Fred West

Who was Fred West?

Frederick Walter Stephen West was a serial killer in England. 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 11 of them, including their own family members. The crimes often occurred in the couple's homes in the city of Gloucester, at 25 Midland Road and later 25 Cromwell Street, with many bodies buried at or near these homes.

Fred killed at least two people before collaborating with Rose, while Rose murdered Fred's stepdaughter when he was in prison for theft. The majority of the murders occurred between May 1973 and August 1979, in their home at 25 Cromwell Street.

The pair were finally apprehended and charged in 1994. Fred West committed suicide before going to trial, while Rose West was jailed for life, in November 1995, after having been found guilty on 10 counts of murder. Their house at Cromwell Street was demolished in 1996 and the space converted into a landscaped footpath, connecting Cromwell Street to St. Michael's Square.