Rose West: Is she still alive? Where is serial killer wife of Fred West now and what is her sentence?

Rose West is one of the most notorious serial killers in British history. She was convicted of murdering 10 women and girls, including her two daughters, in 1995.

Along with her husband Fred, the couple committed horrific murders from their home in Gloucester which was dubbed the “house of horrors” after human remains were discovered buried in the cellar and garden. Fred was charged with 12 murders but took his own life in a Birmingham prison before his trial, while his wife Rose was convicted of 10 murders in November 1995 and is one of only four women in the UK serving a whole-life sentence.

Other notorious murderers who have been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole include Myra Hindley, Lucy Letby and Joanna Dennehy. Here’s what you need to know about one of the UK’s most infamous killers.

Is Rose West still alive?

West is still alive and will be 70-years-old in November. She has been in prison for nearly 30 years after she was apprehended in April 1994.

Where is Rose West now?

West is currently in HM Prison New Hall, in Flockton, West Yorkshire. She will spend the rest of her life incarcerated without the possibility of parole.

What did Rose West do?

West, along with her husband Fred murdered vulnerable young girls and women and even killed two of their own daughters. Their horrific crimes were revealed after police found the bodies of nine women, including their daughter Heather, buried in the cellar and garden of their terraced house at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, which was dubbed the “house of horrors”.

West was found guilty of murdering 10 young girls and women, including Shirley Anne Robinson, 18, Lynda Gough, 19, Carol Ann Cooper, 15, Lucy Partington, 21, Therese Siegenthaler, 21, Shirley Hubbard, 15, Juanita Mott, 18, and Alison Chambers, 17. She was also found guilty of murdering her eldest daughter Heather, 16, and her eight-year-old stepdaughter, Charmaine.

Fred West, who was charged with 12 murders, took his own life at Winson Green jail, Birmingham, on New Year’s Day 1995 before facing trial.

In 2021, excavation work began at a Gloucester cafe, in connection with the disappearance of 15-year-old Mary Bastholm who was last seen alive in January 1968. Despite an extensive search the teenager’s remains were not found.

Has Rose West ever confessed?

West has never confessed to her crimes and maintains her innocence. In May 2023, her former lawyer Leo Goatley urged the convicted serial killer to tell the truth about her crimes, telling her to “find redemption” by confessing.

Goatley told the Mirror: “There is an awful lot Rose knows that she hasn’t revealed. There isn’t much that Fred did that she wasn’t aware of. If her inner journey has really gone anywhere since she has been in prison there are things she should say that would help the families of her victims.”

He continued: “To start with, she could clear up the Mary Bastholm disappearance. This blanket pleading of total ignorance of everything that happened is just daft at this point. Also she could very simply clear up if there are other victims we don’t even know about.”

What is her sentence?

West was sentenced to serve a whole-life order in 1995. To date, only four women have received such a penalty with West being the second woman in the UK. Previously called a whole-life tariff, a whole-life order is the most severe sentence that can be passed in UK law. It ensures that the person will spend the rest of their lives in prison and they will never be eligible for parole.