Serial killer Rose West, 72, serves a whole-life sentence at New Hall Prison in West Yorkshire for murdering 10 girls and women alongside her husband Fred West. Despite her grey hair, walking stick, and friendly habit of calling others ‘love’ or ‘dear,’ she maintains a predatory demeanor even after 30 years in prison.
Earlier this month, authorities disciplined West, who now uses the name Jennifer Jones, for allegedly sexually assaulting a vulnerable inmate in her 20s. Reports indicate she groomed the woman over weeks before the incident, leading to the loss of her enhanced prisoner privileges following a review by the prison governor.
Pattern of Manipulation
West earns a reputation as a master manipulator, targeting vulnerable inmates for same-sex relationships. Former inmates describe how she befriends women by styling their hair, applying makeup, baking cakes on Fridays, distributing vapes, and slipping Christmas cards under doors. She buys small treats like shower gel and teaches cooking skills.
One notable relationship involved a prisoner 30 years her junior, serious enough that West considered marriage permission. Sources close to the prison note her strategy of seeking out isolated individuals for companionship.
High-Profile Prison Affairs
Myra Hindley
West’s most notorious link connects to Myra Hindley, the Moors murderer who killed five children with Ian Brady between 1963 and 1965. In 1995 at HMP Durham’s hospital wing, the pair reportedly engaged in a brief lesbian affair. Leo Goatley, West’s lawyer during her 1995 trial, detailed this in his book Understanding Fred & Rose West.
Goatley wrote: “Rose’s first paramour was the Moors murderer, Myra Hindley… Rose was quite taken with Hindley, impressed by her knowledge and ability. Rose said, ‘Yeah, Myra, she’s all right, we get on, I want to see how it goes.'”
The relationship soured quickly. Months later, West warned: “You have to watch Hindley, mind. She is very manipulative.” Hindley died in prison in 2002.
Tracey Connelly
In 2009 at HMP Low Newton in Durham, West began a relationship with Tracey Connelly, mother of Baby P (Peter Connelly), who died in 2007 from over 50 injuries. Connelly and two men were convicted of causing or allowing his death.
Former inmates recall West as the prison ‘queen,’ preparing breakfast in bed for Connelly after seducing her, following prior flings with others.
Carole Louise Fishburn
West also connected with Carole Louise Fishburn, jailed for 16 years in 2015 for child rape and related crimes, including 11 charges of sexual assault, inciting activity with children, distributing indecent images, and cruelty. A judge called her ‘wicked, depraved, and dangerous.’
At Low Newton, West helped Fishburn adjust, teaching her to order treats and magazines. The women spent time in each other’s cells reading and watching TV, drawn together by similar backgrounds.
Expert Insights on Prison Dynamics
Forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes explains that such bonds among despised offenders like sex criminals and child killers stem from survival needs. “Many friendships forged in prisons are more about survival and availability, rather than compatibility,” she states.
“Prisoners who are despised for their crimes… find themselves isolated and often bullied. There is some safety in numbers, and so the most excluded tend to stick together.” Daynes adds that inmates seek intimacy despite controls, as seen in West’s associations.
