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 greetings like ‘love’ or ‘dear,’ she maintains a predatory nature even after three decades behind bars.
Recent reports confirm that prison authorities disciplined West, who now uses the name Jennifer Jones, for allegedly sexually assaulting a vulnerable inmate in her 20s. Officials state she groomed the woman over several weeks before the incident, leading to the loss of her enhanced prisoner privileges following a hearing with the prison governor.
Pattern of Manipulation and Relationships
West has engaged in multiple same-sex relationships during her incarceration, earning a reputation as a master manipulator who targets vulnerable women. A former inmate recalls: “Rose would try and befriend people. She would do up their hair, put make-up on them. She would also make cakes on a Friday – it became a sort of thing on the wing where people would make cakes for the weekend and the staff would join in.”
She builds connections by distributing vapes, slipping Christmas cards under doors, offering small gifts like shower gel, or teaching cooking skills. One particularly intense bond with a prisoner 30 years her junior even prompted thoughts of marriage.
Sources close to the prison environment describe her tactics: “West is a master manipulator. She seeks out vulnerable people and then befriends them.”
High-Profile Prison Romances
Myra Hindley
West’s most notorious alleged affair involved Myra Hindley, the Moors murderer convicted of killing five children with Ian Brady between 1963 and 1965. The relationship reportedly began in 1995 on the hospital wing at HMP Durham and lasted briefly.
West’s lawyer, Leo Goatley, who represented her during her 1995 trial, detailed the connection in his book Understanding Fred & Rose West. He noted: “Rose’s first paramour was the Moors murderer, Myra Hindley, who happened to be on the hospital wing at HMP Durham at the same time in 1995 and early 1996. I recall that Rose was quite taken with Hindley, impressed by her knowledge and ability. Rose said Hindley had studied various Open University courses. She said, ‘Yeah, Myra, she’s all right, we get on, I want to see how it goes.'”
The romance soured quickly. Goatley added: “When I visited a few months later, Rose’s opinion of Hindley had changed dramatically. She was saying, ‘You have to watch Hindley, mind. She is very manipulative.'” Hindley died in prison in 2002.
Tracey Connelly
In 2009, West reportedly began a relationship with Tracey Connelly, mother of Baby P (Peter Connelly), who died in 2007 from over 50 injuries inflicted over eight months. Connelly, convicted with two men of causing or allowing the child’s death, met West at HMP Low Newton in Durham.
A former fellow inmate described West as the prison’s ‘queen,’ stating: “Rose and Tracey got together and Rose would make her breakfast in bed.”
Carole Louise Fishburn
West also formed a bond with Carole Louise Fishburn, a child rapist sentenced to 16 years in 2015 for crimes including rape, sexual activity with children, and child cruelty. A judge labeled her ‘wicked, depraved and dangerous.’
At HMP Low Newton, West helped Fishburn adjust to prison life. Sources indicate: “In prison, it’s a case of birds of a feather flock together, and these women have a lot in common. West has been showing her the ropes on the wing – how to order treats and magazines, and they have been spending time in each other’s cells, reading and watching telly.” Fishburn faced 11 charges, including giving alcohol to a child before assaulting her and forcing another to watch pornography.
Expert Insights on Prison Dynamics
Forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes explains why such individuals gravitate toward each other: “Many friendships forged in prisons are more about survival and availability, rather than compatibility. Prisoners who are despised for their crimes – particularly sex offenders or child killers – find themselves isolated and often bullied. There is some safety in numbers, and so the most excluded tend to stick together.”
She adds: “People seek companionship and intimacy even when they are disliked, disgusted and heavily controlled. Look at the relationships between Rose West and Myra Hindley and Tracey Connelly, we can only guess whether or not they discussed their crimes together, or in what manner.”
