Fred West

Frederick Walter Stephen "Fred" West (29 September 1941 – 1 January 1995) was an English serial killer. West was born in Much Marcle, Herefordshire. His convictions included sexual assault and theft.

Between 1967 and 1987, West – alone and later with his second wife, serial killer Rosemary West – tortured and raped young women and girls, murdering at least 12, including their own family members. Fred killed at least two people before collaborating with Rose, while Rose murdered Fred's stepdaughter (his first wife's biological daughter) when he was in prison for theft. Most of the murders occurred between May 1973 and August 1979, in their homes at 25 Midland Road and 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester. Many bodies were buried at or near these homes and sometimes even in the walls of their home.

The couple were apprehended and charged in 1994. Fred West hanged himself in his prison cell before going to trial. Rose West was imprisoned for life, in November 1995, found guilty on 10+ counts of murder. Their house at Cromwell Street was demolished in 1996 and the space converted into a landscaped footpath.