- or post-mortem. Only one red circle remained on the cellar floor, the alleged graveside of the second girl from Worcester. The brave digging of this space failed to uncover anything. Yet, because Fred West's information had so far proven correct, investigators were reluctant to give up.

They dug wider and deeper. Eventually, three feet below the earth, they found more human remains. 15-year-old Carol Cooper was last seen alive in November 1973, after spending the evening at a cinema in Worcester with her boyfriend and their friends. From there, Carol was heading to her grandmother's, where she intended to spend the weekend. It was a rare change of scenery for the teenager, who had been living in a children's home since the death of her mother. At 9.15, Carol boarded a bus and waved goodbye to her boyfriend.

She was upbeat and looking forward to their next date, but she was never seen again. Fred had likely picked Carol Cooper up as she was en route to her grandmother's. The lower part of her skull was found wrapped in an elasticated cloth band, while a loop of fabric with a half-inch knot was tied under her forearms. Clothesline rope was recovered nearby, along with a headband made of surgical tape that contained strands of Carol's hair. Excavating Linda Goff's remains from the bathroom in the ground floor extension presented a challenge.

It was the most physically demanding excavation so far, and the bathroom itself was small and cramped. Only a couple of people could dig in there at any given time. Additionally, the large pit in the back garden had put the structural integrity of the extension at risk. Police did their best to secure the building, but this was difficult due to Fred's shoddy craftsmanship. The construction of the rear garden was slowed to prevent a catastrophic collapse onto the

crime scene. Drilling through the concrete floor revealed a layer of earth, stone, household rubbish and construction debris. Eventually, Linda Goff's remains were spotted. Professor Knight carefully removed one bone after another, mindful that the hole could collapse at any moment. Linda had been dismembered and decapitated. Lengths of cord and elasticated cloth found with her remains indicated that she too had

been bound and gagged. Each of the gravesites were widened to facilitate a finer sieve search. Despite this, none of the victims' remains were fully recovered. Each was missing a variation of kneecaps, fingers, toes, ribs, vertebrae, shoulder blades and other smaller bones. Aside from the extreme sexual torture the women had evidently endured, there were signs of further suffering. Heather's fingernails had been forcibly ripped off and scattered in her grave.

Cromwell Street and its surrounds had been completely shut down due to the huge crowd trying to catch a glimpse of what the media had dubbed the House of Horrors. Reporters from all over the world flocked to Gloucester to cover the case. Live footage of the home was broadcast on 24-hour news channels. The West's neighbours charged people money to stand in their gardens, peer out from their windows or to use their toilets. Several turned their facades into shop fronts where they sold food and drinks. Some news crews erected scuffholding around 25 Cromwell Street to get a clearer view of

the dig in the back garden. Police had never seen anything like it. Witnesses quickly sold their stories to the press and unsettling reports about strange encounters with the Wests were splashed across tabloids. Some spoke about Rose's tendency to answer the front door wearing lingerie or to go out in public without underwear. Others mentioned Fred performing lewd acts while driving young women around. Some visitors to the West's home had reportedly found Fred and Rose watching pornography with

their children. Others allegedly told someone that Fred had been having sex with his children. The witness claimed to have anonymously reported the comment to welfare agencies, but apparently nothing was done. Lodgers had heard thumps, crashes, wails and shrieks emanating from Rose's room where she conducted her sex work. Others recalled screaming emanating from 25 Cromwell Street late at night and said a terrible smell lingered around the house.

Plagues of flies hovered around the cellar, which Fred had once referred to as his torture chamber. Despite all this, the killings themselves had seemingly gone unnoticed. For the 14-year period spanning 1973-1987, Fred West had killed nine young women in his home. Eight of them perished during the first six years he lived there. Linda Goff was first. He then murdered Carol Cooper, Lucy Partington, Therese Seagantala, Shirley Hubbard and Winnie

DeMott. After concreting over the cellar floor, he started filling his back garden with bodies, beginning with Shirley Robinson and then Allison Chambers. There was an eight-year break before he set his sights on his own daughter, Heather West. It was clear that Fred wasn't being truthful about the murders. He offered no explanation for the restraints or weapons found in any of the graves, except in Linda Goff's case. He claimed that her death was accidental, a bondage incident gone wrong.

He'd roped her up in the cellar and Linda enjoyed it. Then Fred went to answer the door, and when he returned, Linda had hung herself. I've never killed anyone outright, you're trying to make out that I just went out and blatantly killed somebody, Fred told detectives. He also claimed that he had never raped anybody. Enjoyment turned to disaster, were his words. Fred told lie after lie when attempting to explain a motive for each killing. He said that Shirley Robinson had sexually abused his daughter, Anna Marie.

Then he said he killed Shirley because she was jealous of Rose. Finally, it was because Shirley had called Rose a quote, bitch, a slag, and a cow. As one detective said, Fred's word was worthless, except to confirm that nothing he said could be relied upon as anything near the truth. But there was still the matter of Fred's written confession. In it, he had named three of his victims. One was Linda Goff. The other two weren't found at 25 Cromwell Street.

Fred West stood in a field in the middle of nowhere. He was a short hike from his childhood home in the village of Muchmarkle, 16 miles northwest of Gloucester. The familiar isolated countryside stretched around him for miles. In his younger years, Fred had walked to this very spot with his siblings, collecting wild flowers that they would later sell. As a teen, he had crashed his motorcycle nearby, resulting in a weak long coma and severe head injuries.

It was also where he carried out a lot of his farm hand work around that time. The area was known as Letterbox Field, named after a distinct red mailbox that was attached to a surrounding fence. Detectives crowded around Fred as he trudged through the thick mud of the freshly plowed field. The topography of the area had changed a lot since 1971. Back then, Fred had climbed a small incline towards a cluster of cutback yew trees. In a spot next to the hedgerow that was unlikely to be disturbed, he dug a hole.

