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[Music]
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our episodes deal with serious and often
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distressing incidents if you feel at any
00:01:38
time you need support please contact
00:01:40
your local crisis center for suggested
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phone numbers for confidential support
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please see the show notes for this
00:01:46
episode on your app or on our website
00:01:50
this episode contains graphic
00:01:52
descriptions of child abuse it won't be
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suitable for all listeners
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please
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Rose West sat stiffly in the police
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interrogation room
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unlike her chatty and a boastful husband
00:02:14
Rose was Curt and cautious
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she rarely answered a question in full
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instead giving vague monosyllabic
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responses
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she expressed a little concern for her
00:02:27
daughter Heather maintaining that she
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hadn't heard from her since she left
00:02:30
home several years prior
00:02:33
then the interviewing detectives cut to
00:02:36
the chase
00:02:38
there has been a major development one
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said calmly
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Fred has confessed to murdering Heather
00:02:46
Rose responded immediately
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what
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several seconds of Silence followed
00:02:53
before she asked
00:02:55
so you know where she is
00:02:58
the detective replied Fred has told us
00:03:01
where she is
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Rose tilted her head back and wailed in
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a manner later described as sounding
00:03:09
like a banshee
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then she snarled
00:03:13
Fred's a dead man if I ever get my hands
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on him
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her cries grew louder
00:03:20
the detectives were incredulous if there
00:03:23
was one thing they'd learned it was that
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Rose West was a cold and cruel woman who
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cared a little for her children
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when speaking to a neighbor about
00:03:32
Heather's disappearance Rose had said
00:03:35
she was not bothered if Heather was
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alive or dead
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sure enough roses wailing abruptly
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stopped as though nothing had happened
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by the time the detectives informed her
00:03:48
that Heather's bones had been found in
00:03:49
the back Garden her emotional theatrics
00:03:52
were well and truly over
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why have we got to go through this again
00:03:57
Rose replied before complaining that
00:04:00
Heather had given them loads of hassle
00:04:04
Rose was questioned for almost as long
00:04:07
as the law permitted
00:04:09
unless investigators were prepared to
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press charges they would have no choice
00:04:13
but to let her go
00:04:15
that came at a risk
00:04:18
the last time Rose was under
00:04:19
investigation she intentionally
00:04:21
overdosed on medication
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there were genuine concerns that she
00:04:26
might again attempt to Suicide to avoid
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prosecution
00:04:31
as the deadline to release Rose
00:04:33
approached investigators worked hard to
00:04:35
extract the confession or uncover a
00:04:37
floor in her husband's story
00:04:40
but they were unable to conclusively tie
00:04:43
Rose to any of Fred's crimes
00:04:45
they had no choice
00:04:48
Rose was released
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word of the situation unfolding on
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Cromwell Street was spreading across the
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country
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news crews descended on number 25 as
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reporters bombarded police and passes by
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with questions
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with all the Press activity out front
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and police efforts in the back the house
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itself was eerily quiet
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inside Rose West settled into a quiet
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stasis
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she stood at a rear window watching the
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dig in the back Garden from behind a
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mesh curtain
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she'd just been informed that she had to
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leave the property
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following Fred's latest admissions
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investigators had been granted
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permission to extend the search into the
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West's house
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they were Keen to examine the ground
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floor bathroom where Fred said he'd
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dismembered Heather
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and the longer Rose remained there the
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higher the risk that evidence might be
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destroyed
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police organized for Rose to stay at a
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safe house on the outskirts of
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Gloucester
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she told her eldest children may and
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Stephen
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I'm spending one night here and to then
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wear off
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and we're never coming back to Cromwell
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straight again
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[Music]
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[Music]
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news of the discoveries at 25 Cromwell
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Street reached John Garth a senior
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officer of the gloucestershire fire and
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rescue service
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the address was significant to John and
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his wife June
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almost 21 years earlier in April 1973
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June Gough returned home to find a note
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from her 19 year old daughter Linda
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it read
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dear Mum and Dad please don't worry
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about me I have got a flat and I will
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come and see you sometime
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Linda was a cheerful happy and friendly
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young woman she accepted advice but as
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she Grew Older she started to Rebel in a
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typical teenager way
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while Jon and June cared for Linda
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deeply they also respected her desire
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for Independence
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although her letter didn't indicate
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where she had gone or what she planned
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on doing her parents discovered that
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she'd found work as a seamstress
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this seized their concerns
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they were certain Linda would eventually
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return home of her own volition as she
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wouldn't have the funds to support
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living independently for long
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but days turned to weeks with no word
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from Linda
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her 20th birthday came and went without
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any contact
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John and June Gough grew anxious
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by the third week of Silence June went
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looking for her daughter
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she visited the seamstress where Linda
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worked and learned that Linda was
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residing at a house a short distance
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away
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she was working as a live-in nanny for
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the family at 25 Cromwell Street
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when June laid eyes on the Blake and
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quiet three-story residence a chill ran
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through her body
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she knocked on the front door and was
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greeted by the homeowners Fred and Rose
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West
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June recognized Rose
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she had stopped by the goth house a few
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weeks earlier to take Linda out for a
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drink
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but when June asked about Linda the West
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said they didn't know her
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as they chatted on the doorstep June
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Goff looked down and noticed that Rose
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was wearing her daughter's slippers
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her blouse also looked like one of
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Linda's
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June peered past Fred and Rose sent into
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their rear Garden
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several autumns of clothing belonging to
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Linda were hanging on the couple's
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washing line
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June pointed this out
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Rose admitted that Linda had stayed with
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them briefly but had since moved on
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leaving some of her clothing behind
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according to the wests Linda had
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mentioned going to a seaside resort
00:09:28
called Western super Mare
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John and June Gough were upset and
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Confused that their daughter had left
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Gloucester without saying goodbye
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they went to Western Superman but found
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no trace of Linda there
00:09:44
followed up with the various welfare
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organizations and discussed the
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situation with a neighbor who was a
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police officer
00:09:52
the general consensus was that Linda was
00:09:55
an adult seeking Life Experiences
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there was little her parents could do to
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make her return
00:10:03
because John and June never suspected
00:10:06
that their daughter met with Foul Play
00:10:07
they hadn't formally reported her
00:10:09
missing
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they just lived every day hoping she
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would reach out or come home
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but whenever June Gough passed 25
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Cromwell Street she felt the same uneasy
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feeling she'd experienced when she first
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saw the house
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more than two decades later Linda goff's
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story was of interest to the police
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investigating Fred and Rose West
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like Heather West Linda had vanished
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from 25 Cromwell Street never to be seen
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or heard from again
00:10:48
the explanation that Linda had gone to
00:10:51
Western Superman was remarkably similar
00:10:54
to Fred and Rose's claim that Heather
00:10:56
was in Torquay another Seaside town
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when detectives asked Fred about Linda
00:11:03
Goff he denied ever meeting anyone with
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that name
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he also accused the Goths of making up
00:11:10
this story to quote get on the bandwagon
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and make money from the Press
00:11:17
investigators weren't sure where Linda
00:11:19
goth fit into the case if at all
00:11:22
the Dig of the West's Back Garden had
00:11:25
failed to uncover any further remains
00:11:29
after great difficulty they convinced
00:11:31
Fred to admit that Linda had actually
00:11:33
stayed at his house once
00:11:36
however Fred still insisted that she'd
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gone to Western Superman
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meanwhile 25 Cromwell Street was
00:11:46
stripped from the attic to The Cellar
00:11:49
fitted cabinets were dismantled baths
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and sinks were torn out and carpets and
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linoleum were rolled up
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1300 items belonging to the West family
00:12:00
were removed recorded and put into
00:12:03
storage for further examination
00:12:06
the only thing left inside the residence
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was a large fish tank that was too big
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to remove
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[Music]
00:12:14
exposing the home's Bare Bones revealed
00:12:17
its secrets
00:12:19
concealed behind hanging Decor were
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small peepholes drilled into several
00:12:24
doors and walls
00:12:26
these were no doubt used by Fred West to
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engage in Acts of voyeurism
00:12:31
some even looked into his daughter's
00:12:34
bedrooms
00:12:37
in two separate rooms police found a
00:12:39
small urn and a jar both on display
00:12:43
inside them were rashes
00:12:46
forensic testing revealed the contents
00:12:48
were burnt underwear
00:12:51
according to Fred the underwear had been
00:12:54
worn by Rose when she had sex with other
00:12:56
men
00:12:58
after these encounters she wrote the
00:13:00
date on the underwear then burned them
00:13:02
and collected the ashes
00:13:05
it was Fred explained their way of
00:13:08
remembering past sexual experiences
00:13:13
yet there was no visible evidence
00:13:15
pertaining to the death or dismemberment
00:13:18
of Heather West Shirley Robinson or
00:13:21
Alison Chambers
00:13:23
nor was anything found in relation to
00:13:25
Linda goff's disappearance
00:13:28
no traces of blood were found in any
00:13:31
significant areas
00:13:33
if there had ever been blood stains in
00:13:35
their house they would have faded away
00:13:37
over the years
00:13:40
a military-grade ground penetrating
00:13:42
radar was brought to the house
00:13:45
while the radar couldn't detect human
00:13:47
remains it emitted an electrical pulse
00:13:49
that identified disturbances or
00:13:51
abnormalities six feet below the Earth
00:13:55
[Music]
00:13:57
Fred West asked often about the
00:13:59
condition of his home
00:14:01
when he heard that special equipment was
00:14:03
being used to search for additional
00:14:06
Graves he seemed rattled and decided to
00:14:09
speak with his solicitor alone
00:14:12
afterwards detectives were handed a
00:14:15
piece of lined paper torn from a
00:14:17
notebook
00:14:18
on it was a handwritten message that
00:14:21
began
00:14:23
I Frederick West wished to admit to a
00:14:27
further approx nine killings
00:14:35
this confession came at 5 30 pm on
00:14:39
Friday March 4 1994.
00:14:42
eight days after police began searching
00:14:44
25 Cromwell Street
00:14:47
nothing uncovered had indicated that
00:14:50
Fred killed more than the three young
00:14:52
women investigators were already aware
00:14:54
of
00:14:55
but for whatever reason he had given up
00:14:58
his efforts to outwit them
00:15:01
once the initial shock of Fred's
00:15:03
admission wore off police were faced
00:15:06
with the severity of the situation
00:15:08
there were at least nine more victims to
00:15:11
locate and identify meaning many more
00:15:13
loved ones to break terrible news to
00:15:18
among them were Jon and June Garth
00:15:22
while Fred's note was brief it did name
00:15:25
three of his victims
00:15:27
one was Linda Goff
00:15:31
with his confession out in the open Fred
00:15:34
West went back to being his talkative
00:15:36
cool-headed self
00:15:38
harboring the secrets of the alleged
00:15:40
additional killings had put him back in
00:15:43
control
00:15:45
the subsequent interview was as
00:15:47
painstaking as ever
00:15:49
detective Constable Hazel Savage pushed
00:15:52
on knowing they were at the mercy of
00:15:54
Fred's mood swings
00:15:56
one minute he was cooperative and
00:15:58
willing to divulge details of his crimes
00:16:01
the next he denied everything and
00:16:04
started waffling on fanciful tangents
00:16:08
whenever Fred appeared to be in a
00:16:10
helpful State Constable Savage worked
00:16:12
quickly to gain as much information as
00:16:14
possible
00:16:17
Fred said that the women he killed were
00:16:20
mostly hitchhikers runaways or sex
00:16:22
workers
00:16:24
he'd picked them up from various places
00:16:26
in and out of Gloucester before taking
00:16:28
them back to Cromwell Street
00:16:31
sex acts had occurred but Fred insisted
00:16:35
these were consensual
00:16:37
in all cases Fred strangled the women to
00:16:40
death then cut up their bodies to make
00:16:42
them easier to bury
00:16:45
Fred didn't know his victims names or
00:16:48
exactly how many there were
00:16:51
it was decided that he should be taken
00:16:53
back to 25 Cromwell Street again to
00:16:56
pinpoint where he'd buried them
00:17:00
as night descended the police present at
00:17:03
the west house dwindled
00:17:05
only a small crew remained to stand
00:17:08
guard overnight
00:17:10
reporters camping in front of the
00:17:12
property took this time to return to
00:17:14
their offices or head to the nearest pub
00:17:16
to gossip with locals
00:17:19
once the coaster was clear Fred West was
00:17:22
brought to the scene disguised as a
00:17:24
member of the digging crew
00:17:27
he was discreetly ushered inside the
00:17:30
empty shell of his home
00:17:32
Fred went down into the cellar where he
00:17:35
became noticeably stressed
00:17:37
he kept staring around the space as if
00:17:40
he was lost
00:17:44
holding a can of red spray paint Fred
00:17:46
moved to the area of the cellar that was
00:17:49
once used as his children's play area
00:17:52
the walls were adorned with scribbles
00:17:54
and art painted by the West children
00:17:58
Fred stood in an Alcove and sprayed a
00:18:01
red circle on the ground below
00:18:04
Lucy he said
00:18:06
[Music]
00:18:08
underneath the timber stairs that led
00:18:10
out of the cellar Fred Drew another
00:18:13
Circle
00:18:14
a girl from newent he remarked
00:18:19
he moved in front of an imitation
00:18:21
fireplace sprayed a third circle and
00:18:24
said the Dutch girl
00:18:26
[Music]
00:18:29
at the base of a wall covered with
00:18:32
wallpaper featuring actress Marilyn
00:18:34
Monroe Fred Drew another Circle by an
00:18:37
open fireplace announcing
00:18:40
a Worcester girl
00:18:43
the final Circle was on the right hand
00:18:46
side
00:18:48
Fred explained that there were in fact
00:18:50
two girls from Worcester buried in the
00:18:52
cellar
00:18:55
he led investigators into the extension
00:18:57
he'd built at the rear of the ground
00:18:59
floor
00:19:00
he entered the bathroom and Drew a
00:19:03
seventh circle on the floor there
00:19:06
Linda Gough
00:19:08
[Music]
00:19:10
efforts to identify Lucy the Dutch girl
00:19:14
the girl from Newland and the two girls
00:19:16
from Worcester commenced
00:19:19
tracing all the women who had
00:19:20
encountered Fred West over the years was
00:19:23
a massive undertaking
00:19:25
most of the 150 lodges who'd stayed at
00:19:28
25 Cromwell Street were young women
00:19:31
they had drifted in and out often
00:19:34
remembered only by nicknames or limited
00:19:36
physical descriptions
00:19:38
[Music]
00:19:39
then there were the hundreds of other
00:19:41
people who had visited the property over
00:19:43
the years from the party guests and
00:19:45
friends or partners of The Lodges to the
00:19:48
many men and women who met with Fred and
00:19:50
Rose for sexual relations
00:19:54
investigators sifted through the records
00:19:57
of Regional Police Social Services local
00:20:00
Care Homes and charity organizations to
00:20:03
find the details of any young women who
00:20:05
had vanished in the last 20 years
00:20:09
the missing person's helpline rang off
00:20:11
the hawk as callers sought to find out
00:20:13
if their absent loved one might have
00:20:15
crossed paths with Fred West
00:20:18
whenever a new name emerged
00:20:20
investigators tracked that person down
00:20:22
and confirmed their identity to ensure
00:20:25
they were accounted for
00:20:27
anyone who wasn't was highlighted and
00:20:30
looked into further
00:20:38
it took two men to drag the ground
00:20:41
penetrating radar equipment along the
00:20:43
bare concrete floor of the West's cellar
00:20:47
abnormalities were detected in the earth
00:20:49
below the red circles that Fred painted
00:20:53
large pneumatic drills were used to
00:20:56
break through the concrete filling the
00:20:58
confined space with dust and sending
00:21:00
sharp fragments ricocheting off the
00:21:02
walls
00:21:04
the Earth underneath was then carefully
00:21:06
removed by hand
00:21:09
the holes contained the same black
00:21:11
clay-like sludge that plagued the pit in
00:21:14
the back Garden
00:21:16
soon the seller rigged with the stanch
00:21:18
of decomposition
00:21:21
the first set of remains were uncovered
00:21:24
by the imitation fireplace
00:21:28
21 year old sociology student Therese
00:21:32
siegenthaler had vanished in April 1974.
