A woman has claimed that serial killer Fred West approached her in a Bristol car park more than 30 years ago, leading her to fear for her life.
The woman, known only as Linda, told the makers of ITV's Fred And Rose West: Reopened that a man in a leather jacket came towards her in spring 1987 before veering off when another man walked into the area, the Daily Mail reported.
In the two-part documentary, which is airing today (15 September) and tomorrow, Linda said she later saw West's face in a newspaper and recognised the murderer, shouting to her husband "it's him".
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On the programme, it is also claimed that West may have left as many as 20 bodies across Britain.
Although the official number of victims is 12, and they were all located in Gloucestershire, witnesses and work time sheets lodged by the multiple killer suggest he worked in Bristol.
It is also thought he worked in London, Wales, Nottingham, Birmingham and Southampton - prompting fears he may have killed other victims there and buried them.
The figure of 20 was given in court by Janet Leach, who was West's "appropriate adult", and previously said he had told her there were another 20 bodies to be found after the 12, with some of these in fields and the rest in a barn.
Linda spoke to former detective chief inspector Colin Sutton in the new programme and told him about her encounter with West 34 years ago, saying it was late morning and she just dropped her daughter off at school.
She said: "As I was coming towards this upper car park, I saw a figure. He was standing there with legs astride, leather jacket, dark, curly hair. And as I got to the end here, so he started to walk towards me in a diagonal line.
"And I was really scared. I thought, I won't run, I won't meet his gaze. My last thoughts were, I'm not going to make it.
"And then all of a sudden he veered off, and as I got to the car I looked up and through the top of the car park, the way I'd just come, a young man was starting to walk down, through.
"That young man, he'll never know it, but I think he saved my life that day. I can remember it as being a Saturday morning, and I saw his picture on the front page.
"It was instant recognition and shouting out to my husband: "It's him". Just a frightening prospect that he was out there. There must be others."
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