Global Trending Stories
Rose West: Bake-Offs, Prison "Luxury," and That Rumored Affair with Myra Hindley
If you've been binge-watching Netflix's disturbing new docuseries, Fred and Rose: The West Murders, you're probably wondering what happened to Rose West after the cameras stopped rolling. What becomes of one of Britain's most notorious female killers once the headlines fade? Nearly three decades after the horrors of 25 Cromwell Street were uncovered, Rose's life behind bars tells a story almost as surprising as her crimes.
The Nightmare Behind the Front Door
It all began with a missing daughter. When police arrested Fred and Rose West in February 1994, they were simply investigating the disappearance of Heather West. No one was prepared for what they'd discover.
Heather's remains, unearthed from the garden of the family's Gloucester home, were just the beginning of a nightmare that would shock Britain to its core. Over twenty years, this seemingly ordinary couple had tortured, sexually abused, and murdered at least ten young women and girls, including their own daughter. The true victim count? We may never know.
Fred never faced justice—he hanged himself in his prison cell in 1995. Rose, meanwhile, played the innocent, desperately trying to pin everything on her dead husband. The jury wasn't buying it. The evidence against her was overwhelming, and in November 1995, she was convicted of ten murders and sentenced to life without parole.
Prison Life: Victoria Sponge and Strictly Come Dancing
You might expect someone convicted of such horrific crimes to be living in harsh conditions, but Rose's prison life tells a different story. Now 71, she's reportedly created quite the comfortable existence for herself.
Would you believe she's become something of a prison celebrity chef? According to insiders, Rose regularly enters the prison baking competitions—and has even claimed first prize with her Victorian sponge cake! When she's not whisking up sweet treats, she's apparently cutting hair for fellow inmates, watching Strictly Come Dancing, hitting the gym, and even attending yoga classes. Not exactly the punishment many would expect for Britain's most infamous female serial killer.
- "She's treated like royalty in there," one prison source claimed. Her single cell reportedly comes with en-suite facilities, a TV, and a radio—luxuries many inmates can only dream of.
- Her baking skills have apparently become a social currency. According to reports, she's defused tense situations with aggressive inmates by offering them homemade treats. Who knew murder and baking could go hand in hand?
- Health concerns have emerged in recent years. She's reportedly struggling with her weight—a side effect of her cushy lifestyle—and has turned to a keto diet to shed some pounds.
That Shocking Prison Romance
Just when you thought Rose West's story couldn't get any stranger, along comes the most unexpected prison love story imaginable. According to Leo Goatley, her former solicitor, Rose struck up a relationship with none other than Myra Hindley—yes, that Myra Hindley of the Moors Murders infamy.
The two women reportedly formed an intense bond that blossomed into a brief romance. It's hard to imagine a more notorious pairing in British criminal history! The relationship didn't last, though. West later described Hindley as "very manipulative," which, coming from Rose West, is really saying something.
In what seems like an attempt to escape her notorious past (good luck with that), Rose paid to legally change her name to Jennifer Jones. New name, same horrific legacy.
When One Serial Killer Meets Another
Rose's relatively cushy prison arrangement came crashing down in 2019. The reason? Another infamous name in the British crime annals: Joanna Dennehy, the so-called "man-woman killer" responsible for murdering three men in 2013.
Dennehy allegedly threatened to kill West—apparently there's a serial killer hierarchy even in prison. The threat was deemed credible enough that prison officials whisked West away to another facility. According to reports, she was left in tears as her long-standing prison comforts were suddenly stripped away. It seems even behind bars, Rose West's past has a way of catching up with her.
In a strange twist that raised more than a few eyebrows, West received her COVID vaccine in February 2021—before many prison officers. While her age and weight put her in a higher risk category (she reportedly had a bad reaction to the AstraZeneca jab), the prioritization didn't sit well with many.
A Fresh Look at a Horrifying Case
Netflix's documentary, Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story, offers viewers unprecedented access to police footage and audio recordings never before made public. It's not just another true crime spectacle—it attempts to provide some closure for families who've lived with this trauma for decades.
What makes this documentary particularly powerful is its focus on the victims' families. Through intimate interviews, we see the ripple effects of the Wests' brutality—the birthdays never celebrated, the Christmases with empty chairs, the parents who went to their graves never knowing what happened to their daughters.
The Monster in the Mirror
Rose West's story forces us to confront uncomfortable truths. How does someone who committed such monstrous acts spend her days baking cakes and watching dance shows? Can any prison sentence, no matter how long, truly match the suffering she inflicted?
While she continues to maintain her innocence—a final cruelty to her victims' families—the evidence speaks for itself. The Netflix documentary serves as a powerful reminder that behind the headline-grabbing details of Rose's prison life are real families still grieving real losses.
As we watch from our sofas, perhaps with a cup of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge that tastes nothing like the one that won Rose West a prison baking competition, we're left to wonder what justice really looks like in a case this horrific. And maybe that's the point—some crimes are so heinous that no punishment could ever feel sufficient.