Revisiting Letterbox Field in 1994, Fred placed a piece of wood where he believed he had dug the hole all those years ago. It was there that he said he had buried his first wife, Rena. Fred gave conflicting stories regarding Rena West's murder. Whatever the truth, it seemed to have started when Fred met Rena at a pub one evening in August 1971. By the end of the night, Rena was heavily intoxicated. Fred took her to his van and drove her towards Letterbox Field, which was one of Rena's

favorite spots. In one version of his story, Fred said Rena was, quote, absolutely paralytic to the point of unconsciousness. He hauled her out of his van and slammed her hard against a gate, killing her. In another statement, Fred said the pair got into an argument that ended with him strangling Rena to death. In any case, Fred claimed he'd used a large sabre knife and a long scythe to dismember Rena in what became his characteristic way, removing the legs from the torso, followed

by decapitation. As to why he killed Rena, Fred had been pursuing a marriage to the then teenage Rose. Fred and Rose had just had their first child together, Heather. Fred was in a constant battle with Rena over the custody of her two children, Charmaine and Anna-Marie. He explained to detectives, I had too many people to watch at once. That's what went wrong. A trench was established in the vicinity of Fred's wooden marker.

Pile was carried along a motorised conveyor belt to be thoroughly sieved and examined. After that, it was either carried away by hand or placed into wheelbarrows to be added to a growing pile. By nightfall, the trench was four feet deep and spanned ten feet either side of the marker. There had been no significant discoveries. Digging resumed the following morning under the watchful eyes of the journalists who had gathered along the site's perimeter. The trench was expanded to almost 100 feet, but still nothing was found.

When days passed with no breakthroughs, detectives considered the possibility that Fred West had allied to them. By Sunday, April 10, the Letterbox Field Dig had reached its 13th fruitless day. A mini-mechanical digger was brought in to remove the more solid soil. Near a fallen tree, slightly further uphill from where Fred had placed his marker, the digger unearthed what looked like part of a human skull. For long, more skeletal remains were found. Pathologist Professor Bernard Knight lowered himself into the trench to examine the bones.

They were extremely brittle compared to those he'd recovered at 25 Cromwell Street, and they broke to pieces during recovery. Still, Professor Knight was able to identify the remains as belonging to Rena West. When Fred was showing detectives the burial site, he drew their attention to an adjoining 13-acre cornfield called Fingerpost Field. It was named after the shape of a signpost at its entrance. Fred said he had a feeling that was where Anna McFall was buried. Anna was a friend of Rena's who had vanished 27 years earlier in July 1967.

At the time of her disappearance, Anna was having an affair with Fred and was pregnant with his child. Fred told detectives that Rena killed Anna in a drunken, jealous rage. Fred denied being involved or knowing how Anna died. He did however feel that Anna was in Fingerpost Field, buried among some vegetation next to a pond. Upon uncovering Rena West's remains, police moved their excavation equipment into Fingerpost Field to begin searching for Anna McFall.

Since 1967, the area had been covered in soil and the pond no longer existed. Investigators used old council landmaps and sought help from an archaeologist to mark exactly where the pond had once been. Big efforts were hampered by frequent downpours that pelted across the fields. The lay of the land meant the rainwater kept draining downwards into the search area, turning the trench into a bog of red mud and clay. Pumps were brought in, but did little to abate the flooding. Investigators were forced to wait until the weather cleared and the land hardened.

Even then, it was no easy task. The old pond was filled with large tree roots that were difficult to shift. By mid-May, the third month of the West Inquiry, more than 400 tons of earth had been moved from Fingerpost Field. But only half of the designated area was searched. Fred West refused to offer any further insight into Anna McFall's whereabouts, instead gloating that she would never be found. The dig was given until June 11 to be completed.

When the deadline arrived, the trench covered 600 square meters and was two meters deep. But nothing significant had been found. The decision was made to wrap things up. As a last ditch effort, the dig team headed over to a small area of woodland that locals had pointed out to them. Shortly after 7.20 that night, diggers working less than two meters from the treeline unearthed skeletal remains. They had found Anna McFall.

Anna had been dismembered and several of her smaller bones were missing. Her wrists were bound together with cord. In her grave were different lengths of rope, one of which was knotted. Buried with Anna was her and Fred's unborn fetus, which was around six to seven months in gestation. The third and final name included in Fred's confession letter was that of his stepdaughter, Charmaine West. Fred claimed that on the night he killed Reena, he returned to his van, only to remember that

Reena's oldest daughter, eight-year-old Charmaine, was fast asleep in the back seat. Unsure what to do next, Fred held Charmaine by the throat until she stopped breathing. He drove Charmaine's body back to 25 Midland Road in Closta, where he and Rose were living at the time. After wrapping Charmaine's body in a tartan blanket, Fred hid her in a coal cellar under the kitchen. He left her there for years before eventually burying her under the house. Diggers were sent to 25 Midland Road, marking the fifth active dig site in the West case.

Charmaine West was discovered buried six feet deep in the backyard by the rear door of the flat. Her kneecaps, part of her breastbone and a number of her wrist, ankle, finger and toe bones were missing. When asked about their whereabouts, Fred stared in silence. He'd later say he removed the smaller bones of his victims to prevent identification. Investigators believed that Fred had actually kept them as macabre keepsakes of his crimes. The only time Fred showed a hint of emotion was when investigators charged him with Charmaine's

murder. His eyes wailed up. Witnesses thought it possible that Fred was overcome with self-pity rather than remorse. While Fred gave no indication that Charmaine's death was sexually motivated, a witness recalled a disturbing incident from when Charmaine was just a baby. They'd walked in on Fred to find him grinding a naked Charmaine against his groin. Fred claimed that Charmaine had been dressed when he killed her, but not a single piece of fabric, button, zip, thread or elastic was found with her remains.

Like all of Fred's victims, it appeared that Charmaine had been buried naked. When presented with this discrepancy, Fred said he would no longer answer any questions or assist with any searches. Fred claimed he'd killed Charmaine on the same night as Reena. However, based on witness accounts and school records, Charmaine West disappeared around five months before her mother, in late March or early April 1971. At that time, Fred was serving a short stint in prison for theft. Charmaine was actually in the care of her stepmother, Rose.

Fred used Rose to justify all of the murders he committed. He claimed his victims had all threatened his marriage in some way, prompting him to remove them from his life permanently. Fred West quote All these girls did exactly the same thing. It was made quite clear that I was married to Rose and I don't want nothing to do with them. Nothing serious.

