Former Inmate Reveals Rose West's Chilling Prison Advice and Mundane Daily Life
A woman who served a prison sentence alongside notorious serial killer Rose West has shared disturbing details about their interactions, including chilling advice the murderer gave her just before her release.
The Unlikely Prison Encounter
Stephanie, a 28-year-old who described herself as not a "typical" criminal, found herself incarcerated in November 2024 after being convicted of fraud. She had stolen £30,000 from her company by manipulating financial records and received a two-year sentence.
"I was caught, and when the judge handed me a two-year jail term, I never imagined I'd be thrown into prison with paedophiles, terrorists and violent offenders," Stephanie wrote in a first-person account for The Sun newspaper.
Her final three weeks of imprisonment were spent in the Rivendell unit at HM Prison New Hall, a women's facility located in the village of Flockton near Wakefield. It was here that she encountered one of Britain's most infamous criminals.
Meeting a Notorious Killer
Rose West, now 72 years old and using the name Jennifer Jones, introduced herself to Stephanie in the prison unit. The serial killer, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1995 for the murders of ten girls and women alongside her late husband Fred West, reportedly "shook with excitement" during their introduction.
According to Stephanie, West had been transferred to this particular unit after facing threats from another inmate, killer Joanna Dennehy. The environment was noticeably quieter than other prisons Stephanie had experienced during her sentence.
After learning Stephanie's name, West commented, "That's a lovely name," beginning what would become several weeks of observation about the murderer's daily life behind bars.
The Mundane Reality of a Serial Killer's Prison Existence
Stephanie's account reveals surprisingly ordinary aspects of West's prison routine:
- Watching David Attenborough nature programmes
- Sewing as a regular activity
- Maintaining an orderly cell containing DVDs
- Having a "favourite animal" from Madagascar, reportedly some kind of hedgehog
- Swapping her cornflakes for porridge with other inmates
Despite being "easily recognisable" even decades after her crimes, West appeared to have settled into a routine that contrasted sharply with the horrific nature of her offences. The Wests' crimes were particularly gruesome, involving the sexual abuse and murder of at least ten people, including two of their own children, at their Gloucester home at 25 Cromwell Street, which became known as the "House of Horrors."
The Chilling Final Exchange
Perhaps the most disturbing revelation from Stephanie's account concerns her final interaction with Rose West before being released from prison.
In what would be their last exchange, West allegedly told Stephanie: "You never, ever want to spend your life in prison like me – and if you meet anyone that's bad, you just make sure you run to the police."
This haunting advice from a woman serving a whole life order for unimaginable crimes adds a particularly chilling dimension to Stephanie's prison experience.
The Lingering Shadow of Cromwell Street
The article also touches on the enduring impact of the Wests' crimes on the local community in Gloucester. Although the Cromwell Street house was demolished in 1996 and the land converted into a walkway, residents report continuing unease about the location.
Patsy Dooley, who lives just five minutes from the site, described the persistent atmosphere: "It feels very strange there. There's a very eerie, strange energy, almost cold. Everyone I know says the same, I haven't met one person who doesn't feel strange walking past or down the walkway."
Another resident claimed they could still sense a "strange energy" when passing the location, three decades after the demolition. The collective memory of the atrocities committed there continues to affect how people interact with the space, with many choosing to avoid the walkway entirely despite its physical transformation.
Stephanie's account provides a rare glimpse into the prison life of one of Britain's most notorious criminals while highlighting the lasting trauma inflicted by the Wests' crimes on both their victims' families and the wider community.
