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Rose West

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Rose West
Fred and Rosemary in the mid 1980s
Born
Rosemary Pauline Letts

(1953-11-29) 29 November 1953 (age 70)
Barnstaple, Devon, England, UK
Conviction(s)Sexual assault, murder
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment
Details
Victims10
Span of crimes
June 1971 – May 1987
CountryEngland
Date apprehended
April 1994

Rosemary Pauline "Rose" West (née Letts) (born 29 November 1953 in Barnstaple, Devon) is a British serial killer, now an inmate at HMP Low Newton, Brasside, Durham, after being convicted of 10 murders in 1995. Her husband Fred, who committed suicide in prison while awaiting trial, is believed to have collaborated with her in the torture and murder of at least 10 young women,[1] many at the couple's home in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England.

Fred West is known to have carried out 12 murders. Rosemary West had no involvement in the first two; she had not met Fred at the time.

Early life and marriage to Fred West

Rosemary Letts was born in Barnstaple, Devon,[2] to William Andrew and Daisy Gwendoline Letts after a difficult pregnancy. Her mother suffered from depression and was given ECT while pregnant; some have argued that this may have caused prenatal injury to her daughter.[3] Rosemary grew up into a moody teenager and performed poorly at school.

Rosemary's parents split up when she was a teenager. She lived with her mother before moving in with her father at the age of 16 in Bishops Cleeve, near Cheltenham; her father was prone to violence and repeatedly sexually abused her. At around this time, she began dating West who was living at Lake House Hotel Caravan Park, Stoke Road, Bishops Cleeve. Her father disapproved of the relationship, threatening to call social services and threatening West directly. Rosemary was caring for West's daughter Anne-Marie (by his previous marriage to Rena Costello) and his stepdaughter, Charmaine (daughter of Rena Costello and a Pakistani bus driver).[4]. West and Rosemary moved in together at the Lake House Hotel Caravan Park; Charmaine briefly attended Bishops Cleeve County Primary School on Tobyfield Road. However, by 1970, Rosemary found herself pregnant by West and they moved to Midland Road, Gloucester.

Rosemary West and her husband were convicted of sexual assault in January 1973. They were fined for indecent assault of Caroline Roberts (née Owen), who escaped the couple's home after being attacked and reported them to the police. The Wests' typical pattern was to pick up girls from bus stops in and around Gloucester and imprison them in their home for several days before killing them.[5]

She also periodically worked as a prostitute, often while her husband watched.[6] One of the most frequent visitors to 25 Cromwell Street (51°51′42″N 2°14′36″W / 51.86167°N 2.24333°W / 51.86167; -2.24333) (now demolished) was her father, who had abused her from a young age. She was often pregnant and was the mother of eight children. Five of these were fathered by Fred West, while three were fathered by West Indian clients who had used Rosemary as a prostitute.[citation needed]

It is reported that, even after the birth of her fourth child, Rosemary's father would still visit her for sex, and would then have sex with Fred's daughter Anne-Marie.[7]

Other possible victims

The crimes for which Rosemary West was convicted occurred mainly between April 1973 and August 1978. She murdered Charmaine West, the daughter of Fred's previous wife Rena, in June 1971, and buried her in their previous home of 25 Midland Road, Gloucester[8] whilst Fred West was serving a prison sentence for petty theft. One of the bodies found at 25 Cromwell Street was that of their daughter, Heather, who was murdered in June 1987 at the age of 16, after being abused by Rosemary while Fred raped her. The Wests told friends and concerned parties that Heather had gone away to work at a holiday village.

In August 1992 Fred West was arrested after being accused of raping his 13-year-old daughter three times, and Rosemary West was arrested for child cruelty. This case against them collapsed in June 1993 when their daughter refused to testify in court. All of the Wests' children were removed from their custody to foster homes. This case brought to light the disappearance of Heather West, who had not been seen since 1987, and triggered the major investigation that followed.