00:21:36
while Fred had referred to her as the
00:21:39
Dutch girl Therese was actually Swiss
00:21:43
she had been raised in the
00:21:45
german-speaking burn area giving her a
00:21:48
distinct Germanic accent
00:21:51
Therese was last seen alive at a party
00:21:53
in South London where she spoke of her
00:21:55
plans to hitchhike to Wales and then
00:21:58
take a ferry across the Irish sea to
00:22:00
visit a friend in Dublin
00:22:03
France had warned her about the danger
00:22:05
of accepting rides from strangers but
00:22:07
Therese was confident that all would be
00:22:09
okay
00:22:10
she jokingly remarked
00:22:13
I can look after myself I'm a judo
00:22:16
expert
00:22:19
Therese had informed her father that she
00:22:21
would return from Dublin in a week's
00:22:23
time
00:22:24
she never did and the police failed to
00:22:27
find any trace of her
00:22:30
almost two decades later Teresa's
00:22:33
skeletal remains were Unearthed in the
00:22:35
cellar at 25 Cromwell Street
00:22:39
there was no history between Therese Sig
00:22:42
and tala and Fred West
00:22:44
Therese had likely accepted a ride from
00:22:47
Fred who was known to drive around
00:22:49
offering young women lifts
00:22:52
after burying to raise in his Cellar
00:22:54
Fred built a fake chimney over her
00:22:57
graveside as a disguise
00:23:01
like the young women found outside
00:23:03
Therese siegenthaler had been
00:23:05
dismandered with her legs and heads
00:23:07
separated from her torso
00:23:10
a water log to mud-soaked scarf was
00:23:13
retrieved from her grave
00:23:16
it had been tied into a bow
00:23:20
Teresa's brown hair was knotted inside
00:23:23
indicating this scarf had been tied
00:23:25
around the back of her head as a gag
00:23:32
by the open fireplace on the other side
00:23:35
of the cellar where the remains of
00:23:37
victim number five one of the so-called
00:23:40
Worcester girls
00:23:42
fifteen-year-old Shirley Hubbard had
00:23:44
been in care since the age of two
00:23:47
described as pretty and spirited she was
00:23:50
also vulnerable and had been taken
00:23:52
advantage of by older man
00:23:56
in November 1974 Shirley was living in
00:24:00
the city of Worcester 25 miles north of
00:24:03
Gloucester
00:24:04
she was completing work experience
00:24:06
behind a makeup counter and seeing a
00:24:09
young man whom she had met at a funfair
00:24:13
one night the couple met for a date
00:24:15
along the river seven where they shared
00:24:17
a bag of hot chips
00:24:20
at 9 30 Shirley boarded a bus home
00:24:24
she made plans to meet up with her
00:24:26
boyfriend again the following day but
00:24:29
didn't show up
00:24:31
he never saw her again
00:24:34
Fred West had to likely spotted Shirley
00:24:37
Hubbard making her way home after her
00:24:39
date and offered her a lift
00:24:43
like Fred's other victims Shirley had
00:24:45
been cut into three parts
00:24:48
as pathologist Professor Bernard Knight
00:24:51
extracted Shirley skull from the West's
00:24:53
Cellar he paused
00:24:57
something was stuck to it
00:25:00
he wiped the sludge off the skull to get
00:25:02
a better look
00:25:04
it took him a moment to realize exactly
00:25:07
what he was looking at
00:25:10
Shirley's entire skull from forehead to
00:25:13
jaw had been encircled in multiple
00:25:15
layers of a light-colored duct tape
00:25:19
a 17-inch plastic tube was stuck deep in
00:25:22
one nostril
00:25:24
another was found in her grave
00:25:28
the tubing had been inserted into
00:25:30
Shirley's nose to enable her to breathe
00:25:32
through the duct tape mask
00:25:36
Professor Knight was lost for words
00:25:39
not even the seasoned detectives in the
00:25:42
room had ever seen anything so horrific
00:25:45
but there was more work to be done
00:25:49
Professor Noah was led to the Alcove of
00:25:52
the children's play area
00:25:54
here in another of Fred's crude
00:25:57
gravesites lay the remains of the victim
00:25:59
Fred had referred to as Lucy
00:26:06
[Music]
00:26:08
in late December 1973 21 year old Lucy
00:26:12
Partington was visiting a friend in
00:26:14
Cheltenham which was a 30-minute Drive
00:26:17
Northeast of Gloucester
00:26:19
during the course of the evening Lucy
00:26:22
and her friend discussed their shared
00:26:24
interest in medieval art
00:26:27
their conversation motivated Lucy to
00:26:30
write a letter of application to
00:26:31
London's courthold Institute a college
00:26:34
specializing in art history
00:26:37
the school would suit Lucy well
00:26:40
she was a typical youth who enjoyed
00:26:43
parties Sports and spending time with
00:26:45
her family she was just as content to
00:26:48
sit in front of a fire Reading
00:26:50
literature
00:26:51
[Music]
00:26:53
Lucy's friend's mother gave her a stamp
00:26:56
so she could post the letter on her way
00:26:58
home
00:26:59
Lucy left at around 10 15 pm and headed
00:27:03
for a bus stop a three-minute walk away
00:27:05
next to Marble Hill Park
00:27:08
she caught the bus from there before
00:27:10
though it was a dark quiet spot and she
00:27:13
was often the only person around
00:27:16
in the past some bus drivers had driven
00:27:19
straight by without noticing Lucy
00:27:22
waiting
00:27:24
Lucy never made it home
00:27:28
an extensive search commenced the
00:27:31
largest and most publicized for one of
00:27:33
Fred West's victims thus far
00:27:36
police used sniffer dogs televised
00:27:39
appeals and reenactments of Lucy's last
00:27:42
known movements to try and determine
00:27:43
what had happened
00:27:46
they failed to find any answers at the
00:27:48
time but now believed to Lucy Partington
00:27:51
had also been coasted into Fred's car
00:27:53
while on her way home
00:27:56
like Shirley Hubbard Lucy's skull was
00:27:59
tightly wound with light-colored duct
00:28:01
tape
00:28:03
also found with her remains was a
00:28:05
six-inch knife with a black handle and a
00:28:08
makeshift restraint made from two pieces
00:28:10
of cord
00:28:15
Fred referred to the victim he'd buried
00:28:17
under the cellar stairs as a girl from a
00:28:20
newent
00:28:21
he eventually remembered her name
00:28:23
Juanita
00:28:26
in the spring of 1975 18 year old
00:28:30
Juanita Mart had left her job at a
00:28:32
bottling Factory and was staying with a
00:28:34
family friend in the town of Newland
00:28:37
in early April she left to hitchhike the
00:28:40
roughly 10 Mile journey into Gloucester
00:28:42
to sign up at a job center
00:28:46
she had traveled to Gloucester this way
00:28:47
many times before accepting lifts on the
00:28:50
side of the b4215 a rural road that led
00:28:54
to and from the city
00:28:58
Juanita had promised to babysit her
00:29:00
friend's children the following day but
00:29:02
she never showed up
00:29:05
even though her personal belongings were
00:29:07
left behind Juanita's Family believed
00:29:10
she had run away possibly to London
00:29:14
her two sisters regularly traveled into
00:29:16
the city spending all their money at the
00:29:19
registry office to sift through records
00:29:21
and phone books to try and track her
00:29:23
down
00:29:23
[Music]
00:29:25
they had no idea that Juanita was
00:29:27
actually a straight away from one of
00:29:29
their homes buried under 25 Cromwell
00:29:32
Street
00:29:33
[Music]
00:29:36
Juanita mod had a known history with
00:29:38
Fred West
00:29:39
she associated with people who had
00:29:42
lodged at the West home and stayed there
00:29:44
herself on occasion because the rent was
00:29:46
cheap
00:29:48
but on the day Juanita went missing she
00:29:50
hadn't mentioned any plans to go there
00:29:54
investigators deduced that Fred had
00:29:56
likely spotted juanado as she hitchhiked
00:29:59
and recognized another opportunity
00:30:04
when pathologist Professor Bernard
00:30:06
Knight dipped his hand inside Juanita's
00:30:08
muddy grave to retrieve her bones he was
00:30:11
met with resistance
00:30:13
feeling around he soon realized the
00:30:16
bones were connected by something
00:30:19
he managed to get a good grip on an arm
00:30:21
and to lift the entire massive remains
00:30:24
with it
00:30:26
gray clothesline rope was knotted around
00:30:28
Juanita's arms torso and legs
00:30:32
the ends had been fashioned into
00:30:34
wrist-sized slipknots
00:30:37
a noose was also found along with a
00:30:40
ligature made from various items of
00:30:42
clothing
00:30:44
among them was a bra and two long white
00:30:47
nylon socks similar to those often worn
00:30:51
by Rose West
00:30:54
Professor Knott believed that Juanita
00:30:56
had likely been hogtied and suspended
00:30:59
from the ceiling beams above
00:31:02
while it was believed Fred's other
00:31:04
victims had died either by strangulation
00:31:07
or asphyxiation Juanita's skull featured
00:31:10
a depressed fracture behind the right
00:31:12
ear
00:31:14
it was a heavy blow caused by a circular
00:31:17
object similar to a ball-headed hammer
00:31:21
but it couldn't be ascertained whether
00:31:23
the injury was sustained pre or
00:31:25
post-mortem
00:31:33
only one red circle remained on the
00:31:35
cellar floor the alleged graveside of
00:31:38
the second the girl from Worcester
00:31:41
extensive digging of this space failed
00:31:44
to uncover anything
00:31:46
yet because Fred West's information had
00:31:48
so far proven correct investigators were
00:31:51
reluctant to give up
00:31:54
they dug wider and deeper
00:31:57
eventually three feet below the Earth
00:32:00
they found more human remains
00:32:06
fifteen-year-old Carol Cooper was last
00:32:08
seen alive in November 1973 after
00:32:11
spending the evening at a cinema in
00:32:13
Worcester with her boyfriend and their
00:32:15
friends
00:32:17
from there Carol was heading to her
00:32:19
grandmother's where she intended to
00:32:21
spend the weekend
00:32:24
it was a rare change of scenery for the
00:32:26
teenager who had been living in a
00:32:28
children's home since the death of her
00:32:30
mother
00:32:32
at 9 15 Carroll boarded a bus and waved
00:32:36
goodbye to her boyfriend
00:32:38
she was upbeat and looking forward to
00:32:41
their next date
00:32:42
but she was never seen again
00:32:47
Fred had likely picked Carol Cooper up
00:32:50
as she was on route to her grandmother's
00:32:53
the lower part of her skull was found
00:32:55
wrapped in an elasticated cloth band
00:32:58
while a loop of fabric with a half inch
00:33:00
knot was tied under her forearms
00:33:04
clothesline rope was recovered nearby
00:33:06
along with a headband made of surgical
00:33:09
tape that contained strands of Carol's
00:33:11
hair
00:33:16
Excavating Linda goff's remains from the
00:33:19
bathroom in the ground floor extension
00:33:21
presented a challenge
00:33:23
it was the most physically demanding
00:33:26
excavation so far and to the bathroom
00:33:28
itself was small and cramped
00:33:31
only a couple of people could dig in
00:33:34