It was just thank you ma'am and finished. And every one of them did exactly the same thing. I love you. I'm pregnant. I'm going to tell Rose. I want you to come and live with me. And that was the problem. Fred also said that at least two of his victims threatened to accuse him of rape if he didn't

give them money. Quote She said that'll be ten quid. I said if you'd have said that in the first place I'd have told you to get lost. Then she started shouting and said you're the sort of person who goes with slags. And I just lost my head with her because as soon as she said that I thought of Rose and Rose is no slag as far as I was concerned. Fred accused his first wife Rena of constantly disrupting his and Rose's home life so she

had to go. Charmaine was a disrespectful child who caused Rose a lot of grief, prompting Fred to dispose of her too. Whatever story he concocted, Fred made it clear that every murder he committed was for Rose's benefit. Yet, he insisted Rose had no idea about any of it. The evidence indicated otherwise. Rose had once told her parents that Fred was capable of murder.

She knew Fred's joke about Heather being buried under the patio. In the past, she had restrained her children with objects similar to those found with the bodies of Fred's victims. She was also known to drive around with Fred when he picked up young women. Rose rarely left home, so it seemed absurd that she hadn't seen or heard anything. How could Fred dismember and bury so many victims without Rose noticing a single drop of blood? Rose maintained that she hadn't known any of Fred's victims except Charmaine.

But numerous witness accounts proved at the very least she knew Linda Goff, Shirley Robinson, Allison Chambers, and Rena West. Of the pair, Rose was more violent and sexually insatiable, while Fred preferred being the passive observer. Most significantly, Rose had a known history of working alongside Fred to abduct young women for her own sexual sadism. The 1972 rape of Caroline Owens at 25 Cromwell Street predated all the murders committed there. In Fred's words, that attack was, quote, Rose's idea.

Rose insisted that she couldn't even remember the incident. A search of the West's attic uncovered a box of mementos the couple had saved over the years, from old love letters to photographs. Among them was a clipping from a local newspaper titled, City Pair Stripped and Assaulted Girl. It was published the day after Fred and Rose walked free from court for their joint attack on Caroline Owens. They had kept the article as though it was a souvenir. Thirty-year-old Catherine Halliday was one of many people who engaged in a consensual

three-way sexual relationship with Fred and Rose West. According to Catherine, it wasn't really human contact that Rose wanted. She liked pain. I wouldn't call it making love. On numerous occasions Catherine was tied up and blindfolded. One time, the West's bound Catherine with a nylon cord so tightly that waltz were left on her wrists and ankles. When Catherine asked for the cord to be loosened, Rose replied, What if we left you all day

and just came back and tormented you every so often? Fred and Rose once showed Catherine a pornographic video filmed inside their bedroom. It featured the couple performing sex acts on a restrained woman who was clearly in pain. The footage left Catherine feeling uneasy. Gradually, the Wests became more violent with Catherine. Fred beat her head as Rose slapped her. Catherine Halliday, quote, I felt Fred and Rose were trying to take me to my physical and emotional limit.

It all came to a head during one progressively extreme encounter. Rose pressed the pillow into Catherine's face and whispered in her ear, What does it feel like not being able to see? The pillow remained in place as Fred and Rose proceeded to rape Catherine. Rose mocked her, asking, Can't you breathe? Aren't you woman enough to take it? Catherine felt something cold and sharp against her stomach. When she was finally released, there was a half-inch cut near her navel.

After this, Fred and Rose pressured Catherine to move into 25 Cromwell Street. But she stopped seeing the couple altogether, a decision she later credited with saving her life. Miss A was only 13 years old when she met the Wests. Miss A's identity is suppressed by a court order. She came from a deeply troubled family and was a survivor of child sex abuse. Consequently, she was sent to Jordan's Brook House, a care home for vulnerable adolescents. Fred and Rose had befriended several girls living there, including Alison Chambers, who

was killed at Cromwell Street. One of the older Jordan's Brook girls took Miss A to meet the Wests. Rose came across as pleasant, understanding and caring. She told Miss A she could visit and cry on her shoulder any time. Miss A took Rose up on her offer and dropped by every few weeks. The two established a trusting rapport. Shortly after Miss A turned 15, she visited 25 Cromwell Street. Rose, who was 23 at the time, answered the door in her underwear.

Although this made Miss A uncomfortable, she entered the house. Miss A began to vent about her problems, looking for advice and sympathy. Instead, Rose placed an arm around her and started kissing and fondling her body. Miss A pushed Rose away and left. She was too embarrassed to tell anyone what happened. Six weeks passed before Miss A returned to 25 Cromwell Street, again seeking support. This time, Rose was wearing a see-through blouse. Miss A went to use the bathroom and could hear Rose speaking to Fred outside the door.

When Miss A exited, Rose pushed her into a room towards the front of the house. Two other girls were there, one on a bed and one on the floor. Both were naked. Miss A later identified the girl on the floor as Annamarie West, who would have been around 14 years old at the time. Miss A recalled Annamarie appearing dazed and out of it. While Annamarie had no recollection of this incident, she didn't doubt it happened. She had memories from around that time of Rose drugging her cereal.

Miss A didn't know the other girl, but she looked slightly older. Fred West was also in the room, sitting and watching silently. Rose took her clothes off, telling the other girls, it's alright to touch, to feel, enjoy, and show affection. Miss A felt helpless as Fred and Rose stripped her naked. She was then forced to watch as the couple bound the older girls' wrists and ankles with brown packing tape, then raped her. The girl was frightened and in pain.

She clearly wanted help, but Miss A was frozen in fear, scared of what the Wests would do to her if she intervened. Once the assault was over, Rose viciously tore the tape off the girl, who began sucking her hair for comfort. Miss A was then raped in a similar manner. Throughout the attack, Rose's voice changed constantly. One minute she spoke aggressively, the next she sounded motherly. She kept asking Fred, are you enjoying this now, and is that nice?

At one point, Rose exclaimed happily, this is fun. It's great. Afterwards, Miss A retreated to a bathroom to clean up. She put her clothes back on and left Cromwell Street barefoot and in tears. Miss A didn't report the assault, believing she deserved it for being a bad child who had to be put into care. Quote, I felt so ashamed, I just felt sick and felt stupid.

I felt hate for Rose. I felt I trusted somebody and she had used me. Six weeks later, Miss A went back to 25 Cromwell Street. This time, she was armed with a can of petrol and a box of matches. She wanted revenge. Her plan was to pour the petrol through the letterbox slot in the west's front door and set the building alight. But the two front gates were padlocked shut.

