Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Chiara Fiorillo

Fred and Rose West's son, 40, 'found dead in hostel in suspected overdose'

Fred and Rosemary West's youngest son has been found dead from a suspected overdose.

Barry West, 40, had long battled drug addiction, nightmares and psychiatric problems, according to reports.

Barry was just seven years old when he saw his parents beat his sister Heather to death at their home in Gloucester.

All the children of Fred and  Rose West  were forced to endure incest, brutal beatings, porn and prostitution.

But Barry was particularly affected by his parents' crime history, people close to the family said.

A family source said: "He never found peace, never escaped the ghosts of Cromwell Street.

"Of all the Wests' younger children, Barry had the most difficult life."

In 1995, Fred West killed himself in prison in 1995 while awaiting trial on 12 murder charges while Rose West was sentenced to life without parole for ten murders.

Serial killers Fred and Rosemary West (PA Archive/PA Images)

Barry was found dead at a hostel in Maidstone, Kent, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Because of the backlog in cases due to the coronavirus pandemic, an inquest will not be held until later in the New Year, according to the newspaper.

A family member who asked not to be named said Barry had died "some weeks ago".

They added: "We heard he had died, but we know no more than that."

25 Cromwell Street, the home of Fred and Rose West (SWNS)

Barry was just seven-years-old when he saw his parents beat his sister Heather, 16, to death.

During an interview in 2002, Barry recalled the night his sister was killed.

He said she came back home at about 3am and her parents were waiting for her.

Barry said: "I heard my mum slap her, then I looked through the crack and saw my dad walk round behind her and put his leg out.

"Then he grabbed her neck and tripped her over.

"She went on to the floor. I could see her just a few feet away. Then my mum just booted her.

"She was kicking and kicking her and calling her a slag. My dad still had her by the throat.

"Then, when he tried to get her to do things to him, she refused. I think that's why she ended up dead."

Barry said his parents then wrapped Heather in some plastic and planned to get rid of her body before her siblings woke up.

He previously described his mum, who was sentenced to life, as a "psychopath".

Of his dad, Barry said: "I was happy when my dad committed suicide and now I think they should put my mum in a room with all the parents of the people she helped murder so they could tear her to pieces."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.