there at any given time
00:33:36
Additionally the large PID in the back
00:33:38
Garden had put the structural Integrity
00:33:40
of the extension at risk
00:33:44
police did their best to secure the
00:33:46
building but this was difficult due to
00:33:48
Fred's shoddy craftsmanship
00:33:51
excavation of the rear Garden was slowed
00:33:54
to prevent a catastrophic collapse onto
00:33:57
the crime scene
00:34:00
drilling through the concrete floor
00:34:02
revealed a layer of Earth stone
00:34:04
household rubbish and construction
00:34:06
debris
00:34:09
eventually Linda goff's remains were
00:34:12
spotted
00:34:13
Professor Knight carefully removed one
00:34:16
bone after another mindful that the hole
00:34:19
could collapse at any moment
00:34:22
Linda had been dismembered and
00:34:24
decapitated
00:34:27
lengths of cord and elasticated cloth
00:34:29
found with her remains indicated that
00:34:32
she too had been bound and gagged
00:34:39
[Music]
00:34:40
each of the gravesites were widened to
00:34:43
facilitate A Fine Arts sieve search
00:34:46
despite this none of the victim's
00:34:48
remains were fully recovered
00:34:51
each was missing a variation of kneecaps
00:34:54
fingers toes ribs vertebrae shoulder
00:34:57
blades and other smaller bones
00:35:01
aside from the extreme sexual torture
00:35:04
the women had evidently endured there
00:35:06
were signs of further suffering
00:35:08
Heather's fingernails had been forcibly
00:35:11
ripped off and Scattered in her grave
00:35:16
Cromwell Street and its surrounds had
00:35:18
been completely shut down due to the
00:35:20
huge crowd trying to catch a glimpse of
00:35:22
what the media had dubbed the House of
00:35:25
Horrors
00:35:27
reporters from all over the world
00:35:28
flocked to Gloucester to cover the case
00:35:32
live footage of the home was broadcast
00:35:34
on 24-hour news channels
00:35:37
the West's neighbors charged people
00:35:39
money to stand in their Gardens peer out
00:35:42
from their windows or to use their
00:35:44
toilets
00:35:46
several turned their facades into shop
00:35:48
fronts where they sold food and drinks
00:35:52
some news crews erected scaffolding
00:35:54
around 25 Cromwell Street to get a
00:35:57
clearer view of the dig in the back
00:35:58
Garden
00:36:00
police had never seen anything like it
00:36:03
[Music]
00:36:05
Witnesses quickly sold their stories to
00:36:08
the press and unsettling reports about
00:36:10
strange encounters with the wests were
00:36:12
splashed across tabloids
00:36:15
some spoke about Rose's tendency to
00:36:17
answer the front door wearing lingerie
00:36:19
or to go out in public without underwear
00:36:23
others mentioned Fred performing lewd
00:36:26
acts while driving young women around
00:36:29
some visitors to the West's home had
00:36:32
reportedly found Fred and Rose watching
00:36:34
pornography with their children
00:36:36
[Music]
00:36:37
Rose allegedly told someone that Fred
00:36:40
had been having sex with his children
00:36:44
the witness claimed to have anonymously
00:36:46
reported the comment to welfare agencies
00:36:49
but apparently nothing was done
00:36:54
lodges had heard thumps crashes whales
00:36:57
and shrakes emanating from Rose's room
00:37:00
where she conducted her sex work
00:37:03
neighbors recalled screaming emanating
00:37:06
from 25 Cromwell Street late at night
00:37:08
and said a terrible smell lingered
00:37:10
around the house
00:37:12
plagues of flies hovered around the
00:37:15
cellar which Fred had once referred to
00:37:17
as his torture chamber
00:37:21
despite all this the killings themselves
00:37:23
had seemingly gone unnoticed
00:37:29
over the 14-year period spanning 1973 to
00:37:33
1987. Fred West had killed nine young
00:37:36
women in his home
00:37:39
eight of them perished during the first
00:37:42
six years he lived there
00:37:44
Linda Goff was first
00:37:47
he then murdered Carol Cooper Lucy
00:37:50
Partington Therese siegenthaler Shirley
00:37:52
Hubbard and Juanita Mart
00:37:56
after concreting over the cellar floor
00:37:58
he started filling his back garden with
00:38:01
bodies beginning with Shirley Robinson
00:38:04
and then Alison Chambers
00:38:07
there was an eight-year break before he
00:38:10
set his sights on his own daughter
00:38:11
Heather West
00:38:15
it was clear that Fred wasn't being
00:38:17
truthful about the murders
00:38:19
he offered no explanation for the
00:38:22
restraints or weapons found in any of
00:38:24
the graves except in Linda goff's Case
00:38:28
he claimed that her death was accidental
00:38:30
a bondage incident gone wrong
00:38:34
he dropped her up in the cellar and
00:38:36
Linda enjoyed it
00:38:37
then Fred went to answer the door and
00:38:40
when he returned Linda had hung herself
00:38:45
I've never killed anyone outright you're
00:38:48
trying to make out that I just went out
00:38:50
and blatantly killed somebody Fred told
00:38:52
Detectives
00:38:55
he also claimed that he had never raped
00:38:57
anybody
00:38:59
enjoyment turned to disaster were his
00:39:02
words
00:39:05
Fred told a lie after lie when
00:39:08
attempting to explain a motive for Age
00:39:10
killing
00:39:11
he said that Shirley Robinson had
00:39:13
sexually abused his daughter Anna Marie
00:39:16
then he said he killed Shirley because
00:39:19
she was jealous of rose
00:39:21
finally it was because Shirley had
00:39:23
called Rosa quote [ __ ] a slag and a cow
00:39:30
as one detective said Fred's word was
00:39:33
worthless except to confirm that nothing
00:39:36
he said could be relied upon as anything
00:39:39
near the truth
00:39:41
[Music]
00:39:42
but there was still the matter of Fred's
00:39:45
written confession
00:39:48
in it he had named three of his victims
00:39:52
one was Linda Goff
00:39:54
the other two weren't found at 25
00:39:57
Cromwell Street
00:39:59
[Music]
00:40:09
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00:43:20
Fred West stood in a field in the middle
00:43:22
of nowhere
00:43:24
was a short hike from his childhood home
00:43:26
in the village of much Markle 16 miles
00:43:28
Northwest of Gloucester
00:43:31
The Familiar isolated Countryside
00:43:33
stretched around him for miles
00:43:37
in his younger years Fred had walked to
00:43:39
this very spot with his siblings
00:43:41
collecting wildflowers that they would
00:43:43
later sell
00:43:46
as a teen he had crashed his motorcycle
00:43:48
nearby resulting in a week-long coma and
00:43:51
severe head injuries
00:43:54
it was also where he carried out a lot
00:43:56
of his farmhand work around that time
00:43:59
the area was known as the letterbox
00:44:01
Field named after a distinct red mailbox
00:44:04
that was attached to a surrounding fans
00:44:09
detectives crowded around Fred as he
00:44:12
trudged through the thick mud of the
00:44:14
freshly plowed field
00:44:16
the Topography of the area had changed a
00:44:19
lot since 1971.
00:44:22
back then Fred had climbed a small
00:44:25
incline towards a cluster of cut back
00:44:27
yew trees
00:44:29
in a spot next to the Hedgerow that was
00:44:31
unlikely to be disturbed he dug a hole
00:44:36
revisiting letterbox field in 1994. Fred
00:44:40
placed a piece of wood where he believed
00:44:42
he had dug the hole all those years ago
00:44:46
it was there that he said he had buried
00:44:48
his first wife Reina
00:44:52
Fred gave conflicting stories regarding
00:44:55
Reina West's murder
00:44:57
whatever the truth it seemed to have
00:44:59
started when Fred met Raynor at a pub
00:45:01
one evening in August 1971.
00:45:05
by the end of the night Rina was heavily
00:45:08
intoxicated
00:45:10
Fred took her to his van and drove her
00:45:13
towards a letterbox field which was one
00:45:15
of rayna's favorite spots
00:45:19
in one version of his story Fred said
00:45:22
Rayna was quote absolutely paralytic to
00:45:25
the point of unconsciousness
00:45:27
he hauled her out of his van and slammed
00:45:30
her heart against the gate killing her
00:45:33
in another statement Fred said the pair
00:45:36
got into an argument that ended with him
00:45:38
strangling Rina to death
00:45:42
in any case Fred claimed he'd used a
00:45:45
large saber knife and alongside to
00:45:48
dismember arena in what became his
00:45:50
characteristic way removing the legs
00:45:53
from the Torso followed by decapitation
00:45:57
as to why he killed Reina frad had been
00:46:01
pursuing a marriage to the then teenage
00:46:03
Rose
00:46:05
Fred and Rose had just had their first
00:46:07
child together Heather
00:46:10
Fred was in a constant battle with Reina
00:46:12
over the custody of her two children
00:46:14
Charmaine and Anna Marie
00:46:18
he explained to detectives
00:46:21
I had too many people to watch at once
00:46:23
that's what went wrong
00:46:28
a trench was established in the vicinity
00:46:30
of Fred's wooden marker
00:46:33
soil was carried along a motorized
00:46:35
conveyor belt to be thoroughly sieved
00:46:37
and examined
00:46:39
after that it was either Carried Away by
00:46:42
hand or placed into wheelbarrows to be
00:46:45
added to a growing pile
00:46:47
by Nightfall the trench was four feet
00:46:50
deep and spanned 10 feet either side of
00:46:53
the marker
00:46:54
there had been no significant
00:46:56
discoveries
00:46:59
digging resumed the following morning
00:47:01
under the watchful lies of the
00:47:03
journalists who had gathered along the
00:47:04
site's perimeter
00:47:07
the trench was expanded to almost 100
00:47:09
feet but still nothing was found
00:47:14
when days passed with no breakthroughs
00:47:17
detectives considered the possibility
00:47:19
that Fred West had lied to them
00:47:22
[Music]
00:47:27
by Sunday April 10 the letterbox field
00:47:30
dig had reached its 13th fruitless day
00:47:35
a mini mechanical Digger was brought in
00:47:37
to remove the more solid soil
00:47:41
near a Fallen Tree slightly further
00:47:44
uphill from where Fred had placed his
00:47:46
marker the Digger Unearthed what looked
00:47:48
like part of a human skull
00:47:51
before long more skeletal remains were
00:47:55
found
00:47:57
pathologist Professor Bernard Knight
00:47:59
lowered himself into the trench to
00:48:01
examine the bones
00:48:04
they were extremely brittle compared to
00:48:06
those who'd recovered at 25 Cromwell
00:48:08
Street and they broke to Pieces during
00:48:10
recovery
00:48:12
still Professor night was able to
00:48:15
identify the remains as belonging to
00:48:17
Arena West
00:48:21
when Fred was showing detectives the
00:48:23
burial saw it he drew their attention to
00:48:26
an adjoining 13-acre cornfield called
00:48:28
finger post field
00:48:31
it was named after the shape of a
00:48:33
signpost at its entrance
00:48:36
Fred said he had a feeling that was
00:48:39
where animate 4 was buried
00:48:43
Anna was a friend of Arenas who had
00:48:45
vanished 27 years earlier in July 1967.