Miss A found herself frozen again. She couldn't bring herself to go near the house. When investigators accused Rose of having an active role in her husband's crimes, her trademark temper surfaced. It's a lie, she snapped. She told detectives that Fred was a maniac, that there was, quote, something wrong with him altogether. Police bugged the safe house where Rose was kept in the hopes she'd let something slip.

In total, 885 recordings were collected. They worked in Rose's favor. She was recorded denying any involvement in the murders and making threats against Fred for what he did. She told visiting family members that she hated Fred and didn't want to know anything about him. Investigators remained skeptical. Rose had once told someone that there was nothing Fred could do that would make her

leave him. Even when he gave her a black eye, Rose remarked to a family friend that she was lucky Fred stayed with her. A criminal psychologist theorized that the west's had hatched a plan wherein Fred would admit to all of the murders, while Rose would deny everything and be exonerated. Fred West was ultimately charged with the murders of Anna McFall, Linda Goff, Carol Cooper, Lucy Partington,

Therese Seagantala, Shirley Hubbard, Juanita Mott, Shirley Robinson, Allison Chambers, and Heather Rena and Charmaine West. No charges were brought against him for the killing of Anna McFall and Shirley Robinson's unborn children as there was no such crime under British law. Two months after the police first went to Cromwell Strait in their search for Heather, Rose was arrested. A decision hadn't been made on what charges she might face

other than possibly assault-occasioning actual bodily harm and indecent assault. The fact remained that there was no concrete evidence linking Rose to any of the murders. Investigators had a long list of questions to determine once and for all if Rose played any role in Fred's serial killing and were eager to clarify who was the more dominant in the west's marriage. To every single question, Rose replied, no comment.

She was held for three days, during which time she was charged with the murder of Linda Goff. Only then did she offer a different response. I'm innocent. Rose was ultimately charged with all the murders committed at Cromwell Strait. Letters she had sent to Fred while he was incarcerated in 1971 also secured a charge for the murder of Charmaine West. In one she wrote, I think Charmaine likes to be handled rough

but darling why do I have to be the one to do it? I would keep her for her own sake if it wasn't for the rest of the children. You can see Charmaine coming out in Annamarie now and I hate it. This letter included the date Fred was to be released from prison. There was no record of him being paroled any earlier. This proved that when Charmaine vanished, Fred was still incarcerated and Rose was responsible for her.

It was believed she was also involved in Rena West's death somehow but there wasn't sufficient evidence to charge her. Rose was 13 years old and wasn't in Fred West's life when Anna McFall was killed. Prosecuting Rose West was going to be a challenge. Police had over 6,000 pages of interview transcripts with enough evidence to ensure Fred would be put away for life. But throughout Rose's 73 interviews, she did nothing but assert her innocence. The charges against her relied on circumstantial and similar fact evidence.

Witness testimony from those who endured Rose's abuse would be vital but there was a risk that witnesses would become non-compliant to avoid the publicity. Some had also sold their stories to the media which would no doubt come under fire from the defense. Given the entire case was a media circus, it was questioned whether a fair trial was even possible. In the court of public opinion, both Fred and Rose West were already guilty. With his wife now facing trial, it was hoped Fred would stop protecting her and finally offer up some crucial information. Instead, he retracted his previous confessions and denied committing any of the murders.

However, he did give detectives another interesting handwritten note. It read, I have not and still not told you the whole truth about these matters. The reason for this is that from the very first day of this inquiry, my main concern has been to protect other person or persons and there is nothing else I wish to say at this time. Although Fred refused to name the other person or persons involved in his crimes, there was little doubt who he was referring to.

During pre-trial court proceedings, Rose West came face to face with her husband for the first time since his arrest. Upon seeing his wife, Fred offered her a faint smile and patted her on the back several times as he shoveled past into the dock. How are you, Rosemary? he asked as Rose responded with silence. She turned her back on him, kept her head bowed and didn't acknowledge him at all. Fred became teary. She later remarked that being next to Fred made her feel sick. Fred faced 12 murder charges to Rose's tan.

Both pleaded not guilty and were held on remand in anticipation of what had already been dug. The trial of the sentry. The couple appeared in court together several more times in the lead-up to their joint trial. Rose made it abundantly clear that she did not wish to speak to her husband or for him to touch her. Whenever Fred did reach out, he was pulled back by guards. He would watch Rose while she stubbornly looked ahead. On the rare occasion she did glance at him, she showed no affection. But a length of wool threaded through a buttonhole of Rose's cardigan and tied in a large

bow came to police attention. When asked about it after court, Rose said, It's to help me to remember something. Police suspected it was a sign to her husband that she had not betrayed him and remained faithful. The couple were known to communicate to one another by sending signals. As the months wore on, Fred appeared tired and stressed while Rose looked healthy. She had actually gained weight while in prison. Fred had become thinner, his hair was shorter, and he had a hearing aid fitted as he complained of deafness.

Fred West passed his time in prison by drawing and playing billiards as he had a fair aptitude for both. He also made an attempt to improve his literacy skills. He seemingly enjoyed reading about himself in the tabloids and playing with him. But the bastard in the notoriety his case gave him. Fred was kept segregated, but still worried that other inmates would harm him for being an accused child abuser and killer. Yet, they were mostly ambivalent towards Fred, who they nicknamed Digger. When he passed by, they shouted,

Build us a patio, Fred. If he did have contact with fellow prisoners, he asserted his dominance by flashing a demented grin and warning them to go away. Fred's eldest children, Anna Marie, Mae and Stephen, were almost exclusively his only visitors. Fred was permitted to make phone calls and did so regularly to chat with the three children he still was allowed to contact. He apologized for what had happened and maintained that he loved them. He urged them to sell 25 Cromwell Street and start a new life together.

Fred tried to pass on messages to Rose via their children, but she never responded. It was clear to the West children that Fred loved and missed his wife. He sent her letters, which was no easy feat, as he'd struggled to read and write his entire life. Rose didn't acknowledge them. A despairing Fred began accusing Rose of trying to break up their family. While he never stopped writing letters to her, he did stop sending them. Fred had also started taking notes for an autobiography he intended to write. He said each chapter would be dedicated to one of the women in his life.

