Fred and Rose West’s son died of painkiller overdose – inquest

THE son of serial killers Fred and Rose West died of an overdose on painkillers after telling a doctor his life was “not worth living”, an inquest heard.

Barry West said he felt he had been “abandoned” by health services before he died from complications after taking medication to relieve his “extreme” chronic pain, the hearing was told.

When aged only seven, he saw his elder sister Heather beaten to death by Fred and Rose and he was taken into care five years after his sister’s death, along with his siblings.

He was the youngest son of the Wests, who abducted, raped and murdered young women before burying them at their Gloucester home, over a period of 20 years.

The 40-year-old was found slumped over a table by his support worker at supported living accommodation in Maidstone, Kent, on the morning of August 28.

His death sparked internal investigations at Kent County Council (KCC) and an NHS trust.

An inquest held in Maidstone on Monday heard Mr West had a “a complex medical and mental health history”, including an opioid addiction and a history of heroin misuse dating back 19 years.

He had also tried to take his own life in 2015 and medical records showed “many overdoses”, but did not make clear whether they were suicide attempts.

It emerged he was also suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, disassociation of identity disorder, anxiety and depression, and chronic pain in his shoulder and back.

Coroner Patricia Harding ruled death by misadventure and said Mr West had died following “voluntary injections of pain-relieving medication”.

This caused an acute lung injury known as aspiration pneumonitis and excess fluid in the lungs, which make it difficult to breathe. Shoulder and back pain was given as a contributing factor.

Speaking after Mr West’s death last year, journalist Howard Sounes, who wrote a book about the killers, said their son had led “a very difficult and tragic life”.