00:48:50
at the time of her disappearance Anna
00:48:53
was having an affair with Fred and was
00:48:55
pregnant with his child
00:48:59
Fred told detectives that Reina killed
00:49:02
Anna in a drunken jealous rage
00:49:05
Fred Denard being involved or knowing
00:49:08
how Anna died
00:49:10
he did however feel that Anna was in
00:49:13
finger post field buried among some
00:49:16
vegetation next to a pond
00:49:20
upon uncovering Raina West's remains
00:49:23
police moved their excavation equipment
00:49:25
into finger post field to begin
00:49:27
searching for Anna McFall
00:49:31
since 1967 the area had been covered in
00:49:34
soil and the pond no longer existed
00:49:39
investigators used old Council land maps
00:49:41
and sought help from an archaeologist to
00:49:44
Mark exactly where the pond had once
00:49:46
been
00:49:47
dig efforts were hampered by frequent
00:49:50
downpours that pelted across the fields
00:49:53
the lay of the land meant the rainwater
00:49:56
kept it draining downwards into the
00:49:58
search area turning the trench into a
00:50:00
bog of red mud and clay
00:50:03
pumps were brought in but did a little
00:50:05
to Abate the flooding
00:50:09
investigators were forced to wait until
00:50:11
the weather cleared and the land
00:50:13
hardened
00:50:14
even then it was no easy task
00:50:18
the Old Pond was filled with large tree
00:50:20
roots that were difficult to shift
00:50:25
by mid-may the third month of the West
00:50:28
inquiry more than 400 tons of Earth had
00:50:31
been moved from finger post field
00:50:34
but only half of the designated area was
00:50:37
searched
00:50:39
Fred West refused to offer any further
00:50:41
insight into animac Falls whereabouts
00:50:44
instead gloating that she would never be
00:50:46
found
00:50:49
the Dig was given until June 11 to be
00:50:52
completed
00:50:53
when the deadline arrived the trench
00:50:56
covered 600 square meters and was two
00:50:59
meters deep
00:51:00
but nothing significant had been found
00:51:04
the decision was made to wrap things up
00:51:09
as a last-ditch effort the dig Team
00:51:11
headed over to a small area of Woodland
00:51:14
that locals had pointed out to them
00:51:17
shortly after 7 20 that night diggers
00:51:21
working less than two meters from the
00:51:23
tree line Unearthed skeletal remains
00:51:26
they had found Anna McFall
00:51:31
Anna had been dismembered and several of
00:51:34
her smaller bones were missing
00:51:37
her wrists were bound together with cord
00:51:40
in her grave were different lengths of
00:51:43
rope one of which was nodded
00:51:46
buried with Anna was her and Fred's
00:51:49
unborn fetus which was around six to
00:51:52
seven months in gestation
00:51:55
[Music]
00:52:00
the third and final name included in
00:52:03
Fred's confession letter was that of his
00:52:05
stepdaughter Charmaine West
00:52:09
Fred claimed that on the night he killed
00:52:11
Rina he returned to his van only to
00:52:14
remember that rina's oldest daughter
00:52:16
eight-year-old Charmaine was fast asleep
00:52:19
in the back seat
00:52:21
unsure what to do next Fred held
00:52:24
Charmaine by the throat until she
00:52:26
stopped breathing
00:52:29
he drove charmaine's body back to 25
00:52:31
Midland Road in Gloucester where he and
00:52:34
Rose were living at the time
00:52:37
after wrapping charmaine's body in a
00:52:39
Tartan blanket Fred hit her in a coal
00:52:42
Cellar under the kitchen
00:52:44
he left her there for years before
00:52:46
eventually burying her under the house
00:52:49
[Music]
00:52:52
diggers were sent to 25 Midland Road
00:52:54
marking the fifth active dig side in the
00:52:57
west case
00:52:59
Charmaine West was discovered buried six
00:53:02
feet deep in the backyard by the rear
00:53:04
door of the flat
00:53:07
her kneecaps part of her breastbone and
00:53:09
a number of her wrist ankle finger and
00:53:12
to toe bones were missing
00:53:15
when asked about their whereabouts Fred
00:53:17
stared in silence
00:53:20
he delayed a say he removed the smaller
00:53:23
bones of his victims to prevent
00:53:24
identification
00:53:27
investigators believed that Fred had
00:53:29
actually kept them as Macabre keepsakes
00:53:31
of his crimes
00:53:34
[Music]
00:53:36
the only time Fred showed a hint of
00:53:38
emotion was when investigators charged
00:53:40
him with charmaine's murder
00:53:43
his eyes welled up
00:53:46
Witnesses thought it possible that Fred
00:53:48
was overcome with self-pity rather than
00:53:51
remorse
00:53:53
while Fred gave no indication that
00:53:56
charmaine's death was sexually motivated
00:53:58
a witness recalled a disturbing incident
00:54:01
from when Charmaine was just a baby
00:54:04
they'd walked in on Fred to find him
00:54:07
grinding a naked Charmaine against his
00:54:09
groin
00:54:12
Fred claimed that Charmaine had been
00:54:14
dressed when he killed her but not a
00:54:16
single piece of fabric button zip thread
00:54:19
or elastic was found with her remains
00:54:23
like all of Fred's victims it appeared
00:54:25
that Charmaine had been buried naked
00:54:30
when presented with this discrepancy
00:54:32
Fred said he would no longer answer any
00:54:34
questions or assist with any searches
00:54:40
Fred claimed he'd killed Charmaine on
00:54:42
the same night as Rina
00:54:44
however based on witness accounts and
00:54:47
school records Charmaine West had
00:54:49
disappeared around five months before
00:54:51
her mother in late March or early April
00:54:54
1971.
00:54:57
at that time Fred was serving a short
00:55:00
stint in prison for theft
00:55:03
Charmaine was actually in the care of
00:55:05
her stepmother Rose
00:55:07
[Music]
00:55:12
thank you
00:55:15
Fred used the rose to justify all of the
00:55:18
murders he committed
00:55:20
he claimed his victims had all
00:55:22
threatened his marriage in some way
00:55:24
prompting him to remove them from his
00:55:26
life permanently
00:55:28
Fred West quote
00:55:32
all these girls did exactly the same
00:55:34
thing it was made quite clear that I was
00:55:37
married to Rose and I don't want nothing
00:55:39
to do with them nothing serious it was
00:55:42
just thank you ma'am and finished and
00:55:45
every one of them did exactly the same
00:55:48
thing I love you I'm pregnant I'm going
00:55:51
to tell Rose I want you to come and live
00:55:54
with me
00:55:55
and that was the problem
00:56:00
Fred also said that at least two of his
00:56:02
victims threatened to accuse him of rape
00:56:05
if he didn't give them money
00:56:07
quote
00:56:09
she said that'll be 10 quid
00:56:12
I said if you'd have said that in the
00:56:14
first place I'd have told you to get
00:56:16
lost
00:56:17
then she started shouting and said
00:56:19
you're the sort of person who goes with
00:56:22
slags
00:56:23
and I just lost my head with her because
00:56:26
as soon as she said that I thought of
00:56:28
Rose and Rose is no slack as far as I
00:56:32
was concerned
00:56:32
[Music]
00:56:35
Fred accused his first wife Rina of
00:56:38
constantly disrupting his and Rose's
00:56:40
home life so she had to go
00:56:43
Charmaine was a disrespectful child who
00:56:46
caused Rose a lot of grief prompting
00:56:49
Fred to dispose of her too
00:56:52
whatever story he concocted Fred made it
00:56:55
clear that every murder he committed was
00:56:57
for Rosa's benefit
00:56:59
yet he insisted Rose had no idea about
00:57:03
any of it
00:57:06
the evidence indicated otherwise
00:57:10
Rose had once told her parents that Fred
00:57:13
was capable of murder
00:57:15
she knew Fred's joke about Heather being
00:57:18
buried under the patio
00:57:20
in the past she had restrained her
00:57:23
children with objects similar to those
00:57:25
found with the bodies of Fred's victims
00:57:28
she was also known to drive around with
00:57:31
Fred when he picked up young women
00:57:33
[Music]
00:57:35
Rose rarely left home so it seemed
00:57:38
absurd that she hadn't seen or heard
00:57:40
anything
00:57:42
how could Fred dismember and bury so
00:57:45
many victims without Rose noticing a
00:57:47
single drop of blood
00:57:50
Rose maintained that she hadn't known
00:57:52
any of Fred's victims except Charmaine
00:57:56
but numerous witness accounts proved at
00:57:59
the very least she knew Linda Goff
00:58:01
Shirley Robinson Alison Chambers and
00:58:04
Raina West
00:58:07
of the pair Rose was more violent and
00:58:10
sexually insatiable while Fred preferred
00:58:13
being the passive Observer
00:58:16
most significantly Rose had a known
00:58:18
history of working alongside Fred to
00:58:21
abduct young women for her own sexual
00:58:23
sadism
00:58:25
the 1972 rape of Caroline Owens at 25
00:58:29
Cromwell Street predated all the murders
00:58:33
committed there
00:58:35
in Fred's words that attack was quote
00:58:38
Rosa's idea
00:58:41
Rose insisted that she couldn't even
00:58:43
remember the incident
00:58:48
a search of the West's attic uncovered a
00:58:50
box of mementos the couple had saved
00:58:53
over the years from older Love Letters
00:58:55
to photographs
00:58:57
among them was a clipping from a local
00:59:00
newspaper titled
00:59:02
City pair stripped and assaulted girl
00:59:06
it was published the day after Fred and
00:59:09
Rose walked free from court for their
00:59:11
joint attack on Caroline Owens
00:59:15
they had kept to the article as though
00:59:17
it was a souvenir
00:59:23
thirty-year-old Catherine Halliday was
00:59:26
one of many people who engaged in a
00:59:28
consensual three-way sexual relationship
00:59:30
with Fred and Rose West
00:59:33
according to Catherine
00:59:35
it wasn't really human contact that Rose
00:59:38
wanted she liked pain
00:59:41
I wouldn't call it making love
00:59:45
on numerous occasions Catherine was tied
00:59:47
up and blindfolded
00:59:49
one time the wests bound Catherine with
00:59:52
a nylon cord so tightly that Waltz were
00:59:55
left on her wrists and ankles
00:59:58
when Catherine asked for the cord to be
01:00:00
loosened Rose replied
01:00:03
what if we left you all day and just
01:00:06
came back and tormented you every so
01:00:08
often
01:00:11
Fred and Rose once showed Catherine a
01:00:13
pornographic video filmed inside their
01:00:15
bedroom
01:00:17
it featured the couple performing sex
01:00:19
acts on a restrained woman who was
01:00:21
clearly in pain
01:00:24
the footage left Catherine feeling
01:00:26
uneasy
01:00:28
gradually the wests became more violent
01:00:31
with Catherine
01:00:32
Fred beat her head as Rose slapped her
01:00:36
Catherine Halliday quote
01:00:40
I felt Fred and Rose were trying to take
01:00:42
me to my physical and emotional limit
01:00:47
it all came to a head during one
01:00:50
progressively extreme encounter
01:00:52
Rose pressed the pillow into Catherine's
01:00:55
face and whispered in her ear
01:00:57
what does it feel like not being able to
01:01:00
see
01:01:02
the pillow remained in place as Fred and
01:01:05
Rose proceeded to rape Catherine
01:01:08
Rose mocked her asking
01:01:11
can't you breathe aren't you woman
01:01:13
enough to take it
01:01:16
Catherine felt something cold and sharp
01:01:18
against her stomach
01:01:21
when she was finally released there was
01:01:23
a half inch cut near her navel
01:01:27
after this Fred and Rose pressured
01:01:30
Catherine to move into 25 Cromwell
01:01:32
Street
01:01:33
but she stopped saying the couple all
01:01:35
together a decision she later credited
01:01:38
with saving her life
01:01:46
miss a was only 13 years old when she
01:01:49
met the West
01:01:51
misay's identity is suppressed by a
01:01:54
court order
01:01:57
she came from a deeply troubled family
01:01:59
and was a survivor of child sex abuse
01:02:03
consequently she was sent to Jordan's
01:02:06
brook house a care home for vulnerable
01:02:08
adolescents
01:02:11
Fred and Rose had befriended several
01:02:13
girls living there including Alison
01:02:16
Chambers who was killed at Cromwell
01:02:18
Street
01:02:20
one of the older Jordan's Brook girls
01:02:22
took me say to meet the wests
01:02:25
Rose came across as pleasant
01:02:27
understanding and caring
01:02:29
she told me say she could visit and cry
01:02:32
on her shoulder anytime
01:02:35
miss a took rose up on her offer and
01:02:38
dropped by every few weeks
01:02:41
the two established a trusting rapport
01:02:47
shortly after miss a turned 15 she
01:02:50
visited 25 Cromwell Street
01:02:53
Rose who was 23 at the time answered the
01:02:57
door in her underwear
01:02:59
although this made me say uncomfortable
01:03:02
she entered the house
01:03:05
miss a began to vent about her problems
01:03:08
looking for advice and sympathy
01:03:11
instead Rose placed an arm around her
01:03:14
and started kissing and fondling her
01:03:16
body
01:03:19
miss a pushed Rose away and left
01:03:23
she was too embarrassed to tell anyone
01:03:25
what happened
01:03:28