Chapter 1 had allegedly already been written and was about his first known victim, Anna McFaul. Fred had titled it, I Was Loved By An Angel. I Was Loved By An Angel. Angel was the pet name he used for Anna. In time, Fred's children sensed that he was falling apart. He would ramble at them incoherently, his eyes filled with tears. Chapter 2 As Rose West's birthday approached in November 1994, Fred wrote her a letter but never sent it.

It read, Well Rose, it's your birthday and you will be 41 and still beautiful and still lovely and I love you. He wrote that the most wonderful thing in his life was when he met her, before adding, Keep your promises to me, you know what they are. The letter concluded, You will always be Mrs West all over the world. I haven't got you a present but all I have is my life. I will give it to you, my darling. When you are ready, come to me. I will be waiting for you. At the bottom of the page, Fred drew a gravestone. It featured the inscription,

Fred West and Rose West, rest in peace when no shadow falls. In perfect peace, he waits for Rose, his wife. A few weeks later, Fred penned another unsent letter. To Rose, I loved you forever. I made mistakes. I am so upset about you being in prison. Please keep your promise to me. I have kept mine. This letter ended, I can't tell what I know. You are all free to go on with whatever you want to, but think of what I did for you all and never complain. I love all of my children. They were all mine. All my love and kisses to you, my darling. Fred.

On the morning of Sunday, January 1, 1995, Fred scrawled another letter to his wife. Happy New Year, darling. All my love, Fred West. All my love, forever and ever. Just after 11.30 a.m., he collected his lunch and returned to his cell to wait. This activity typically bought him at least an hour of privacy. As it was a public holiday, fewer staff were on duty. Fred had kept busy in prison by volunteering to mend other prisoners' shirts. Through this work, he amassed a collection of fabric scraps and cotton tapes. He had also been stealing narrow strips of material from the hems of his prisoners.

Over time, he twisted and sewed all the scraps together to make a noose. Fred threaded the noose through the bars of an air vent directly above the door of his cell. He stored on a bag of laundry, secured the noose around his neck, then kicked the bag away. Fred West didn't die straight away. It took several minutes for him to slowly strangle himself to death. His body was discovered almost an hour later. Efforts were made to resuscitate him, but it was too late. Annamarie West had visited her father shortly before he died. He had told her, I want you down as my next of kin. Rose don't want me no more. She don't want to know.

He added, Your dad's had enough love. I'm going to finish it myself. I've had enough. Through tears, Fred explained that he wanted to be buried in his childhood village of Muchmargle. He reached across the table and stroked Annamarie's face, saying, I want you buried there too one day, with me. Annamarie was unnerved and pulled away. She informed prison authorities of her father's suicidal ideation. Fred was categorized as a vulnerable prisoner. A warden was tasked with checking in with him every 15 minutes. He was also forced to undergo random cell and body searches for implements he might use against himself or others. But after a while, Fred's demeanor seemed more upbeat. He was put back on a more relaxed regime, with guards checking on him

at the same intervals as other prisoners. This gave Fred more alone time and allowed him to plot and carry out his suicide. May and Steven West sold the rights to their father's funeral to a tabloid. The service was described as being like a scene from a dark comedy, as wretched as Fred West's life had been. Photographers from various tabloids leapt around Fred's simple pale wood casket as it was transported from the hearse. As they snapped photos in a frenzy, a scuffle broke out between some of them. The ceremony only lasted a few minutes, during which no music was played. The presiding reverend read briefly from the Bible before announcing a moment of silence. The only mourners in attendance were Fred's children,

May, Steven and Tara. Fred had always wanted to be buried, as he found the idea of being burned terrifying. Despite this wish, he was cremated. 53-year-old Fred West took many secrets to the grave. He never told investigators about the sexual torture he inflicted on his victims, giving no explanation for the masks and restraints found in their graves. He never revealed where he had stored his victims' missing bones. Other than the murders he was charged with, Fred never confessed to any other killings. When Rose West was informed of her husband's death, she didn't shed a tear. She took no part in planning Fred's funeral and didn't care to hear anything about it. She kept busy by crocheting

baby clothes for her grandchildren and making teddy bears in the prison workshop. Despite showing no intention of harming herself, Rose was put on suicide watch as a precaution. Speculation arose that Fred had taken his own life as a sacrifice for Rose, in the hopes that it would somehow ensure her freedom. One prosecutor remarked, If it was wrong to charge Mrs West with the murders, it was always wrong. It never relied upon evidence provided by her husband. There has been no loss of evidence against her by his death. Nevertheless, Rose's solicitors sought to have her trial thrown out. They failed. As Rose's trial approached, she befriended a fellow prisoner named Myra Hindley.

The pair had a lot in common and bonded while cooking and watching television. Myra had recently been denied parole in relation to the child killing she perpetrated with her partner, Ian Brady. Their crimes are covered in episode 49 of Case File, The Moors Murders. Rose West and Myra Hindley were referred to in prison as the gruesome twosome. Rumours spread that the pair were romantically involved, though they allegedly had a falling out over who was more infamous. Rose West's murder trial commenced in October 1995. Every day, she wore a variation of the same conservative outfit, a navy suit with a green waistcoat, a white blouse and small black leather boots. A gold crucifix hung from her neck.

Rose was escorted to court in a triple-locked police van that had a steel, inner capsule and a bulletproof glass. It was surrounded by a convoy of police cars and motorcycles. Outside court, news crews jostled to catch a glimpse of Rose as she was hastily ushered inside. The prosecution's opening statement took over a day to present. They described how the police arrived at 25 Cromwell Street to search for Heather West, but instead found secrets more terrible than words can express. For many in the court, it was the first they'd heard what Fred and Rose West allegedly did to their victims, aside from killing them. Those seated in the public gallery wore expressions of

shock and horror. Rose watched on impassively, showing no emotion, except when Heather's name was mentioned. Only then did she dab her dry eyes with a tissue. The prosecution told the court, At the core of this case is the relationship between Fredrick and Rosemary West, what they knew about each other, what they did together, what they did to others, and how far each was prepared to go. Much of what follows can be explained in the context that both were obsessed with sex. The Wests shared a knowledge of each other, which bound them together. In total, 64 witnesses were called. The star testimony came from Fred and Rose's survivors.

