Born in United Kingdom · Nationality British — Crime / mafias / terrorism / criminal cases
Documented profile covering 15 controversies, including “Mary Bastholm disappearance: enduring but unproven suspicion against Fred West” and “Suicide in custody despite monitoring and investigation into prison procedures”.
Profile No. 2435 · Updated on 13 October 2026
§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology
1968; réexamens jusqu'en 2021
The 1968 disappearance of Mary Bastholm, aged 15, was long associated with Fred West in the investigation and public discourse. A fresh search of a Gloucester café in 2021 was prompted by possible evidence of a burial.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
1 January 1995
Fred West was found hanged in his cell at Birmingham Prison while awaiting trial. An investigation was immediately opened into how a vulnerable, monitored prisoner had been able to take his own life.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
November 1995
Following Rosemary West's trial, the Bridge report examined earlier contacts with public services and notably recommended improvements in information sharing and retention. It concluded that a series of murders on this scale could not have been predicted from the information available under the practices of the period.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
Case · 7 documented stages
1967; corps retrouvé en 1994
Anne McFall, formerly close to Fred West and pregnant when she disappeared, was killed in 1967. Her remains were found in 1994 in a field near Much Marcle, and Fred West was formally charged with her murder.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
1971; corps retrouvé le 4 May 1994
Charmaine West's remains were found beneath the floor of the former Midland Road home. Fred was accused as part of the broader series of crimes, but the chronology accepted at Rosemary's trial indicated that Charmaine had probably been killed while Fred was still in prison.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
1971; corps retrouvé le 10 April 1994
Catherine "Rena" West disappeared in 1971. Her remains were found in 1994 at Letterbox Field, following the initial discoveries at Cromwell Street, and Fred West was accused of her murder.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
23 February–28 April 1994
After obtaining a warrant initially concerning Heather, investigators searched 25 Cromwell Street over several weeks and uncovered nine bodies in the garden, cellar and other parts of the house.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
April–June 1994
Searches extended to the former Midland Road home and land near Kempley, where the remains of Charmaine, Rena and Anne McFall were found, among others. The discoveries brought to twelve the number of victims associated with the charges against Fred.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
1994
Following the various discoveries and charges, Fred West faced twelve counts of murder and was being held in custody awaiting trial.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
années 1970–1979
Several young women who disappeared during the 1970s were found buried or concealed at 25 Cromwell Street in 1994. The victims included Lynda Gough, Carole Cooper, Lucy Partington, Thérèse Siegenthaler, Shirley Hubbard, Juanita Mott, Shirley Robinson and Alison Chambers.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
1987; corps découvert en February 1994
Protagonist not prosecuted — these proceedings are not counted in their formal charges or convictions.
Heather West disappeared in 1987. Her parents provided various explanations for her departure. After a search warrant was eventually obtained, her body was the first discovered in the Cromwell Street garden in February 1994, and Fred was charged with her murder.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
1994
During questioning, Fred made several confessions or provided information leading to burial sites and claimed at times to have killed numerous victims, while subsequently changing his account and notably attempting to portray Rosemary as uninvolved.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
1992–1993
A joint police and social services investigation removed the minor children from the household and led to allegations of abuse, but witnesses withdrew their statements and the proceedings came to nothing. Searches for Heather nevertheless continued, and a remark that she was "under the patio" contributed to the subsequent search warrant.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
années 1970–1992
Family testimony and subsequent reviews described repeated sexual and physical abuse within the household, while schools, hospitals, police and social services held fragments of concerning information over the years.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
fin 1972–12 January 1973
Caroline Owens described being abducted, tied up, physically assaulted and sexually assaulted by Fred and Rosemary West. The most serious charges were not pursued to judgment; both pleaded guilty to assault and indecent assault and received small fines.
Last verified: 15 September 2026
No documented link with another published profile for now.
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