six weeks passed before miss a returned
01:03:31
to 25 Cromwell Street again seeking
01:03:34
support
01:03:36
this time Rose was wearing a see-through
01:03:39
blouse
01:03:41
miss a went to use the bathroom and
01:03:43
could hear Rose speaking to Fred outside
01:03:46
the door
01:03:48
when misei exited Rose pushed her into a
01:03:51
room towards the front of the house
01:03:54
two other girls were there one on a bed
01:03:57
and one on the floor
01:04:00
both were naked
01:04:04
miss a later identified the girl on the
01:04:07
floor as Anna Marie West who would have
01:04:09
been around 14 years old at the time
01:04:13
miss a recalled Anna Marie appearing
01:04:16
dazed and out of it
01:04:19
while Anna Marie had no recollection of
01:04:21
this incident she didn't doubt it
01:04:23
happened
01:04:25
she had memories from around that time
01:04:27
of Rose drugging her cereal
01:04:30
miss a didn't know the other girl but
01:04:33
she looked slightly older
01:04:37
Fred West was also in the room sitting
01:04:40
and watching silently
01:04:42
[Music]
01:04:44
Rose took her clothes off telling the
01:04:47
other girls
01:04:48
it's all right to touch to feel enjoy
01:04:52
and show affection
01:04:55
miss a felt helpless as Fred and Rose
01:04:58
stripped her naked
01:05:00
she was then forced to watch as the
01:05:03
couple bound the older girls wrists and
01:05:05
ankles with brown packing tape then
01:05:07
raped her
01:05:09
the girl was frightened and in pain
01:05:13
she clearly wanted help but miss a was
01:05:16
frozen in fear scared of what the wests
01:05:18
would do to her if she intervened
01:05:23
once the assault was over Rose viciously
01:05:26
tore the tape off the girl who began
01:05:29
sucking her hair for comfort
01:05:31
miss a was then raped in a similar
01:05:34
manner
01:05:36
throughout the attack Rose's voice
01:05:39
changed constantly
01:05:41
one minute she spoke aggressively the
01:05:44
next she sounded motherly
01:05:47
she kept asking Fred
01:05:50
are you enjoying this now and is that
01:05:53
nice
01:05:56
at one point Rose exclaimed happily
01:06:00
this is fun
01:06:02
it's great
01:06:06
afterwards miss a retreated to a
01:06:09
bathroom to clean up
01:06:11
she put her clothes back on and left
01:06:14
Cromwell straight Barefoot and in tears
01:06:18
misay didn't report the assault
01:06:20
believing she deserved it for being a
01:06:22
bad child who had to be put into care
01:06:25
quote
01:06:27
I felt so ashamed I just felt sick and
01:06:31
felt stupid
01:06:32
I felt hate for Rose
01:06:34
I felt I trusted somebody and she had
01:06:37
used me
01:06:40
six weeks later miss a went back to 25
01:06:44
Cromwell Street
01:06:46
this time she was armed with a can of
01:06:48
petrol and a box of matches
01:06:51
she wanted Revenge
01:06:54
her plan was to pour the petrol through
01:06:57
the letterbox slot in the West's front
01:06:59
door and set the building a light
01:07:02
but the two front Gates were padlocked
01:07:05
shard
01:07:07
misei found herself Frozen again
01:07:10
she couldn't bring herself to go near
01:07:12
the house
01:07:18
when investigators accused Rose of
01:07:21
having an active role in her husband's
01:07:23
crimes her trademark temper surfaced
01:07:27
it's a lie she snapped
01:07:29
she told detectives that Fred was a
01:07:32
maniac that there was quote
01:07:34
something wrong with him altogether
01:07:37
[Music]
01:07:39
police bugged at the safe house where
01:07:41
Rose was capped in the hopes she'd let
01:07:43
something slip
01:07:45
in total 885 recordings were collected
01:07:50
they worked in Rose's favor
01:07:53
she was recorded denying any involvement
01:07:56
in the murders and making threats
01:07:58
against Fred for what he did
01:08:01
she told visiting family members that
01:08:03
she hated Fred and didn't want to know
01:08:05
anything about him
01:08:08
investigators remained skeptical
01:08:11
Rose had once told someone that there
01:08:14
was nothing Fred could do that would
01:08:16
make her leave him
01:08:18
even when he gave her a black eye Rose
01:08:21
remarked to a family friend that she was
01:08:23
lucky Fred stayed with her
01:08:26
[Music]
01:08:28
a criminal psychologist theorized that
01:08:31
the wests had hatched a plan wherein
01:08:33
Fred would admit to all of the murders
01:08:35
while Rose would deny everything and be
01:08:38
exonerated
01:08:41
Fred West was ultimately charged with
01:08:43
the murders of animac4 Linda Goff Carol
01:08:47
Cooper Lucy Partington Therese Siegen
01:08:50
tala Shirley Hubbard Juanita Mart
01:08:53
Shirley Robinson Alison Chambers and
01:08:56
Heather Reina and Charmaine West
01:09:00
no charges were brought against him for
01:09:03
the killing of Anna McFall and Shirley
01:09:05
Robinson's unborn children as there was
01:09:08
no such crime under British law
01:09:13
two months after the police first went
01:09:16
to Cromwell Street in their search for
01:09:17
Heather Rose was arrested
01:09:21
a decision hadn't been made on What
01:09:23
charges she might face other than
01:09:26
possibly a sold occasioning actual
01:09:28
bodily harm and indecent assault
01:09:31
[Music]
01:09:33
the fact remained that there was no
01:09:35
concrete evidence linking Rose to any of
01:09:38
the murders
01:09:40
investigators had a long list of
01:09:42
questions to determine once and for all
01:09:44
if Rose played any role in Fred's serial
01:09:47
killing and were eager to clarify who
01:09:50
was the more dominant in the West's
01:09:52
marriage
01:09:54
to every single question Rose replied no
01:09:59
comment
01:10:01
she was held for three days during which
01:10:04
time she was charged with the murder of
01:10:06
Linda Goff
01:10:08
only then did she offer a different
01:10:10
response
01:10:13
I'm innocent
01:10:15
[Music]
01:10:23
Rose was ultimately charged with all the
01:10:26
murders committed at Cromwell Street
01:10:29
letters she had sent to Fred while he
01:10:31
was incarcerated in 1971 also secured a
01:10:35
charge for the murder of Charmaine West
01:10:39
in one she wrote
01:10:42
I think Charmaine likes to be handled
01:10:44
rough but darling why do I have to be
01:10:47
the one to do it
01:10:49
I would keep her for her own sake if it
01:10:51
wasn't for the rest of the children
01:10:54
you can see Charmaine coming out in Anna
01:10:57
Marie now
01:10:59
and I hate it
01:11:04
this letter included the day Fred was to
01:11:07
be released from prison
01:11:09
there was no record of him being paroled
01:11:11
any earlier
01:11:14
this proved that when Charmaine vanished
01:11:17
Fred was still incarcerated and Rose was
01:11:20
responsible for her
01:11:24
it was believed she was also involved in
01:11:26
Reina West's death somehow but there
01:11:29
wasn't sufficient evidence to charge her
01:11:33
Rose was 13 years old and wasn't in Fred
01:11:36
West's life when animac4 was killed
01:11:39
[Music]
01:11:42
Prosecuting Rose West was going to be a
01:11:45
challenge
01:11:46
police had over 6 000 pages of interview
01:11:49
transcripts with enough evidence to
01:11:51
ensure Fred would be put away for life
01:11:55
but throughout roses 73 interviews she
01:11:59
did nothing but assert her innocence
01:12:03
the charges against her relied on
01:12:05
circumstantial and similar fact evidence
01:12:09
witness testimony from those who endured
01:12:11
Rose's abuse would be vital
01:12:14
but there was a risk that Witnesses
01:12:16
would become non-compliant to avoid the
01:12:19
publicity
01:12:21
some had also sold their stories to the
01:12:24
media which would no doubt come under
01:12:26
Fire from the defense
01:12:29
given the entire case was a media circus
01:12:32
it was questioned whether a fair trial
01:12:34
was even possible
01:12:37
in the court of public opinion both Fred
01:12:40
and Rose West were already guilty
01:12:45
with his wife now facing trial it was
01:12:48
hoped Fred would stop protecting her and
01:12:50
finally offer up some crucial
01:12:52
information
01:12:54
instead he retracted his previous
01:12:57
confessions and denied committing any of
01:13:00
the murders
01:13:02
however he did give detectives another
01:13:05
interesting handwritten note
01:13:08
it read
01:13:10
I have not and still not told you the
01:13:13
whole truth about these matters
01:13:16
the reason for this is that from the
01:13:18
very first day of this inquiry my main
01:13:21
concern has been to protect other person
01:13:23
or persons and there is nothing else I
01:13:27
wish to say at this time
01:13:31
although Fred refused to name the other
01:13:34
person or persons involved in his crimes
01:13:37
there was little doubt who he was
01:13:39
referring to
01:13:46
during pre-trial Court proceedings Rose
01:13:49
West came face to face with her husband
01:13:51
for the first time since his arrest
01:13:55
upon seeing his wife Fred offered her a
01:13:58
faint smile and patted her on the back
01:14:00
several times as he shoveled past into
01:14:03
the dark
01:14:05
how are you Rosemary he asked as Rose
01:14:08
responded with silence
01:14:11
she turned her back on him kept her head
01:14:14
bowed and didn't acknowledge him at all
01:14:18
Fred became teary
01:14:21
she later remarked that being next to
01:14:23
Fred made her feel sick
01:14:27
Fred faced 12 murder charges to Rosa's
01:14:30
10.
01:14:32
both pleaded not guilty and were held on
01:14:35
remand in anticipation of what had
01:14:37
already been dubbed
01:14:39
the trial of the century
01:14:43
the couple appeared in court together
01:14:45
several more times in the lead-up to
01:14:47
their joint trial
01:14:49
Rose made it abundantly clear that she
01:14:52
did not wish to speak to her husband or
01:14:54
for him to touch her
01:14:56
whenever Fred did reach out he was
01:14:59
pulled back by guards
01:15:02
he would watch Rose while she stubbornly
01:15:05
looked ahead
01:15:07
on the rare occasion she did glance at
01:15:09
him she showed no affection
01:15:15
but a length of wool threaded through a
01:15:17
buttonhole of Rosa's cardigan and tied
01:15:20
in a larger bow came to police attention
01:15:24
when asked about it after court Rose
01:15:27
said
01:15:28
it's to help me to remember something
01:15:32
police suspected it was a sign to her
01:15:35
husband that she had not betrayed him
01:15:37
and remained faithful
01:15:40
the couple were known to communicate to
01:15:43
one another by sending signals
01:15:46
as the months wore on Fred appeared
01:15:49
tired and stressed while Rose looked
01:15:52
healthy
01:15:53
she had actually gained weight while in
01:15:55
prison
01:15:57
Fred had become thinner his hair was
01:15:59
shorter and he had a hearing aid fitted
01:16:02
as he complained of deafness
01:16:07
Fred West passed his time in prison by
01:16:10
drawing and playing Billiards as he had
01:16:13
a fair aptitude for both
01:16:15
he also made an attempt to improve his
01:16:18
literacy skills
01:16:20
he seemingly enjoyed reading about
01:16:22
himself in the tabloids and bust in the
01:16:25
notoriety his case gave him
01:16:29
Fred was kept segregated but still
01:16:32
worried that other inmates would harm
01:16:34
him for being an accused child abuser
01:16:36
and killer
01:16:38
yet they were mostly ambivalent towards
01:16:40
Fred who they nicknamed digger
01:16:45
when he passed by they shouted
01:16:48
build us a patio Fred
01:16:51
if he did have contact with fellow
01:16:53
prisoners he asserted his dominance by
01:16:56
flashing A demented grin and warning
01:16:58
them to go away
01:17:03
Fred's eldest children Anna Marie May
01:17:05
and Stephen were almost exclusively his
01:17:08
only visitors
01:17:11
Fred was permitted to make phone calls
01:17:13
and did so regularly to chat with the
01:17:16
three children he still was allowed to
01:17:18
contact
01:17:20
he apologized for what had happened and
01:17:22
maintained that he loved them
01:17:25
he urged them to sell 25 Cromwell
01:17:27
straight and start a new life together
01:17:31
Fred tried to pass on messages to Rose
01:17:34
via their children but she never
01:17:36
responded
01:17:39
it was clear to the West children that
01:17:42
Fred loved and missed his wife
01:17:45
he sent her letters which was no easy
01:17:47
feat as he'd struggled to read and write
01:17:49
his entire life
01:17:52
Rose didn't acknowledge them
01:17:56
a despairing Fred began accusing Rose of
01:17:59
trying to break up their family
01:18:03
while he never stopped writing letters
01:18:05
to her he did stop sending them
01:18:10
Fred had also started taking notes for
01:18:13
an autobiography he intended to ride
01:18:17
He said Each chapter would be dedicated
01:18:19
to one of the women in his life
01:18:23
chapter 1 had allegedly already been
01:18:25
written and was about his first known
01:18:28
victim animac4
01:18:30
Fred had titled it
01:18:33
I was loved by an Angel
01:18:38
