UK UK - FRED and ROSEMARY WEST

[VespaElf]

Did anyone watch A&E last night and the program about the Wests'?

They interviewed two of their surviving children-OMG! Soooooooooo chilling!!!!!


I know they are not well known here in the States but its a disturbing,interesting case.


Any UK posters have any thoughts about the case or Fred's "suicide"?? I think he was (rightly ) murdered in prison .I also think they are more victims but thats imoo!

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Messie, I saw that story some time ago. For anyone who is interested, Court TV has a large article about the murders:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/west/index_1.html

 

[deputylinda]

didn't see the program, but remember the case well. everyone involved very sick.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

There's a case for you Linda!!! YUCKY. Can you imagine? Well, I guess you can imagine, but I was completely grossed out when I saw that program.

 

[VespaElf]

It was called "Murder At Cromell Street" and I wouldve posted a "heads up" but I caught it by accident myself..............WOW!!!!! Very interesting to hear two of the children LE needs to hear from them,seriously,as they could give lots of info about serial killers.Fred's son said his Father admitted to only telling LE what they already knew and keeping many things secret and stating that people would be horrified if they knew the "full extent" of EVERYTHING(can you imagine what he didnt admit to???)
The son ,for whatever reason ,still vists Rosemary and says she blames Fred for everything.
A&E reruns like crazy so I'll post if /when I see it on again.

This case interests me as not only do I belive theres other victims I just find it interesting that the UK produced a SECOND man/woman serial killer team(Myra Hindley and Ian Brady being the first)

 

[Hugh]

If Caroline Raine was mentioned (one of Fred and Rosemary's lodgers) I used to date her when I was a lad.

One of my fathers employees also stayed at their house before Cromwell street. The location of Cromwell street is only about 4 miles from where I am sat right now typing this. The house has been flattened and is now a memorial garden. The continuing theories here are that they did not find all the bodies and Fred may have killed as many as 30 people.

How much stress did the documentary put on the failure of the education and social services about how they ignored the children and what they were saying ? the catalogue of clues that were given by the children should have alerted the authorities much earlier than it did.

There is a good book about the West case called "Happy like murderers"

 

[VespaElf]

If Caroline Raine was mentioned (one of Fred and Rosemary's lodgers) I used to date her when I was a lad.

One of my fathers employees also stayed at their house before Cromwell street. The location of Cromwell street is only about 4 miles from where I am sat right now typing this. The house has been flattened and is now a memorial garden. The continuing theories here are that they did not find all the bodies and Fred may have killed as many as 30 people.

How much stress did the documentary put on the failure of the education and social services about how they ignored the children and what they were saying ? the catalogue of clues that were given by the children should have alerted the authorities much earlier than it did.

There is a good book about the West case called "Happy like murderers"

Caroline wasn't mentioned specifically Hugh but thats interesting none the less!!
Their daughter Mae seems just still so affected-it was heart breaking to see the anger and sadness written all over her face esp. when they talked about how no one seemed to notice their sister was "gone" so you're spot on about Social Services failing the children. TWICE The Wests faced rape charges yet the children remained in what was an obviously unfit home........Teachers,neighbors,friends everyone knew something was wrong and although they had no idea how wrong I feel they had an obligation to do something and they failed!


What interests me about this case is obvious Fred was a murderer who raped and killed BEFORE Rosemary was with him but you wonder about their dynamic and their feeding off each other.Im quite interested in learning about their childhoods.I will look for that book-thanks for telling me about it!


When I first learned about Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka in Canada I instantly thought of The West's !

 

[Hugh]

I think Messie that it was very similar to Brady and Hindley, they were form their point of view "Lucky" to find each other. He had an extremely abusive childhood in rural Herefordshire, which is a farming county. It was not uncommon for fathers to be the first sexual partner of their daughters, in fact Fred assumed this was his "Right". He was almost certainly abused as a child.
Rosemary's childhood although disrupted was nowhere near as destructive as Fred's and it was not until he found her that she went off the rails.

in many ways it was a marriage made in hell, she was sexually insatiable, Fred was a voyeur who wished to view almost any peversion known, and Rose was happy to oblige.

At her trial and in many susequent interviews ahe has insisted she knew nothing about the deaths, utter crap.

Of all the children I think Stephen was the most affected, I remember seeing him interviewed and he was worried that he was "infected" with Fred's genes.