Among them was the couple's former live-in nanny Caroline Owens, whom the media dubbed the one that got away. Caroline broke down in tears, saying, I wanted to get justice for the girls who didn't make it. I feel like it was my fault. Catherine Halliday and Miss A also testified, as did Elizabeth A. Juice, Fred and Rose's former neighbour on Midland Road. She spoke of how the couple had drugged and raped her. Annemarie West's anxiety peaked in the lead-up to her stepmother's trial. Haunted by nightmares of her childhood, she couldn't eat or sleep and struggled to maintain a relaxed front for the sake of her daughters. She attempted to end her life and started drinking

to calm her nerves. Police were worried that the pressure would deter Annemarie from testifying altogether. One night, Annemarie was driving while intoxicated and crashed into a stationary vehicle. She was fined £250 and banned from driving for 18 months. It was the wake-up call she needed. Annemarie sought help to ensure she could testify in court for the sake of everyone who had suffered at the hands of Fred and Rose West. There was an expectant hush as Annemarie entered the courtroom. As she took her seat in the witness box, Rose gave her a half-smile of acknowledgement. As Annemarie gave evidence, she played with a gold locket around her neck. It contained the ashes of her mother,

Rena, and half-sister, Charmaine. Wearing it made Annemarie feel as though they were with her and that she was testifying for them. Annemarie described some of the most frightening and intimate moments of her life. She spoke of being beaten and stabbed by Rose, of being raped at eight years old and later forced into sex work. How Fred impregnated her when she was 15. Her testimony was regarded as the most dramatic of all and left many observers in tears. Rose West struggled to listen. As Annemarie described, several times when I said Rose's name or told of what she had done to me, I faced her. I faced my fear and she turned away and could not return my gaze. Janet Leach was a voluntary social worker who had attended every interview between

detectives and Fred West. With concerns about Fred's mental health, it was Janet's job to ensure that he was of sound mind to participate in questioning. This way, he couldn't later allege that police had taken advantage of him. Janet spent more than 400 hours with Fred, during which they built a trusting rapport. Fred sometimes called Janet from prison to speak privately. Due to her job, Janet was legally bound to secrecy. The stories Fred told Janet contradicted everything he said during police interviews. He told Janet he was protecting Rose and that the victims found at Cromwell Street were, quote, Rose's mistakes. Fred said he and Rose had made a pact that he'd take the blame for everything.

When Fred learned that Rose had been charged with murder, he became distressed. He told Janet that, quote, the police were getting too close and that they would find out that Rose was involved. Fred confided that he wasn't good at sex and Rose was very demanding, so he did anything for her. According to Janet, Fred confirmed that he was in prison when Charmaine West was killed. He also asserted that Rose was the one who murdered and mutilated Shirley Robinson, including removing Shirley's fetus from her body. Fred eventually accused Rose of committing all the killings. He claimed she told him where the bodies were buried, but she didn't commit them alone. Fred allegedly told Janet that other people

were involved in the murders, including Rose's father, Bill Letts. This was a significant accusation. Fred had told stories about Rose and Bill being in a long-term incestuous relationship. He claimed he had caught them in bed together and that he joined them on at least one occasion. Rose never accused her father of such abuse, but after she and Fred raped Annamarie West, Rose told her, quote, everybody does it to every girl. It's a father's job. Janet Leach had never encountered anyone like Fred West. He called her his only friend. Knowing they were speaking in confidence, Janet didn't know what to do with the information he gave her. It put her under severe mental strain. She couldn't sleep at night,

haunted by nightmares about the girls in the cellar. But Janet felt she had a duty to keep talking to Fred, otherwise the families of his victims would never know the truth about what happened to their loved ones. Janet subsequently had a stroke. She believed her work with Fred was the cause. However, now that Fred was dead, Janet was permitted to testify about their conversations in court. The defense team put it to Janet that Fred might have just been using her. She replied, I suppose he was. On the stand, Janet suddenly turned pale and was unable to move or speak. She'd suffered another stroke.

A week later, she was deemed well enough to return to court. Janet looked extremely unwell and anxious as she was brought in via a wheelchair. She made another shocking admission. Fred West had claimed that there were at least 20 more victims and maintained that other people were involved. He said that some victims had been killed elsewhere and brought to Cromwell Strait. Others, he buried on farmland. Both the prosecution and the defense agreed that a lot of what Fred allegedly told Janet Leitch was fiction. From their joint perspective, there were many reasons Fred might concoct such stories,

from shifting blame onto other people, to testing Janet's loyalty to see if she sold his stories to the papers. There was also the possibility that Fred was lonely and hoped that by keeping Janet intrigued, she would continue to see him. After three weeks of court proceedings, it was the defense's turn to present their case. Calling the prosecution's evidence undoubtedly harrowing, but ultimately irrelevant, the defense insisted that Rose West knew nothing about the crimes committed at Cromwell Strait. They acknowledged it was normal to assume that a wife would be aware of her husband's activities in their home, but that in this case, quote,

Number 25 Cromwell Strait was not your typical suburban household with 2.4 children. It was a refuge of the flotsam and jetsam of modern life. They claimed Rose was as much a victim of her husband as anybody else. Anyone who professed otherwise were exaggerating so they could sell their stories to the media at a high price. No one expected Rose West to take the stand. Being cross-examined presented too great a risk, besides she had said nothing but no comment or I'm innocent since her arrest. But in a surprising twist, Rose's counsel announced that the court would soon hear Rose's own version of what happened at 25 Cromwell Strait. She had insisted on testifying

because in the words of her solicitor, this was her family and this was her home. Rose West slowly made her way to the witness box. Her voice faltered as she took the oath and she misspoke when providing her age. She then sat down to face the jury. Describing how she met Fred West, Rose said, He promised me the world because I was so young I fell for his lies. He promised to care for me and love me and I fell for it. Rose became emotional when speaking of her children. When asked about her feelings for Heather, Rose said she loved her very, very, very much. Her answers seemed well rehearsed and she spoke delicately and politely. But sometimes Rose's

familiar nastiness peaked through. She chuckled to herself after making a derogatory comment about Linda Goff's appearance and upon calling Shirley Robinson a silly, flittering girl. Speaking of her sexual exploits, Rose repeatedly said that everything she did was 100% consensual. She claimed to derive no thrill from forcing others to do things against their will. She blamed Fred for manipulating her into seducing Caroline Owens. When she realized Caroline wasn't a willing participant, Rose claimed she stopped. She also stated that she and Fred led separate lives. He often locked himself in the cellar, where Rose believed he was working on his DIY projects.