was the pet name he used for Anna
01:18:43
in time Fred's children sensed that he
01:18:46
was falling apart
01:18:48
he would ramble at them incoherently his
01:18:51
eyes filled with tears
01:18:57
as Rose West's birthday approached in
01:19:00
November 1994. Fred wrote her a letter
01:19:04
but never centered
01:19:07
it read
01:19:09
well Rose it's your birthday and you
01:19:12
will be 41 and still beautiful and still
01:19:15
lovely and I love you
01:19:19
he wrote that the most wonderful thing
01:19:21
in his life was when he met her before
01:19:24
adding
01:19:25
keep your promises to me you know what
01:19:28
they are
01:19:30
the letter concluded
01:19:33
you will always be Mrs West all over the
01:19:36
world I haven't got you a present but
01:19:38
all I have is my life
01:19:41
I will give it to you my darling
01:19:44
when you are ready come to me I will be
01:19:47
waiting for you
01:19:51
at the bottom of the page Fred Dre drew
01:19:53
a gravestone
01:19:55
it featured the inscription
01:19:58
Fred West and Rose West rest in peace
01:20:02
where no Shadow Falls in perfect peace
01:20:05
he waits for Rose his wife
01:20:11
a few weeks later Fred penned another
01:20:14
unsent letter
01:20:17
two rows I loved you forever I made
01:20:20
mistakes I am so upset about you being
01:20:23
in prison
01:20:25
please keep your promise to me
01:20:28
I have kept mine
01:20:32
this letter rendered
01:20:35
I can't tell what I know
01:20:37
you are all free to go on with whatever
01:20:40
you want to but think of what I did for
01:20:42
you all and to never complain
01:20:45
I love all of my children they were all
01:20:48
mine
01:20:49
all my love and kisses to you my darling
01:20:53
Fred
01:20:56
on the morning of Sunday January 1 1995
01:21:00
Fred scrawled another letter to his wife
01:21:04
happy New Year darling all my love Fred
01:21:07
West all my love forever and ever
01:21:14
just after 11 30 a.m he collected his
01:21:17
lunch and returned to his cell to wait
01:21:21
this activity typically bought him at
01:21:23
least an hour of privacy as it was a
01:21:27
public holiday fewer staff were on duty
01:21:32
Fred had kept a busy in prison by
01:21:34
volunteering to mend other prisoners
01:21:36
shirts
01:21:37
through this work he amassed a
01:21:40
collection of fabric scraps and cotton
01:21:42
tapes
01:21:44
he had also been stealing narrow strips
01:21:46
of material from the hems of his prison
01:21:48
blankets
01:21:50
over time he twisted and sewed all the
01:21:53
scraps together to make a noose
01:21:58
Fred threaded the news through the bars
01:22:00
of an air vent directly above the door
01:22:02
of his cell
01:22:04
he stood on a bag of laundry secured The
01:22:07
Noose around his neck
01:22:09
then kicked the bag away
01:22:13
[Music]
01:22:22
thank you
01:22:25
case File will be back shortly thank you
01:22:28
for supporting us by listening to this
01:22:31
episode's sponsors
01:22:33
in Bakersfield California in 1991 two
01:22:37
boys stumbled Upon A grisly Discovery
01:22:40
the murdered body of a young woman
01:22:43
in the shadows is the new podcast from
01:22:46
wanderie plus and casefile presents
01:22:48
which follows the ensuing 32-year-old
01:22:51
deal to uncover those responsible for
01:22:54
the crime and to bring them to justice
01:22:56
during the investigation of in the
01:22:59
shadows several individuals revealed a
01:23:01
shocking information previously unknown
01:23:04
to authorities
01:23:05
ultimately this new insight turned
01:23:08
everything on its head
01:23:10
the first episode of in the shadows is
01:23:12
available wherever you get your podcasts
01:23:15
you can listen to the rest of the series
01:23:17
ad free only on wondery Plus
01:23:20
join wondering Plus in the wondery app
01:23:23
or on Apple podcasts and take advantage
01:23:26
of their seven-day free trial
01:23:28
stay tuned to hear the trailer at the
01:23:31
end of today's episode
01:23:34
thank you for listening to this
01:23:36
episode's ads by supporting our sponsors
01:23:39
you support casefile to continue to
01:23:41
deliver quality content
01:23:53
[Music]
01:23:56
Fred West didn't die straight away it
01:23:59
took several minutes for him to slowly
01:24:01
strangle himself to death
01:24:03
his body was discovered almost an hour
01:24:06
later
01:24:07
efforts were made to resuscitate him but
01:24:10
it was too late
01:24:13
Anna Marie West had visited her father
01:24:15
shortly before he died
01:24:17
he had told her
01:24:19
I want you down as my next of kin Rose
01:24:22
don't want me no more
01:24:24
she don't want to know
01:24:27
he added
01:24:29
your dad's had enough love I'm going to
01:24:32
finish it myself
01:24:33
I've had enough
01:24:36
through tears Fred explained that he
01:24:39
wanted to be buried in his childhood
01:24:40
Village of much margul
01:24:43
he reached across the table and stroked
01:24:45
Anna Marie's face saying
01:24:48
I want you buried there too one day with
01:24:51
me
01:24:53
Anna Marie was unnerved and pulled away
01:24:57
she informed prison authorities of her
01:24:59
father's suicidal ideation
01:25:02
Fred was categorized as a vulnerable
01:25:05
prisoner
01:25:06
a warden was tasked with the checking in
01:25:08
with him every 15 minutes
01:25:11
he was also forced to undergo random
01:25:14
cell and body searches for implements he
01:25:16
might use against himself or others
01:25:19
but after a while Fred's demeanor seemed
01:25:22
more upbeat
01:25:25
he was put back on a more relaxed regime
01:25:27
with guards checking on him at the same
01:25:30
intervals as other prisoners
01:25:32
this gave Fred more alone time and
01:25:35
allowed him to plot and carry out his
01:25:37
suicide
01:25:40
May and Stephen West sold the rights to
01:25:43
their father's funeral to a tabloid
01:25:46
the service was described as being like
01:25:49
a scene from a dark comedy as wretched
01:25:51
as Fred West's life had been
01:25:54
photographers from various tabloids left
01:25:57
around Fred's simple pale wood casket as
01:26:00
it was transported from the hearse
01:26:03
as they snapped photos in a frenzy a
01:26:06
scuffle broke out between some of them
01:26:10
the ceremony only lasted a few minutes
01:26:13
during which no music was played
01:26:16
the presiding Reverend read briefly from
01:26:19
the Bible before announcing a moment of
01:26:21
silence
01:26:23
the only mourners in attendance were
01:26:26
Fred's children may Stephen and Tara
01:26:31
Fred had always wanted to be buried as
01:26:34
he founded the idea of being burned
01:26:36
terrifying
01:26:38
despite this wish he was cremated
01:26:43
53 year old Fred West took many secrets
01:26:47
to the Grave
01:26:48
he never told investigators about the
01:26:51
sexual torture he inflicted on his
01:26:53
victims giving no explanation for the
01:26:55
masks and restraints found in their
01:26:57
graves
01:26:59
he never revealed where he had stored
01:27:01
his victim's missing bones
01:27:04
other than the murders he was charged
01:27:06
with Fred and never confessed to any
01:27:08
other killings
01:27:11
[Music]
01:27:15
when Rose West was informed of her
01:27:18
husband's death she didn't shed a tear
01:27:21
she took no part in planning Fred's
01:27:23
funeral and didn't care to hear anything
01:27:25
about it
01:27:27
she kept her busy by crocheting baby
01:27:29
clothes for her grandchildren and making
01:27:32
teddy bears in the prison Workshop
01:27:35
despite showing no intention of harming
01:27:37
herself Rose was put on suicide watch as
01:27:40
a precaution
01:27:43
speculation arose that Fred had taken
01:27:46
his own life as a sacrifice for Rose in
01:27:49
the hopes that it would somehow ensure
01:27:51
her freedom
01:27:53
one prosecutor remarked
01:27:56
if it was wrong to charge Mrs West with
01:27:59
the murders it was always wrong it never
01:28:01
relied upon evidence provided by her
01:28:04
husband
01:28:05
there has been no loss of evidence
01:28:07
against her by his death
01:28:11
nevertheless Rosa's solicitors sought to
01:28:14
have her trial thrown out
01:28:16
they failed
01:28:21
as Rose's trial approached she
01:28:23
befriended a fellow prisoner named Myra
01:28:26
hindley
01:28:27
the pair had a lot in common and bonded
01:28:30
while cooking and watching television
01:28:33
Myra had recently been denied parole in
01:28:36
relation to the child killing she
01:28:38
perpetrated with her partner Ian Brady
01:28:41
their crimes are covered in episode 49
01:28:44
of casefile the Moore's murders
01:28:48
Rose West and Myra hindley were referred
01:28:51
to in prison as the gruesome twosome
01:28:54
rumors spread that the pair were
01:28:56
romantically involved though they
01:28:59
allegedly had a falling out over who was
01:29:01
more infamous
01:29:08
Rose West's murder trial commenced in
01:29:10
October 1995.
01:29:12
every day she wore a variation of the
01:29:15
same conservative outfit a navy suit
01:29:18
with a green waistcoat a white blouse
01:29:21
and a small black leather boots
01:29:24
a gold crucifix hung from her neck
01:29:28
Rose was escorted Accord in a triple
01:29:31
locked police van that had a steel in a
01:29:33
capsule and a bulletproof glass
01:29:36
it was surrounded by a convoy of police
01:29:39
cars and motorcycles
01:29:42
outside court news crews jostled to
01:29:45
catch a glimpse of Rose so she was
01:29:46
hastily ushered inside
01:29:51
the prosecution's opening statement took
01:29:53
over a day to present
01:29:55
they described how the police arrived at
01:29:58
25 Cromwell Street to search for Heather
01:30:00
West but instead found Secrets more
01:30:04
terrible than words can express
01:30:07
for many in the court it was the first
01:30:10
they'd heard what Fred and Rose West
01:30:12
allegedly did to their victims aside
01:30:15
from killing them
01:30:17
those seated in the public Gallery wore
01:30:20
expressions of shock and horror
01:30:24
Rose watched on impassively showing no
01:30:26
emotion except when Heather's name was
01:30:29
mentioned
01:30:31
only then did she dab her dry eyes with
01:30:34
a tissue
01:30:37
the prosecution told the court
01:30:40
at the core of this case is the
01:30:42
relationship between Frederick and
01:30:44
rosemary West what they knew about each
01:30:47
other what they did together what they
01:30:49
did to others and how far each was
01:30:52
prepared to go
01:30:54
much of what follows can be explained in
01:30:57
the context that both were obsessed with
01:30:59
sex
01:31:01
the West shared a knowledge of each
01:31:03
other which banned them together
01:31:08
in total 64 Witnesses were called
01:31:12
the star testimony came from Fred and
01:31:14
Rose's survivors
01:31:16
among them was the couple's former
01:31:18
living Nanny Caroline Owens whom the
01:31:21
media dubbed The One That Got Away
01:31:26
Caroline broke down in tears saying
01:31:30
I wanted to get Justice for the girls
01:31:32
who didn't make it I feel like it was my
01:31:35
fault
01:31:38
Catherine Halliday and miss a also
01:31:41
testified as did Elizabeth a Jews Fred
01:31:44
and Roses former neighbor on Midland
01:31:46
Road
01:31:47
she spoke of how the couple had drugged
01:31:50
and raped her
01:31:56
Anna Marie West's anxiety peaked in the
01:31:59
lead-up to her Stepmother's trial
01:32:01
haunted by nightmares of her childhood
01:32:03
she couldn't Aid or sleep and struggled
01:32:06
to maintain a relaxed front for the sake
01:32:08
of her daughters
01:32:10
she attempted to end her life and
01:32:13
started drinking to calm her nerves
01:32:17
police were worried that the pressure
01:32:19
would deter Anna Marie from testifying
01:32:21
altogether
01:32:23
one night Anna Marie was driving while
01:32:25
intoxicated and crashed into a
01:32:27
stationary vehicle
01:32:29
she was fined 250 pounds and banned from
01:32:33
driving for 18 months
01:32:36
it was the wake-up call she needed
01:32:40
Anna Marie sought help to ensure she
01:32:42
could testify in court for the sake of
01:32:45
everyone who had suffered at the hands
01:32:46
of Fred and Rose West
01:32:51
there was an expectant hush as Anna
01:32:53
Marie entered the courtroom
01:32:55
as she took her seat in the witness box
01:32:57
Rose gave her a half smile of
01:33:00
acknowledgment
01:33:02
as Anna Marie gave evidence she played
01:33:05
with a gold locket around her neck
01:33:08
it contained the ashes of her mother
01:33:11
Reena and half-sister Charmaine
01:33:15
wearing it made Anna Marie feel as
01:33:17
though they were with her and that she
01:33:19
was testifying for them
01:33:23
Anna Marie described some of the most
01:33:25
frightening and intimate moments of her
01:33:28
life
01:33:29
she spoke of being beaten and stabbed by
01:33:32
Rose of being raped at eight years old
01:33:34
and a later forced into sex work
01:33:38
how Fred impregnated her when she was
01:33:40
15.