Conviction

Although she did not confess, the circumstantial evidence against Rosemary West was overwhelming. She went on trial in October 1995, nine months after her husband's suicide. He had hanged himself in Winson Green Prison with a knotted bed-sheet on 1 January that year, despite being on suicide watch.

The jury was unanimous. On 22 November 1995 West was found guilty of 10 murders. The judge, Mr Justice Mantell, sentenced her to life imprisonment, saying: "If attention is paid to what I think, you will never be released."[9]

The Lord Chief Justice later decided that she should spend at least 25 years in prison, but in July 1997 Home Secretary Jack Straw subjected West to a whole life tariff.[10][11] This was only the second instance, in modern times, of a British woman being condemned to die in prison. The other was serial killer Myra Hindley, who has since died. At the start of her sentence, West was held at the same prison as Hindley.[12]

The house at Cromwell Street (along with the adjoining property) was demolished in 1996. The site is now occupied by a public walkway.[13]

In 2001 West announced her intention not to appeal, while maintaining her innocence.[14]

Further reading

  • Bennett, John (2005). The Cromwell Street Murders: The Detective's Story. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0750942738.
  • Carter Woodrow, Jane (2011). Rose West: The making of a Monster. Hodder & Stoughton (UK). ISBN 978-0-340-99247-0.
  • Burn, Gordon (1998). Happy Like Murderers. Faber and Faber (London). ISBN 0571195466.
  • Masters, Brian (1996). She Must Have Known: Trial of Rosemary West. Doubleday (London). ISBN 0385406509.
  • Roberts, Caroline (2005). The Lost Girl: How I Triumphed Over Life at the Mercy of Fred and Rose West. Metro Books (London). ISBN 1843580888.
  • Sounes, Howard (1995). Fred and Rose: The Full Story of Fred and Rose West and the Gloucester House of Horrors. Warner Books (London). ISBN 0751513229.
  • Wansell, Geoffrey (1996). An Evil Love: The Life of Frederick West. Hodder Headline (London). ISBN 0747217602.
  • West, Anne Marie (1995). Out of the Shadows: Fred West's Daughter Tells Her Harrowing Story of Survival. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671719688.
  • Wilson, Colin (1998). The Corpse Garden. True Crime Library (London). ISBN 1874358249.

References

  1. ^ BBC Article with detail of the 12 accusations. Retrieval Date: 14 August 2007.
  2. ^ "[[Gloucester Police]] Media Information Pack" (PDF). Retrieved 2009=01=26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  3. ^ "Biography – Rosemary West on Crime and Investigation Network". Crimeandinvestigation.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  4. ^ Bennett, Will (22 November 1995). "Step-daughter Charmaine was first to die – News". The Independent. UK. Retrieved 24 June 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  5. ^ by Insider. "Born To Kill". Tvsa.co.za. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  6. ^ [1][dead link]
  7. ^ Burn 1998, pp. 225–227
  8. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A18532514 "Fred and Rose West – Multiple Murderers". BBC. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  9. ^ Staff (14 October 2000) "Chilling list includes torturers, rapists and serial killers" The Daily Telegraph
  10. ^ Ford, Richard; Strange, Hannah (26 February 2008). "Bellfield joins list of those to die in jail – Times Online". The Times. UK. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  11. ^ Dyer, Clare (28 May 2002). "Law: The man who could free Myra Hindley". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 23 February 2010. {{cite news}}: Text "The Guardian" ignored (help); Text "UK news" ignored (help)
  12. ^ "BBC ON THIS DAY". news.bbc.co.uk. 22 November 1995. Retrieved 23 February 2010. {{cite news}}: Text "1995: Life sentence for Rosemary West" ignored (help); Text "22" ignored (help)
  13. ^ Coughlan, Sean (5 April 2004). "What happens to the houses of horror?". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  14. ^ Milmo, Cahal (1 October 2001). "Rosemary West drops appeal case". The Independent. UK. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
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