Copyright birminghammail
A woman who found herself as a tenant in Fred and Rose West's house of horrors after escaping child abuse has shared the disturbing reality she once faced. Kathleen Richards, now 65, survived living at 25 Cromwell Street as a teenage girl, which was home to serial killing couple, Fred and Rose West. However, her life there was as one could imagine, a deeply uncomfortable environment for the young woman in 1977. Kathleen's story at the house of horrors officially began after she and sister, Deirdre relocated from Dublin to Gloucester following the abuse the now-65-year-old faced at the hands of a factory caretaker and a family member. Her and her sister ended up as tenants in the West's home in 1977, with Kathleen confessing at first living under their roof seemed "ok." READ MORE: Mum, 30, who used DWP benefit payments to fund drug habit beats addiction Kathleen admitted her situation started to become disturbing when Fred, who had a habit of appearing unexpectedly, began to touch her inappropriately, the Mirror reported. Having been a victim of abuse during her childhood, Kathleen, who spent 15 agonising months in the rented room, felt a sense of shame and even blamed herself for Fred's predatory behaviour, feeling utterly helpless to prevent it. However, there was a turning point when she realised she needed to escape before the situation worsened, a moment she recently shared on The Late Late Show. Speaking to presenter Patrick Kielty, she said: "I wasn't very well and I was going to go into town with my sister. And with this splitting headache that I had I just didn't. I stayed in bed and said I will see how I feel later. "So my sister went off and I kept dozing off to sleep and I was [later] awake with somebody in the bed. And the more I think, really, it was the smell. I will never forget the smell. The way he was... he was in the bed. "He had this horrible horrible smell. The smell of dirt or something. It was always like grime dirt. I felt his hands around me and that and when I realised, I woke up and it was him because I thought I was kind of dreaming as well and he was saying he wanted me to go downstairs and watch a video with himself and Rose West. "The only thing I could think of was to say, 'Yeah, I will be down in a couple of minutes, I just need to go to the bathroom first.' "He said, 'Ok, really?' He swung his legs off the bed and he went down and he said, 'I will give you five minutes.' "I just waited, heard him walking down the stairs, heard his door close underneath and I just got out of bed and ran... just kept running." Upon her initial arrival at the house of horrors, she shared accommodation with Shirley Robinson, who Fred had described as his "lover". Yet despite expecting a baby, Shirley vanished without warning, with the wicked pair concocting a false story that she had departed for Germany. Kathleen would later realise she was being "groomed to replace Shirley" who had actually been murdered without her knowledge. Reflecting on subsequently discovering the horrific truth about what occurred at the property, where the depraved duo sexually assaulted, tortured and slaughtered multiple young women between 1967 and 1987, she remarked: "We got out in time. "We left there in time. But then I felt so guilty because I was there and how come I didn't help? I didn't save the girls. I couldn't have done nothing really though could I? "It took me a long time to get over that. There was nothing I could have done. I didn't know for a start and even if I did know, what could I do? "I was 17 and they were a decent couple, so everyone thought. They were helpful, they were good in the community so who am I? They are not going to listen to me." READ MORE: Woman, 42, has £9k tummy tuck without realising she's pregnant Fred, who was ultimately charged with 12 murders, ended his own life in 1995 within his prison cell before he could face trial. Kathleen, who endured repeated sexual attacks by Fred, courageously faced Rose in court to provide testimony before she was found guilty of 10 murders and received a life sentence. Recalling that moment, the Dublin woman said: "I was delighted. I was glad, really glad. She can't hurt anyone any more because she is as evil as him. She really is." Kathleen has now released a book titled Under Their Roof: My shocking true story of surviving serial killers Fred and Rose West. And in a message to people experiencing similar abuse to her, she said: "Talk. Talk to someone. Anyone, but just talk to anyone close to you, a friend, anybody, let it out, talk about it, because there is no shame. "I was shamed for years and there is no shame. It is not our fault." If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact the 24-Hour National Helpline at 1800 77 8888 or visit Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's website.