01:33:42
her testimony was regarded as the most
01:33:45
dramatic of all and left to many
01:33:47
observers in tears
01:33:50
Rose West struggled to listen
01:33:53
as Anna Marie described
01:33:56
several times when I said Rosa's name or
01:33:59
told of what she had done to me I faced
01:34:02
her
01:34:03
I faced my fear and she turned away and
01:34:06
could not return my gaze
01:34:12
Janet Leach was a voluntary social
01:34:14
worker who had attended every interview
01:34:16
between detectives and Fred West
01:34:20
with concerns about Fred's mental health
01:34:22
it was Janet's job to ensure that he was
01:34:25
of sound mind to participate in
01:34:27
questioning
01:34:29
this way he couldn't later allege that
01:34:32
police had taken advantage of him
01:34:35
Janet spent more than 400 hours with
01:34:38
Fred during which they built a trusting
01:34:41
rapport
01:34:42
Fred sometimes called Janet from prison
01:34:45
to speak privately
01:34:47
due to her job and Janet was legally
01:34:50
bound to secrecy
01:34:53
the stories Fred told Janet contradicted
01:34:56
everything he said during police
01:34:58
interviews
01:34:59
he told Janet he was protecting Rose and
01:35:03
that the victims found at Cromwell
01:35:04
Street were quote Rose's mistakes
01:35:09
Fred said hay and Rose had made a pact
01:35:12
that he'd take the blame for everything
01:35:15
when Fred learned that Rose had been
01:35:17
charged with murder he became distressed
01:35:20
he told Jenna that quote
01:35:23
the police were getting too close and
01:35:25
that they would find out that Rose was
01:35:28
involved
01:35:30
Fred confided that he wasn't good at sex
01:35:33
and Rose was very demanding so he did
01:35:36
anything for her
01:35:39
according to Janet Fred confirmed that
01:35:42
he was in prison when Charmaine West was
01:35:45
killed
01:35:46
he also asserted that Rose was the one
01:35:49
who murdered and mutilated Shirley
01:35:50
Robinson including removing Shirley's
01:35:53
fetus from her body
01:35:56
Fred eventually accused Rose of
01:35:58
committing all the killings
01:36:01
he claimed she told him where the bodies
01:36:03
were buried
01:36:04
but she didn't commit them alone
01:36:09
Fred allegedly told Janet that other
01:36:11
people were involved in the murders
01:36:12
including Rose's Father Bill lets
01:36:18
this was a significant accusation
01:36:21
Fred had told stories about Rose and
01:36:24
Bill being in a long-term incestuous
01:36:26
relationship
01:36:28
he claimed he had caught them in bed
01:36:30
together and that he joined them on at
01:36:32
least one occasion
01:36:35
Rose never accused her father of such
01:36:38
abuse but after she and Fred raped Anna
01:36:41
Marie West Rose told her quote
01:36:45
everybody does it to every girl
01:36:48
it's a father's job
01:36:53
Janna Leach had never encountered anyone
01:36:56
like Fred West
01:36:58
he called her his only friend
01:37:02
knowing they were speaking in confidence
01:37:04
Janet didn't know what to do with the
01:37:06
information he gave her
01:37:09
it put her under severe mental strain
01:37:13
she couldn't sleep at night haunted by
01:37:16
nightmares about the girls in the cellar
01:37:20
but Janet felt she had a duty to keep
01:37:23
talking to Fred otherwise the families
01:37:25
of his victims would never know the
01:37:27
truth about what happened to their loved
01:37:30
ones
01:37:32
Janet subsequently had a stroke
01:37:35
she believed her work with Fred was the
01:37:38
cause
01:37:41
however now that Fred was dead Janet was
01:37:45
permitted to testify about their
01:37:47
conversations in court
01:37:49
the defense team put it to Janet that
01:37:51
Fred might have just been using her
01:37:54
she replied
01:37:57
I suppose he was
01:38:00
on the stand Janet suddenly turned pale
01:38:04
and was unable to move or speak
01:38:06
she'd suffered another stroke
01:38:10
a week later she was deemed well enough
01:38:13
to return to court
01:38:15
Janet looked extremely unwell and
01:38:18
anxious as she was brought in Via a
01:38:20
wheelchair
01:38:22
she made another shocking admission
01:38:25
[Music]
01:38:27
Fred West had claimed that there were at
01:38:29
least 20 more victims and maintained
01:38:32
that other people were involved
01:38:35
he said that some victims had been
01:38:37
killed elsewhere and brought to Cromwell
01:38:39
Strait
01:38:40
others he buried on farmland
01:38:45
both the prosecution and the defense
01:38:47
agreed that a lot of what Fred allegedly
01:38:50
told Janet Leach was fiction
01:38:54
from their joint perspective there were
01:38:56
many reasons Fred might concoct such
01:38:58
stories from shifting blame onto other
01:39:01
people to testing Janet's loyalty to
01:39:04
save she sold his stories to the papers
01:39:08
there was also the possibility that Fred
01:39:10
was lonely and hoped that by keeping
01:39:12
Janet intrigued she would continue to
01:39:15
see him
01:39:19
[Music]
01:39:23
after three weeks of Court proceedings
01:39:25
it was the defense's turn to present
01:39:28
their case
01:39:30
calling the prosecution's evidence
01:39:32
undoubtedly harrowing But ultimately
01:39:35
irrelevant the defense insisted that
01:39:38
Rose West knew nothing about the crimes
01:39:40
committed at Cromwell Street
01:39:43
they acknowledged it was normal to
01:39:45
assume that a wife would be aware of her
01:39:47
husband's activities in their home but
01:39:50
that in this case quote
01:39:53
number 25 Cromwell Street was not your
01:39:56
typical Suburban household with 2.4
01:39:59
children
01:40:01
it was a refuge of the Flotsam and
01:40:03
Jetsam of Modern Life
01:40:07
they claimed Rose was as much a victim
01:40:10
of her husband as anybody else
01:40:13
anyone who professed otherwise were
01:40:16
exaggerating so they could sell their
01:40:18
stories to the media at a higher price
01:40:22
no one expected Rose West to take the
01:40:25
stand
01:40:27
being cross-examined presented to
01:40:29
greater risk besides she had said
01:40:31
nothing but no comment or I'm innocent
01:40:34
since her arrest
01:40:38
but in a surprising twist Rose's Council
01:40:41
announced that the court would soon hear
01:40:43
Rose's own version of what happened at
01:40:46
25 Cromwell Street
01:40:48
she had insisted on testifying because
01:40:51
in the words of her solicitor
01:40:54
this was her family and this was her
01:40:57
home
01:41:01
Rose West slowly made her way to the
01:41:03
witness box
01:41:05
her voice faltered as she took the oath
01:41:07
and she misspoke when providing her age
01:41:11
she then sat down to face the jury
01:41:16
describing how she met Fred West Rose
01:41:19
said
01:41:20
he promised me the world because I was
01:41:23
so young I fell for his lies
01:41:26
he promised to care for me and to love
01:41:28
me and I fell for it
01:41:33
Rose became emotional when speaking of
01:41:35
her children
01:41:37
when asked about her feelings for
01:41:39
Heather Rose said she loved her very
01:41:42
very very much
01:41:44
her answers seemed well rehearsed and
01:41:47
she spoke delicately and politely
01:41:50
but sometimes Rose's familiar nastiness
01:41:53
peeked through
01:41:56
she chuckled to herself after making a
01:41:58
derogatory comment about Linda goff's
01:42:01
appearance and upon calling Shirley
01:42:03
Robinson a silly flittering girl
01:42:07
speaking of her sexual exploits Rose
01:42:10
repeatedly said that everything she did
01:42:12
was 100 consensual
01:42:16
she claimed to derive no thrill from
01:42:19
forcing others to do things against
01:42:21
their will
01:42:23
she blamed Fred for manipulating her
01:42:25
into seducing Caroline Owens
01:42:28
when she realized Caroline wasn't a
01:42:30
willing participant Rose claimed she
01:42:33
stopped
01:42:35
she also stated that she and Fred LED
01:42:37
Separate Lives
01:42:39
he often locked himself in the cellar
01:42:42
where Rose believed he was working on
01:42:44
his DIY projects
01:42:51
Rose was asked how she felt when she saw
01:42:54
Fred for the first time after he
01:42:57
confessed to killing their daughter
01:42:58
Heather
01:43:00
Rose said
01:43:02
I hated him
01:43:04
I didn't see the man that I had known
01:43:06
all those years he was just a walking
01:43:09
figure of evil
01:43:11
I know it might sound Daft but I saw him
01:43:14
with horns and complete with the satanic
01:43:16
grin because he never looked sorry for
01:43:19
what he did or anything
01:43:21
he just used a grin like it was all a
01:43:23
joke or something
01:43:27
Rose had gone from avoiding answering
01:43:29
questions to providing dramatic and
01:43:31
wordy speeches
01:43:33
in an effort to rein her in her Council
01:43:36
kept asking questions that required a
01:43:38
single word answer but Rose rambled on
01:43:43
when asked if she played any part in the
01:43:45
deaths of her 10 alleged victims a
01:43:48
simple no was expected
01:43:50
Rose instead replied
01:43:53
no I had no part in Murder whatsoever I
01:43:57
am not a murderer I can't take
01:43:59
somebody's life away from them I
01:44:01
wouldn't want it done to me and I
01:44:03
wouldn't do it to anybody else
01:44:04
especially my own daughter
01:44:09
she continued on oblivious that she was
01:44:12
actually damaging her own case
01:44:15
I just feel like such a fool I just
01:44:18
don't know how he managed it to actually
01:44:20
get those poor girls in and out of the
01:44:22
house I don't know how he did it without
01:44:25
being seen
01:44:27
the houses were always full around our
01:44:29
house anybody could have seen him at any
01:44:32
time
01:44:35
asked if she suspected Fred was a
01:44:38
murderer Rose answered
01:44:41
not for one minute if I had thought that
01:44:44
I could never have lived with a murderer
01:44:46
I would never have known when it was my
01:44:48
turn I would have been too scared I
01:44:51
would have had to have gone to the
01:44:52
police I couldn't have lived like that
01:44:55
[Music]
01:44:58
during cross-examination Rose stumbled
01:45:01
over her answers much to the amusement
01:45:03
of the press gallery
01:45:05
when given a difficult question she
01:45:07
replied with either I don't remember or
01:45:10
I don't recall
01:45:13
Rose blamed everybody but herself for
01:45:16
what happened
01:45:17
she denied that she and Fred had
01:45:19
contrived a story in which he would take
01:45:21
all the blame
01:45:23
every so often she seemed to
01:45:25
deliberately start crying to give
01:45:27
herself time to gather her thoughts
01:45:31
she referred to her husband as Fred West
01:45:33
as though trying to diminish any
01:45:36
emotional connection the pair once had
01:45:40
after three days of questioning Rose
01:45:43
left the witness box
01:45:47
the defense relied on Witnesses who
01:45:50
presented Fred as capable of abducting
01:45:52
and killing women on his own
01:45:56
at Rose's request extracts from four
01:45:59
taped police interviews with Fred were
01:46:01
played
01:46:03
she wanted the court to hear him protest
01:46:05
her innocence
01:46:08
Rose sat in the dark with her head down
01:46:11
as the courtroom listened in shocked
01:46:13
silence to Fred's descriptions of his
01:46:15
lurid sexual fantasies the Vivid and
01:46:18
dispassionate details of his murders and
01:46:21
his constant reminders that Rose knew
01:46:24
nothing about any of it
01:46:27
however his stories kept changing and
01:46:30
were full of contradictions and outright
01:46:33
lies
01:46:34
all the tapes did was highlight that
01:46:37
Fred was a pathological liar and
01:46:39
therefore his insistence on Rosa's
01:46:42
innocence couldn't be trusted
01:46:50
the defense maintained that there still
01:46:52
wasn't a shred of direct evidence that
01:46:54
Rose killed anyone
01:46:57
and they conceded that as a woman and
01:46:59
mother Rose might have fallen below the
01:47:02
standards required
01:47:04
they also accepted that the jury might
01:47:07
not like her or believe everything she
01:47:09
said but none of this meant she was a
01:47:12
killer
01:47:14
the defense called Fred West a depraved
01:47:17
and morally bankrupt man
01:47:19
by murdering Anna mcfaul he demonstrated
01:47:22
that he was willing to kill before he
01:47:24
even met Rose
01:47:28
in closing arguments the prosecution
01:47:31
called Fred and Rose perfect companions
01:47:35
the experiences of all the couple
01:47:37
survivors were the templates for the
01:47:39
murders that followed
01:47:41
they demonstrated how Fred and Rose West
01:47:44
sadistically abused young girls and
01:47:46
women for their joint pleasure
01:47:49
and by taking his own life Fred had
01:47:52
given Rose the greatest gift of all he
01:47:56
couldn't be cross-examined and to thus
01:47:58
prove her involvement
01:48:02
the jury was released to deliberate at
01:48:04
mid-morning on November 20.
01:48:07
by 3 pm the following day they had
01:48:10
reached a unanimous verdict on two of
01:48:12
the ten charges count one and count ten
01:48:17
for count one the murder of Charmaine
01:48:20
West Rose was found guilty
01:48:24
on count 10 the murder of Heather West
01:48:26
Rose was also found guilty
01:48:32
Rose closed her eyes for a brief moment
01:48:35
she was helped out of the dark and for
01:48:38
the first time real tears streamed it
01:48:40
down her face
01:48:43
an hour and a half later the jury
01:48:45
reached another verdict
01:48:48
for the murder of Shirley Robinson Rose
01:48:51
was guilty
01:48:53
just before midday the following day the
01:48:56
jury returned seven more guilty verdicts
01:48:59
for the remaining victims
01:49:01
Linda Goff Carol Cooper Lucy Partington
01:49:05
Therese siegenthala Shirley Hubbard
01:49:07
Juanita Mott and Alison Chambers
01:49:12
the judge ordered
01:49:13
[Music]
01:49:15
stand up Rosemary West
01:49:19
on each of the ten counts of murder of
01:49:21
which you have been unanimously
01:49:23
convicted by the jury this sentence is
01:49:25
one of a life imprisonment
01:49:28
you will never be released
01:49:31
[Music]
01:49:33
Rose was let out of the Court her face
01:49:36
Stone Cold
01:49:41
in the year 2000 Rose submitted an
01:49:44
application to appeal her conviction
01:49:46
before changing her mind and withdrawing
01:49:48
it
01:49:49
[Music]
01:49:50
as of February 2023 Rose West is still
01:49:54
alive
01:49:56
she is in her late 60s since still in
01:49:59
prison where she is known by the
01:50:00
nickname Auntie Rose due to her age and
01:50:04
a love of knitting
01:50:07
Rose West is considered the most hated
01:50:10
woman in Britain yet she has amassed a
01:50:13
cult-like following from strangers and
01:50:15
supporters
01:50:17
they continue to swamp her with letters
01:50:19
especially on Mother's Day
01:50:24
Rose keeps herself busy by sewing
01:50:26
dresses she is also known for her baking
01:50:29
which she uses to seduce other inmates
01:50:33
she has been overheard talking to Fred
01:50:35
in her cell at night and singing a song
01:50:38
to herself called when will I see you
01:50:41
again
01:50:43
she is said to have found religion and
01:50:46
claims God has forgiven her and will be
01:50:48
sending her to heaven
01:50:51
according to sources close to her Rose
01:50:54
West maintains hope of being a free
01:50:56
woman again someday
01:51:02
to this day speculation remains that
01:51:05
Fred and Rose West may have more victims
01:51:08
than those identified
01:51:11
rumor has it that Fred clanged anywhere
01:51:13
from 18 to 60.
01:51:17
few Place Credence in the figures Fred
01:51:19
provided as he couldn't remember exactly
01:51:22
how many children he had or even their
01:51:25
names
01:51:27
regardless some Gloucester locals have
01:51:29
looked at the foundations and other
01:51:31
structural projects Fred completed for
01:51:34
them over the years and can't help but
01:51:36
Wonder
01:51:37
[Music]
01:51:39
of the hundreds of young women known to
01:51:41
have visited 25 Cromwell Street when the
01:51:43
wests lived to their all were found safe
01:51:46
except one
01:51:49
an American woman named Donna Moore was
01:51:52
the only person who couldn't be located
01:51:57
during the West inquiry in 1994 there
01:52:01
was one other name that kept cropping up
01:52:04
in Fred's private conversations with the
01:52:07
Janet Leach he said one of his victims
01:52:10
was a 15 year old waitress named Mary
01:52:13
Bast home
01:52:15
Mary had vanished from a bus stop on
01:52:18
gloucester's Bristol Road in January
01:52:20
1968.
