Outrage at airing of Fred West tapes

LONDON - Fred West's eldest daughter has led fierce criticism of a decision to clear for broadcast tapes featuring the serial killer describing rape, murder and dismemberment.

Anne-Marie Davis, relatives of his victims and the official chronicler of his trail of slaughter reacted with disgust and horror to the revelation that the British Attorney-General, Lord Goldsmith, had turned down a police request for the tapes not to be broadcast in a Channel 5 documentary on the Wests.

The tapes feature hours of police interviews in which the mass murderer describes in detail how he and his wife, Rose, sexually abused and butchered their victims.

West hanged himself in prison on New Year's Day, 1995, before he could be tried on 12 charges of murder, including those of his first wife and baby girl and their 8-year-old daughter, Charmaine.

Rose West, 47, his second wife, is serving life for the murders of 10 women and girls, including her own 16-year-old daughter, Heather.

For 114 grim days in 1994, the Wests' home in Cromwell St, Gloucester, became known as the House of Horrors as detectives uncovered nine bodies, piece by piece, from the walls, the cellar and the garden.

shall continue to carefully monitor any requests made by programme makers and will endeavour to keep the best interests of the public protected."

nteNoel Tonks, uncle of Carol Ann Cooper, a 15-year-old murder victim, said: "I am disgusted they are pushing ahead with this documentary. I nearly had a nervous breakdown because of the trauma of what happened."

Davis said: "It is with great regret that the Attorney-General will not be taking any action to enforce alleged contempt of court or breach of Crown copyright against the programme makers. It is with great sadness that Creative Consortium, who are the makers of the programme, cannot stand true to their name. I find nothing creative about this programme."

Geoffrey Wansell, who wrote a biography of the Wests called An Evil Love at the invitation of the Official Solicitor, who administers the West estate, said he was appalled at the prospect of the tapes being aired.

"When I was given access to them, I was taken to a locked room at a secret location and asked to sign an agreement not to discuss them with anyone. What I heard I would not wish upon my worst enemy. It was absolutely horrendous.

"Here you have this chirpy character describing in a matter-of-fact way how he murdered and dismembered his own daughter, how he would abduct women, bind them, sometimes hang them up for days on end, sexually assault them, kill them, cut up their bodies and then bury them, not laid down respectfully in a grave but stuffed - torso, head, legs and arms all separated - in a vertical hole.

" ... He was an evil, ugly, tawdry murderer."

- INDEPENDENT