Janet Leach (appropriate adult)

Janet Leach was the appropriate adult during the questioning of Fred West, one of the two perpetrators of the Gloucester serial murders. Between 1967 and 1987, West – alone and later with his second wife, serial killer Rosemary West – tortured and raped numerous young women and girls, murdering at least 12, including their own family members.

As a voluntary, unpaid social worker, Leach was called in by the police as appropriate adult to listen to graphic descriptions of incest, torture, and murder of young women and children. Unlike a solicitor however, the appropriate adult is not bound to respect confidentiality and, as in the case of Leach, can be called as a witness. This later resulted in criticism of her part in the investigation and ensuing trial

Liverpool born Leach, aged 38, a mother-of-five and in divorce proceedings at the time of the proceedings, (Leach was widowed in 2011 following the death of her second husband). According to reports, during the more than 400 hours she spent in West's company, she "became traumatised and disgusted". She was criticised for accepting an offer from a newspaper for her story. West committed suicide in his cell on 1 January 1995 while on remand waiting for his trial. Due to Leach's physical close resemblance to Anna McFall, possibly one of Fred West's or Rosemary West's victims, it was rumoured that Leach may have been a relative of West or even having an affair with him. Leach suffered a stroke causing her loss of speech while testifying in court against Rosemary West, and was forced to admit she had lied about selling her story to the press in the belief that she was no longer bound to confidentiality. The trial was adjourned for several days and Leach resumed her testimony in a wheel chair and accompanied by a doctor.

Emily Watson who portrayed Leach in the 2011 TV dramatisation said: 'Everyone involved in the case entered a moral universe for which they were completely unequipped', while in the words of author Neil McKay: “I do feel that Janet’s story in many ways reflects how any of us would have reacted.”

A 1997 claim by Leach for compensation was dismissed by Bristol County Court, In 1998 Leach lodged a plaint at the Court of Appeal for damages on the grounds of having suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of her involvement in the West cases. Three appeal judges were asked to overturn the 1997 ruling. Leach's counsel claims that the police should have been aware of the possible risk of psychological trauma from being involved in such an extensive case of a particularly horrifying nature. The police on their part who offered counseling to their own officers, claim it is not their responsibility to offer support to a voluntary social worker. The trial was adjourned for several days and Leach resumed her testimony accompanied by a doctor.

Dramatisation

The 2011 TV drama Appropriate Adult, starring Emily Watson as Leach, focused on the part played by Leach in the police interviews with Fred West, the visits to the crime scenes, and Leach's prison visits and correspondence with West. Commenting on the film, retired police officer Bennet who was in charge of the investigation, said that although the portrayals of Fred and Rose West were "hauntingly accurate" providing "an even deeper insight" into their psyche, Leach's role in the case was exaggerated. Paul Leach, Janet's oldest son, was upset at the way his mother was portrayed in the TV film.