Rose was asked how she felt when she saw Fred for the first time after he confessed to killing their daughter Heather. Rose said, I hated him. I didn't see the man that I had known all those years. He was just a walking figure of evil. I know it might sound daft but I saw him with horns and complete with a satanic grin because he never looked sorry for what he did or anything. He just used to grin like it was all a joke or something. Rose had gone from avoiding answering questions to providing dramatic and wordy speeches. In an effort to rein her in, her counsel kept asking questions that required a single word answer but Rose rambled on. When asked if she played any part in the deaths of her 10 alleged

victims, a simple no was expected. Rose instead replied, No, I had no part in murder whatsoever. I am not a murderer. I can't take somebody's life away from them. I wouldn't want it done to me and I wouldn't do it to anybody else, especially my own daughter. She continued on, oblivious that she was actually damaging her own case. I just feel like such a fool. I just don't know how he managed it to actually get those poor girls in and out of the house. I don't know how he did it without being seen. The houses were always full around our house. Anybody could have seen him at any time. Asked if she suspected Fred was a murderer, Rose answered,

Not for one minute. If I had thought that, I could never have lived with a murderer. I would never have known when it was my turn. I would have been too scared. I would have had to have gone to the police. I couldn't have lived like that. During cross-examination, Rose stumbled over her answers, much to the amusement of the press gallery. When given a difficult question, she replied with either, I don't remember or I don't recall. Rose blamed everybody but herself for what happened. She denied that she and Fred had contrived a story in which he would take all the blame. Every so often, she seemed to deliberately start crying to give herself time to gather her thoughts. She referred to her husband as Fred West,

as though trying to diminish any emotional connection the pair once had. After three days of questioning, Rose left the witness box. The defence relied on witnesses who presented Fred as capable of abducting and killing women on his own. At Rose's request, extracts from four taped police interviews with Fred were played. She wanted the court to hear him protest her innocence. Rose sat in the dock with her head down, as the courtroom listened in shocked silence to Fred's descriptions of his lurid sexual fantasies, the vivid and dispassionate details of his murders, and his constant reminders that Rose knew nothing about any of it. However, his stories kept changing

predictions and outright lies. All the tapes did was highlight that Fred was a pathological liar, and therefore his insistence on Rose's innocence couldn't be trusted. The defence maintained that there still wasn't a shred of direct evidence that Rose killed anyone. They conceded that as a woman and mother, Rose might have fallen below the standards required. They also accepted that the jury might not like her or believe everything she said, but none of this meant she was a killer. The defence called Fred West a depraved and morally bankrupt man. By murdering Anna McFall, he demonstrated that he was willing to kill before he even met Rose. In closing arguments, the prosecution called Fred and Rose perfect

companions. The experiences of all the couple's survivors were the templates for the murders that followed. They demonstrated how Fred and Rose West sadistically abused young girls and women for their joint pleasure. And by taking his own life, Fred had given Rose the greatest gift of all. He couldn't be cross-examined and thus prove her involvement. The jury was released to deliberate at mid-morning on November 20. By 3pm the following day, they had reached a unanimous verdict on two of the 10 charges. Count 1 and Count 10. For Count 1, the murder of Charmaine West, Rose was found guilty. On Count 10, the murder of Heather West, Rose was also found guilty.

Rose closed her eyes for a brief moment. She was helped out of the dock and for the first time, real tears streamed down her face. An hour and a half later, the jury reached another verdict. For the murder of Shirley Robinson, Rose was guilty. Just before midday the following day, the jury returned seven more guilty verdicts for the remaining victims. Linda Goff, Carol Cooper, Lucy Partington, Therese Seagantala, Shirley Hubbard, Winida Mott, and Allison Chambers. The judge ordered, Stand up, Rose Mary West. On each of the 10 counts of murder of which you have been unanimously convicted by the jury, the sentence is one of a life imprisonment. You will never be released.

Rose was let out of the court. Her face stone cold. In the year 2000, Rose submitted an application to appeal her conviction before changing her mind and withdrawing it. As of February 2023, Rose West is still alive. She is in her late 60s and still in prison, where she is known by the nickname Auntie Rose, due to her age and the love of knitting. Rose West is considered the most hated woman in Britain, yet she has amassed a cult-like following from strangers and supporters. They continue to swamp her with letters, especially on Mother's Day. Rose keeps herself busy by sewing dresses. She is also known for her baking, which she uses

to seduce other inmates. She has been overheard talking to Fred in her cell at night and singing a song to herself called, When Will I See You Again? She is said to have found religion and claims God has forgiven her and will be sending her to heaven. According to sources close to her, Rose West maintains hope of being a free woman again someday. To this day, speculation remains that Fred and Rose West may have more victims than those identified. Rumour has it that Fred claimed anywhere from 18 to 60. Few place credence in the figures Fred provided, as he couldn't remember exactly how many children he had or even their names. Regardless, some Gloucester locals have looked at the foundations

and other structural projects Fred completed for them over the years and can't help but wonder. Of the hundreds of young women known to have visited 25 Cromwell Street when the Wests lived there, all were found safe except one. An American woman named Donna Moore was the only person who couldn't be located. During the West Inquiry in 1994, there was one other name that kept cropping up. In Fred's private conversations with Janet Leach, he said one of his victims was a 15-year-old waitress named Mary Bastholm. Mary had vanished from a bus stop on Gloucester's Bristol Road in January 1968. According to Fred's son Stephen, Fred also told him he'd killed Mary. He'd bragged that he would only tell the police about it when he was good and ready.

If this was true, Mary Bastholm may very well have been Fred West's first victim. There were several connections between the pair. Mary was friends with Anna McFall. The bus stop Mary vanished from was a short drive from Cromwell Street. One witness even claimed to have seen Mary in Fred's car. Fred was also a customer at the cafe where Mary worked. Later, he did construction work on the building where the cafe was located. At one stage, police drove Fred to all of the locations relevant to Mary's case in the hopes he'd be compelled to open up. But he seemed unaffected, and there wasn't enough evidence to

charge him. The investigation remained open for 53 years. It was widely speculated that Mary had been buried under the cellar of the cafe where she worked. In 2021, a television documentary team uncovered blue material in the cellar. Mary was wearing a blue coat when she went missing. A cadaver dog was led down into the space where it had a reaction. An excavation commenced with a police spokesperson stating, We hope this is a chance to finally get closure for Mary. But the dig failed to uncover Mary Bastome's remains or any other evidence.

