"Other Remains in the Area": ITN at 25 Cromwell Street, March 5, 1994

Name: "Other Remains in the Area": ITN at 25 Cromwell Street, March 5, 1994
Uploaded: 2009-12-14T00:00:00Z
Duration: 1 min 34 s
Description: An ITN report for ITV News on March 5, 1994, as police began drilling inside 25 Cromwell Street and the senior detective warned there "may be other remains in the area." West is not heard.

An ITN report for ITV News on March 5, 1994, as police began drilling inside 25 Cromwell Street and the senior detective warned there "may be other remains in the area." West is not heard.

Subject: Fred West
Recorded: March 5, 1994
Runtime: 1:34

Content warning: Concerns the discovery of the remains of murdered women at a house in Gloucester. No graphic detail.

The Interview

This is not an interview with Fred West, who is not heard. It is a short ITN news item broadcast on ITV News on Saturday, March 5, 1994, recorded off air at home and posted to YouTube in 2009 by a private uploader. The recording begins partway through the newsreader's introduction. ITN reporter Steve Scott then describes the first day of drilling inside 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, and a senior detective, introduced as "the man leading the investigation," speaks briefly.

Historical Context

Police began searching the garden of 25 Cromwell Street in February 1994, looking for Fred and Rosemary West's daughter Heather, who had not been seen since 1987. Fred West was arrested in late February and charged on February 26 with Heather's murder. Further remains were found in the garden, and on March 2 he was charged with two more murders.

Circumstances

The item reports the first day of drilling inside the house. Between March 5 and March 8, 1994, police recovered the remains of six more young women and girls from the cellar and under the bathroom. On June 30, 1994, West was charged with 12 murders. He took his own life in HM Prison Birmingham (Winson Green) on January 1, 1995, before he could be tried, and was never convicted.

What the Recording Covers

The newsreader's surviving words say that West, described as a builder, has been charged with the murders of three women found in the garden, and that detectives see "a distinct possibility" of more bodies. Steve Scott reports that detectives suspect "two further bodies under a concrete floor." The senior detective says: "I have reason to believe that there may be other remains in the area." The report adds that relatives of two missing people from Gloucestershire had been told of the finds, that radar equipment was being used to look into walls and under the foundations, that West was due before Gloucester magistrates on Monday, that a single-story extension would be demolished, and that police intended to search two other addresses.

What Makes the Recording Significant

It captures the investigation at an early point, before the scale of the crimes was known: the first finds inside the house and the senior detective's guarded warning that more remains might be found.

Archival Importance

A contemporaneous ITN item, preserved through a viewer's home recording.

Important Caveats

West is not heard. The newsreader's lead-in is clipped, and the newsreader is not identified. The senior detective is not named in the recording; the research memo identifies the officer leading the investigation as Superintendent John Bennett, but the page should not name the speaker unless an on-screen caption confirms it. The upload is an off-air copy by a private individual, not ITN. The exact bulletin is not identified. The report's figure of "two further bodies" reflects what police suspected on that day; the final count from the house rose higher.

Itn Newsreader: [Recording begins mid-sentence.] ...remains of three women in the garden. A builder, Frederick West, has been charged with their murders. Detectives say there's a distinct possibility there may be more bodies.

Steve Scott: The first day of drilling inside the house, and another grim find for detectives: what they suspect are two further bodies under a concrete floor. And tonight, a chilling prediction from the man leading the investigation.

Senior Detective: I have reason to believe that there may be other remains in the area, but I am not in this position at this time to explain that further.

Steve Scott: The latest remains haven't yet been identified, but relatives of two missing people from Gloucestershire have been told about what the search team has unearthed. Specialist radar equipment has allowed police to look into walls and under the foundations, pinpointing objects hidden behind stone or bricks. The house owner, Frederick West, is accused of murdering the three women whose bodies were found in his back garden. Mr. West is due to appear before Gloucester magistrates on Monday. Excavation work at his house will continue through the weekend. In a few days, police say they'll start to demolish a single-story extension at the back of the house. They also revealed tonight they intend to search two other addresses in the area. Not, though, until they finish taking 25 Cromwell Street apart, piece by piece. Steve Scott, ITN, Gloucester. [No further speech from about 01:32 to the end of the clip at 01:34.] ---