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In the season 8 special, I tell the story of Fred and Rose West, two of England's most infamous serial killers.
Between 1967 and 1987, Fred and Rose tortured and killed a minimum of 12 women and girls, some of whom were their children.
The couple were not apprehended until 1994, after which Rose received a whole life order.
Fred escaped justice by taking his own life on January 1, 1995.
In the first episode of this two-part special, I discuss Fred and Rose's respective early lives, backgrounds and relationships, including their marriage to each other.
Next week, I'll discuss the murders they were convicted of, the trial and its aftermath.
Intro music:
David John Brady - 'Throw Down the Gauntlet'
https://linktr.ee/davidjohnbradymusic
References:
Bennett, W. (1995, January 2). THE EARLY DAYS: Idyllic village childhood hid a darker side. The Independent. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/the-early-days-idyllic-village-childhood-hid-a-darker-side-1566339.html
Bradley, S. (2021, May 18). Who was Fred West? From farm labourer to notorious murderer. The Week UK. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/uk-news/952805/who-was-fred-west-from-farm-laborer-to-notorious-serial-killer
Cambridge, E. (2019, February 21). Rose West tried to smother Fred’s rape victim Caroline Owens with a pillow – but she escaped before they could kill her. The Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8483555/rose-west-fred-rape-victim-caroline-owens/
Duggan, J. (2020, November 1). Fred and Rose West’s son, 40, who saw parents beat his sister to death is found dead from suspected overdose. The Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13077160/fred-rose-west-son-barry-overdose/
Evans, R. (2019, February 21). Fred and Rose West’s daughter Mae reveals terror of being raped when she was five. The Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8322551/fred-rose-west-daughter-raped-porn-mae/
Fred West. (n.d.). Crime+Investigation UK. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/fred-west
Fred West. (2021, November 5). Biography. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.biography.com/crime/fred-west
Fred West: Who was he and what did he do?(2021, May 19). BBC News. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-57146895
Gaspar, C., & Grealish, S. (2022, August 23). Who are Rose and Fred West’s children and what happened to them?The Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8484517/fred-wests-son-stephen-prison-children/
Grubb, S. (2021, May 12). Who was Fred West’s first wife Catherine “Rena” Costello and what happened to her?GloucestershireLive. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/who-fred-wests-first-wife-5405176
Lavender, J. (2020, February 11). Inside Rose West’s gruesome sexual dungeon where she would torture victims. Mirror. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/inside-rose-wests-gruesome-sexual-21467919
Lilith. (2016, January 1). The incest and torture of Fred and Rose West - Emadion. Emadion. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://emadion.it/en/homicides/serial-killers/serial-killer-couples/the-incest-and-torture-of-fred-and-rose-west/
MacDonald, S. (2022, August 28). Fred West: The Glasgow Girls uncovers killer’s life in city and Castlemilk ice cream van horror. GlasgowLive. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/fred-west-glasgow-girls-uncovers-24875101
McDuffee, A. (2021, April 1). The Truth About Serial Killer Fred West’s Childhood. Grunge. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.grunge.com/326846/the-messed-up-truth-about-serial-killers-fred-and-rosemary-west/
Mustafa, T., & Grealish, S. (2022, August 23). Where is Rose West now and how did she meet Fred West?The Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4901862/rose-west-fred-cromwell-street/
Norris, P. (2021, May 11). House of Horrors timeline: Day-by-day investigation into Cromwell Street killers Fred and Rose West. GloucestershireLive. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/house-horrors-timeline-day-day-2567483
Parry, R. (2020, December 15). I’m Fred West’s love child. The Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1025217/im-fred-wests-love-child/
Sex criminals “have brain defects.”(2002, August 2). BBC News. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2167929.stm
Shakhnazarova, N. (2019, February 25). Who was Caroline Owens? Fred and Rose West’s nanny who survived abuse and torture at the hands of the sadistic couple. The Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8483532/who-was-caroline-owens-fred-and-rose-wests-nanny-who-survived-abuse-and-torture-at-the-hands-of-the-sadistic-pair/
Silvester, N. (2021, April 7). Glasgow Crime Stories: Fred West and his time in the city. Glasgow Times. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/19212475.glasgow-crime-stories-fred-west-time-city/
Slater, J., & Milan, A. (2021, May 19). Where did Fred and Rosemary West live and can you visit their ‘House of Horrors’?Metro. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://metro.co.uk/2021/05/19/where-did-fred-and-rose-west-live-and-where-is-their-house-of-horrors-14609783/
Toureille, C. (2022, January 27). Killer Rose West was in “total denial” about her sexually abusive father, new documentary claims. Mail Online. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9352197/Killer-Rose-West-total-denial-sexually-abusive-father-new-documentary-claims.html
Turner, G. C. (2022, March 14). Fred West. Metro Biography. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://metrobiography.com/fred-west/
West, M. (2018). Love as Always, Mum xxx: The true and terrible story of surviving a childhood with Fred and Rose West. Hachette UK.