The suspicious blue material had in fact come from a broken pipe. Despite this result, police staunchly believe that Fred West was involved in Mary's disappearance. May and Stephen West wholeheartedly supported their parents following their arrest. They stayed with Rose while she was living in a safe house, visited them both in prison, and stood by Rose during her trial. While they comprehended their father's guilt, May and Stephen steadfastly believed in Rose's innocence. But when they heard their father's confession tapes during Rose's trial, they were transported back to what May described as

another world, a past life. Suddenly, she and Stephen recalled many instances of physical, emotional, and mental abuse they'd endured at their parents' hands. For 20 years, they'd suppressed these memories as a coping mechanism. May revealed that after Anna-Marie ran away from home, Fred set his sights on her and Heather. He made sexual comments about their developing bodies, watched them shower, and barged in on them while they were getting dressed. Fred was prone to groping his daughters at any time in any area of the house. Sometimes he wrestled them to the floor to forcibly assault them.

When they fought back against his sexual abuse, he accused both Heather and May of being lesbians. Once, Fred was so frustrated by May's refusal to give in to him that he threw a vacuum cleaner at her, which splintered her bedroom door. The two sisters would stand watch for each other, hoping that by working as a team they could prevent their father's sexual assault. However, Fred ultimately got his way and the abuse was constant. This prompted Heather to try and escape by seeking work in a seaside town far away from her father. When the job fell through, it led to Heather's absolute devastation and ultimately, her death. May wrote to her mother in prison seeking straight answers about her recovered memories.

Rose wrote back, claiming she would tell May everything she wanted to know. May subsequently visited Rose in prison and asked about the one subject that troubled her most of all, Heather. After this, Rose stopped writing to May and removed her from her visitor's list. Steven West recalled that as his 17th birthday approached, his father winked at him and announced that Steven would soon be ready to sleep with Rose. Steven was mortified. His father and mother just laughed. Steven also recalled that his parents held parties where guests openly had sex throughout the house. During one such party, Heather, May, and Steven were restrained while these activities carried on around them. When Heather fell asleep, Rose barked at her,

Wake up, you stupid bitch. She then had a male party goer rape Heather, while she herself fondled Steven. Fred was there, too. At one stage, he urinated on both Heather and Steven. Steven described the ordeal as the most degrading night. He and May have since cut all contact with their mother. Many of the West children have altered the spelling of their names or changed them altogether in an effort to distance themselves from their family's notoriety. In another shocking twist, several other longtime family friends and relatives were also implicated in the abuse of the West children. Other than Rose, the person Fred was closest to was his brother, John. Annamarie West alleged that her uncle John raped her on more than 300

occasions. Fred and Rose were aware of this and allowed it to happen. John West was charged and pleaded not guilty in court. While the jury retired to consider their verdict, John ended his life in the same manner as his older brother. During the height of Fred West's known offending, John West visited 25 Cromwell Street every other day. Some believe John must have had some awareness of what Fred was up to behind closed doors or had possibly been involved. The West inquiry ran almost a million pounds over budget. At its peak, 84 police officers were assigned to the case. They questioned more than 1,000 people and pursued 250 actions or lines of inquiry. Others accused for crimes against the West children were found guilty and sentenced to

several years in prison. As a direct result of the West case, 110 girls who'd been reported missing were found. Since then, new procedures have been introduced in an attempt to prevent missing or vulnerable individuals from slipping through the cracks. Praise has been given to all of the people involved in securing Rose West's guilty verdict, from the case detectives to the survivors who bravely testified. Detective Constable Hazel Savage was recognized and honored for her determination to find Heather West, which ultimately unraveled Fred and Rose's House of Horrors. To this day, the West inquiry remains a helpful source on how to manage criminal cases of that magnitude. It forms part of detective training courses and has been a resource in investigations

across Europe and as far away as Australia. Anna Marie, Mae and Steven West have all written poignant, though shocking, memoirs about their lives growing up inside 25 Cromwell Street. Anna Marie hoped that by speaking out and letting others know the warning signs of abuse, she might be able to help other children. She wrote, I have lived all my life in the shadows, now I have been forced into the spotlight, and as the shadows fade, I can see light at the end of the tunnel, and I will reach it. Opinion was divided as to what should happen to 25 Cromwell Street. The house became a macabre tourist attraction in Gloucester. While many locals were appalled by its presence,

others recognized its historic importance and suggested it be converted into something to commemorate the girls and women killed there. The more commercial minded suggested that Gloucester's economy could be boosted if the house became a waxwork museum. But the victim's families didn't want any of this. Like the police, they wanted the city council to buy the property and knock it down. Then they would determine what to do with the space left behind. The council agreed to this plan and purchased 25 Cromwell Street along with the attached property at number 23 for around £120,000. It was hoped that the house's destruction would have a cleansing effect on the city. The demolition began in October 1996, and like everything else associated with

the Wests, it was a media spectacle. Footage of the demolition was broadcast live on television. A crushing machine did the bulk of the work before the rubble left behind was reduced to dust. Timber and other flammable material was placed in an incinerator. The cellar was backfilled with the bricks from the walls and sealed with quick drying cement. Then began the long consultation process over what should become of the site. A commemorative plaque and memorial garden were considered, but ultimately rejected. No one wanted a permanent reminder of the atrocities that had happened there. The decision was made to turn the site into a walkway connecting Cromwell Street and St

Michael's Square to the north. Block paving was laid upon the concrete that encased number 25's cellar void. Small trees were planted on the sides of the path, which was illuminated by glossy black street lamps. Shortly before their childhood home was destroyed, several of the West children went for one final visit. Annamarie West was permitted to enter the cellar where her ordeal began. May and Stephen left flowers by the front gate, along with a card that featured a poem for their sister Heather. It read, in part, The sad memories of this house will go with it, but the memories of you will always stay.