01:52:22
according to Fred's son Stephen Fred
01:52:26
also told him he'd killed Mary
01:52:29
he'd bragged that he would only tell the
01:52:31
police about it when he was good and
01:52:33
ready
01:52:35
if this was true Mary best home may very
01:52:38
well have been Fred West's first victim
01:52:44
there were several connections between
01:52:46
the pair
01:52:47
Mary was friends with Anna McFall
01:52:50
the bus stop Mary vanished from was a
01:52:53
short drive from Cromwell Street
01:52:56
one witness save and claimed to have
01:52:58
seen Mary in Fred's Car
01:53:00
Fred was also a customer at the cafe
01:53:03
where Mary worked
01:53:05
later he did construction work on the
01:53:08
building where the cafe was located
01:53:13
at one stage police drove Fred to all of
01:53:16
the locations relevant to Mary's case in
01:53:18
the hopes he'd be compelled to open up
01:53:21
but he seemed unaffected and there
01:53:25
wasn't enough evidence to charge him
01:53:28
the investigation remained open for 53
01:53:31
years
01:53:33
it was widely speculated that Mary had
01:53:36
been buried under the cellar of the cafe
01:53:38
where she worked
01:53:41
in 2021 a television documentary team
01:53:44
uncovered blue material in the cellar
01:53:48
Mary was wearing a blue coat when she
01:53:50
went missing
01:53:53
a cadaver dog was led down into the
01:53:55
space where it had a reaction
01:53:58
an excavation commenced with a police
01:54:01
spokesperson stating
01:54:03
we hope this is a chance to finally get
01:54:06
closure for Mary
01:54:10
but the Dig failed to uncover Mary
01:54:13
bastomes remains or any other evidence
01:54:16
the suspicious blue material had in fact
01:54:19
come from a broken pipe
01:54:22
despite this result police staunchly
01:54:25
believe that Fred West was involved in
01:54:28
Mary's disappearance
01:54:35
May and Stephen West wholeheartedly
01:54:37
supported their parents following their
01:54:39
arrest
01:54:41
they stayed with rose while she was
01:54:42
living in a safe house visited them both
01:54:45
in prison and stood by Rose during her
01:54:48
trial
01:54:49
while they comprehended their father's
01:54:52
guilt May and Stephen steadfastly
01:54:54
believed in Rose's innocence
01:54:58
but when they heard their father's
01:55:00
confession tapes during Rose's trial
01:55:02
they were transported back to what may
01:55:05
described as another world a past life
01:55:11
suddenly she and Steven recalled many
01:55:13
instances of physical emotional and
01:55:16
mental abuse they'd endured at their
01:55:18
parents hands
01:55:20
for 20 years they'd suppressed these
01:55:22
memories as a coping mechanism
01:55:27
May revealed that after Anna Marie ran
01:55:29
away from home Fred set his sights on
01:55:32
her and Heather
01:55:34
he made sexual comments about their
01:55:36
developing bodies watched them shower
01:55:39
and barged in on them while they were
01:55:40
getting dressed
01:55:43
Fred was prone to groping his daughters
01:55:46
at any time in any area of the house
01:55:50
sometimes he wrestled them to the floor
01:55:52
to forcibly assault them
01:55:55
when they fought back against his sexual
01:55:57
abuse he accused both Heather and may of
01:56:00
being lesbians
01:56:02
once Fred was so frustrated by May's
01:56:05
refusal to give in to him that he threw
01:56:07
a vacuum cleaner at her which splintered
01:56:09
her bedroom door
01:56:13
the Two Sisters would stand watch for
01:56:15
each other hoping that by working as a
01:56:17
team they could prevent their father's
01:56:19
sexual assaults
01:56:21
however Fred ultimately got his way and
01:56:24
the abuse was constant
01:56:27
this prompted Heather to try and Escape
01:56:29
by seeking work in a Seaside Town far
01:56:32
away from her father
01:56:34
when the job fell through it led to
01:56:36
Heather's absolute devastation and
01:56:39
ultimately her death
01:56:43
May wrote to her mother in prison
01:56:45
seeking straight answers about her
01:56:47
recovered memories
01:56:50
Rose wrote back claiming she would tell
01:56:53
May everything she wanted to know
01:56:56
May subsequently visited Rose in prison
01:56:59
and asked about the one subject that
01:57:01
troubled her most of all
01:57:03
Heather
01:57:06
after this Rose stopped writing to May
01:57:08
and removed her from her visitors list
01:57:14
Stephen West recalled that as his 17th
01:57:16
birthday approached his father winked at
01:57:19
him and announced that Stephen would
01:57:21
soon be ready to sleep with rose
01:57:24
Stephen was mortified
01:57:26
his father and mother just laughed
01:57:30
Stephen also recalled that his parents
01:57:33
held parties where guests openly had sex
01:57:35
throughout the house
01:57:37
during one such party Heather May and
01:57:40
Stephen were restrained while these
01:57:43
activities carried on around them
01:57:45
when Heather fell asleep Rose barked at
01:57:48
her
01:57:49
wake up you stupid [ __ ]
01:57:52
she then had a male party go a rape
01:57:55
Heather while she herself fondled
01:57:57
Stephen
01:57:59
Fred was there too
01:58:02
at one stage he urinated on both Heather
01:58:05
and Stephen
01:58:07
described the ordeal as the most
01:58:10
degrading night
01:58:12
he and may have since cut all contact
01:58:15
with their mother
01:58:19
many of the West children have altered
01:58:22
the spelling of their names or changed
01:58:24
them altogether in an effort to distance
01:58:26
themselves from their family's notoriety
01:58:32
in another shocking twist several other
01:58:34
long-time family friends and relatives
01:58:36
were also implicated in the abuse of the
01:58:39
West children
01:58:41
other than Rose the person Fred was
01:58:44
closest to was his brother John
01:58:47
Anna Marie West alleged that her uncle
01:58:50
John raped her on more than 300
01:58:52
occasions
01:58:54
Fred and Rose were aware of this and
01:58:56
allowed it to happen
01:58:59
John West was charged and pleaded not
01:59:02
guilty in court
01:59:04
while the jury retired to consider their
01:59:07
verdict John ended his life in the same
01:59:10
manner as his older brother
01:59:13
during the heart of Fred West's known
01:59:16
offending John Wester visited 25
01:59:18
Cromwell Street every other day
01:59:22
some believe John must have had some
01:59:24
awareness of what Fred was up to Behind
01:59:27
Closed the doors Orr had possibly been
01:59:30
involved
01:59:36
the West inquiry ran almost a million
01:59:39
pounds over budget
01:59:41
at its peak 84 police officers were
01:59:44
assigned to the case
01:59:46
they questioned more than one thousand
01:59:48
people and pursued 250 actions or lines
01:59:51
of inquiry
01:59:54
others accused for crimes against the
01:59:57
West children were found guilty and
01:59:59
sentenced to several years in prison
02:00:03
as a direct result of the West Case 110
02:00:07
girls who'd been reported missing were
02:00:09
found
02:00:11
since then new procedures have been
02:00:13
introduced in an attempt to prevent
02:00:15
missing or vulnerable individuals from
02:00:18
slipping through the cracks
02:00:21
praise has been given to all of the
02:00:23
people involved in securing Rose West's
02:00:26
guilty verdict from the case detectives
02:00:28
to the survivors who bravely testified
02:00:33
detective Constable Hazel Savage was
02:00:36
recognized and honored for her
02:00:37
determination to find Heather West which
02:00:40
ultimately unraveled Fred and Rose's
02:00:43
House of Horrors
02:00:46
to this day the West inquiry remains a
02:00:49
helpful Source on how to manage criminal
02:00:51
cases of that magnitude
02:00:54
it forms part of detective training
02:00:57
courses and has been a resource in
02:00:59
investigations across Europe and as far
02:01:01
away as Australia
02:01:05
Anna Marie May and Stephen West have all
02:01:08
written poignant those shocking memoirs
02:01:10
about their lives growing up inside 25
02:01:13
Cromwell Street
02:01:15
Anna Marie hoped that by speaking out
02:01:18
and letting others know the warning
02:01:19
signs of abuse she might be able to help
02:01:22
other children
02:01:23
She Wrote
02:01:25
I have lived all my life in the shadows
02:01:28
now I have been forced into the
02:01:30
spotlight and as the Shadows fade I can
02:01:34
see light at the end of the tunnel
02:01:36
and I will reach it
02:01:41
opinion was divided as to what should
02:01:43
happen to 25 Cromwell Street
02:01:46
the house became a Macabre tourist
02:01:49
attraction in Gloucester
02:01:52
while many locals were appalled by its
02:01:54
presence others recognized its historic
02:01:57
importance and suggested it be converted
02:01:59
into something to commemorate the girls
02:02:01
and women killed there
02:02:04
the more commercial-minded suggested
02:02:06
that gloucester's economy could be
02:02:08
boosted if the house became a wax work
02:02:10
Museum
02:02:13
but the victim's families didn't want
02:02:15
any of this
02:02:17
like the police they wanted the city
02:02:19
council to buy the property and to knock
02:02:21
it down
02:02:23
then they would determine what to do
02:02:25
with the space left behind
02:02:29
the council agreed to this plan and
02:02:31
purchased 25 Cromwell Street along with
02:02:34
the attached property at number 23. for
02:02:37
around 120 000 pounds
02:02:41
it was hoped that The house's
02:02:42
destruction would have a cleansing
02:02:44
effect on the city
02:02:48
the demolition began in October 1996 and
02:02:52
like everything else associated with the
02:02:54
West's it was a media spectacle
02:02:57
footage of the demolition was broadcast
02:02:59
live on television
02:03:02
a crushing machine did the bulk of the
02:03:04
work before the rubble Left Behind was
02:03:07
reduced to dust
02:03:09
Timber and other flammable material was
02:03:12
placed in an incinerator
02:03:14
the seller was backfilled with the
02:03:16
bricks from the walls and sealed with
02:03:18
quick drying cement
02:03:22
then began the long consultation process
02:03:25
over what should become of the site
02:03:28
a commemorative plaque and Memorial
02:03:31
Garden were considered But ultimately
02:03:33
rejected
02:03:35
no one wanted a permanent reminder of
02:03:37
the atrocities that had happened there
02:03:42
the decision was made to turn this side
02:03:44
into a walkway connecting Cromwell
02:03:46
Street and Saint Michael's Square to the
02:03:48
north
02:03:49
block Paving was laid upon the concrete
02:03:52
that encased number 25's seller void
02:03:57
small trees were planted on the sides of
02:03:59
the path which was illuminated by glossy
02:04:02
black street lamps
02:04:04
[Music]
02:04:06
shortly before their childhood home was
02:04:09
destroyed several of the West children
02:04:11
went for one final visit
02:04:15
Anna Marie West was permitted to enter
02:04:17
the cellar where her ordeal began
02:04:21
May and Stephen left Flowers by the
02:04:23
front gate along with a card that
02:04:26
featured a poem for their sister Heather
02:04:30
it read in part
02:04:33
[Music]
02:04:34
the sad memories of this house will go
02:04:37
with it
02:04:38
but the memories of you will always stay
02:04:41
[Music]
02:05:05
[Music]
02:05:11
on a chilly night in 1991 a group of
02:05:14
teenagers gathered in their usual
02:05:15
hangout a Barren stretch of desert next
02:05:18
to a busy highway near Bakersfield
02:05:20
California
02:05:21
a dismal spot littered with trash and
02:05:24
shell casings by Nightfall it turned
02:05:27
into a sort of Lovers Lane where high
02:05:29
school kids drank and smoked
02:05:31
when two boys left their group and
02:05:33
headed into the darkness They Came Upon
02:05:36
a horrific scene the body of a young
02:05:38
woman murdered just hours before she had
02:05:41
no enemies besides girls at school
02:05:44
teenage stuff not any kind of trouble
02:05:46
that someone would murder her this 1991
02:05:49
murder made news headlines for years as
02:05:52
it shocked and divided a quiet
02:05:54
working-class community of course I knew
02:05:57
about Maria's case everyone in
02:05:59
Bakersfield knows about Maria's case
02:06:00
people were just they were glued to
02:06:03
their TV sets and read the paper every
02:06:05
day there was a lot of speculation in
02:06:07
Alaska
02:06:08
that maybe he was not the all-around
02:06:11
athlete that people thought he might be
02:06:13
when he lied about being her boyfriend I
02:06:16
feel like he has no
02:06:18
Justice
02:06:20
in a twisted and controversial case that
02:06:22
captivated many but what if the real
02:06:25
killer were yet to be discovered because
02:06:27
he warned me that he told me that the
02:06:29
other detected that he was here when he
02:06:31
wasn't really here
02:06:32
if you ask the sheriff's department and
02:06:34
if you asked the prosecutor's office
02:06:35
they would say yeah we solved it it's
02:06:38
just unfortunate how things ended up
02:06:41
in this series we will hear brand new
02:06:43
Clues interview people that have never
02:06:46
spoken publicly before and discover
02:06:48
family secrets that shed light on who
02:06:51
may have killed Maria Rodriguez and why
02:06:53
I kind of want all of our families
02:06:57
hidden secrets and all of the dark past
02:06:59
I want it to come out to light I'm
02:07:02
Octavia McHenry for case File presents
02:07:04
and this is in the shadows the story of
02:07:07
Maria Rodriguez