Caroline Raine was in the habit of hitchiking and that is how I first met her, we went out a few times but then I lost touch, It was whilst hitchiking along the same road that she was first picked up by Fred and Rosemary, who were not yet killers, lucky for Caroline.

 

[Kat]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...er-Fred-West-ITV-drama-Appropriate-Adult.html

Last updated at 8:17 PM on 17th March 2011

I wish we could see this tv show in the USA. Looks interesting.

 

[colette]

Fred West's brother is writing a book. He says he will tell what really happened.

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/m...s-new-book-on-cromwell-street-66331-28200263/

 

[wfgodot]

For a terrific read on the case try "Happy Like Murderers" by Gordon Burn (Faber and Faber 2001).

(Also recommended: Howard Sounes's "Fred and Rose: The Full Story of Fred and Rose West and the Gloucester House of Horrors.")

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

Crimes that shook the world did an episode on the Wests. Looks like all four parts are up on this channel.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2oDWuVZ_FM[/ame]

 

[tlcya]

I had forgotten all about this one. I was still a kid when this case was in the news. I had a vague awareness of it but it was pre- my fascination with true crime.

Spent several hours last night reading up and refamiliarizing myself with the circumstances.

All I can say is wow, they were very much a toxic couple. The case of the overly attractive Candadian couple who were involved in swinging and killing young women, one of them the wife's sister, comes to mind, but they had nothing on the Wests.

 

[badhorsie]

This case makes me feel physically sick, I borrowed the book mentioned by Wfgodot and, childish as it may sound, I couldn't have it in the house. I felt tainted all the time I read it.:sick:

I had a strange, horrible hitch hiking experience in the late 70s and have often wondered if it was related to the case.

Regarding the proposed new TV programme, I think it would be far better if they focussed on the murdered women like the programme about the Norwich Serial Killer, Five Daughters.
One of the women, Lucy Partington, was a niece or cousin of Martin Amis, I also hoped he might write about her...

Does the UK have a high rate of SKs in proportion to it's size?

 

[wfgodot]

This case makes me feel physically sick, I borrowed the book mentioned by Wfgodot and, childish as it may sound, I couldn't have it in the house. I felt tainted all the time I read it.:sick:

I had a strange, horrible hitch hiking experience in the late 70s and have often wondered if it was related to the case.

Regarding the proposed new TV programme, I think it would be far better if they focussed on the murdered women like the programme about the Norwich Serial Killer, Five Daughters.
One of the women, Lucy Partington, was a niece or cousin of Martin Amis, I also hoped he might write about her...

Does the UK have a high rate of SKs in proportion to it's size?

Lucy was Martin's cousin.

The UK doesn't have a high rate of serial murderers; because of this, the ones it does have seem especially and memorably heinous.

 

[wfgodot]

Fred West's daughter criticises ITV drama about the serial killer
Anne Marie Davis, 46, says Appropriate Adult will cause 'unimaginable distress' to victims' families

Interesting Guardian article at link above

 

[belimom]

I was not familiar with this case so I googled it. For those of you who want a quick summary, here's a good one:

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_West[/ame]

What awful awful people. :no:

 

[belimom]

Messie, I saw that story some time ago. For anyone who is interested, Court TV has a large article about the murders:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/west/index_1.html

Okay, I just finished reading the material at this link from start to finish. I really wish I had stuck to the Wikipedia version which was bad enough. What a truly disturbing story...

I hope their (remaining) children and the families of the victims can find peace.

 

[wfgodot]

Yes, even after having read about the dysfunctionality of the West and Letts families when the pair were growing up, their actions as adults don't allow for mitigation. Perhaps the worst case I know of in terms of sheer wickedness.

 

[wfgodot]

Fred and Rosemary West's former home 'used by sex traffickers' (Guardian)

Three people have been charged with conspiracy to traffic women into prostitution in the UK as part of a suspected vice ring that operated from addresses including the former Gloucester home of serial killers Fred and Rosemary West.
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Members of the alleged gang are suspected of using the rundown white two-storey Midland Road house where Rosemary West murdered her husband's stepdaughter Charmaine in 1971 and buried her beneath the kitchen floor. Her remains were not exhumed until 23 years later after the Wests were arrested over 11 more murders at their nearby Cromwell Road home which was subsequently demolished.
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more at link above