Have you ever known someone who committed a serious crime?

[TheGhostsOfMeAndYou]

I’ve been listening to a true crime podcast recently and it got me thinking. One of the episodes was about Fred and Rose West. When Fred was first arrested (at the stage where police had only uncovered three bodies in the garden), his brother and sister-in-law spoke about him and said they couldn’t believe he’d done what he was accused of, as he had always seemed so gentle and polite spoken.

It made me wonder — has anyone here ever known someone who’s committed a serious crime, and did it come as a total shock? Or were there warning signs in hindsight? Did you ever suspect anything at the time? And how did others around them react — was it disbelief, or did some say they weren’t surprised?

Unfortunately a few.

A friend of the family killed his wife and tried to cover it up as a car crash.

Another friend of the family and our local vicar was imprisoned for owning sexual images of children.

As was my sister's BIL.

The headteacher of my childs school (and an ex colleague as I'd worked there a few years prior) was arrested in the school grounds for embezzling school funds. Then later sexual abuse (of children at the school) charges that had been made few years earlier and thrown out were then upheld and he went to prison for that.

Finally, in my first class where i work now I taught a lovely young girl who sadly went on to be imprisoned for the death of her child.

@Borgonzola I listen to alot of true crime podcasts and highly recommend Crime Junkies, True Crime with Kendall Rae, Drunk Women Solving Crime (more lighthearted and not murder), British Murders and Murder Mile (London based murders).

Well don’t know him personally but a Member of staff at my School (not a Teacher) her Husband killed 3 people in 1990s. Think he got 25 years so I’m assuming he’ll be out now.

I know someone who stabbed a pregnant women. The baby was her on and off Husband’s and she was jealous as baby was a girl and she had 3 sons. Thankfully Mum and Baby survived.

I used to have a friend who had a mental health crisis and stabbed his girlfriend with a pair of scissors. A few days before I'd spent the day with him and he'd seemed tense (and quite intense, which was usual), but fine.
She was injured, but thankfully it wasn't life-threatening.
He was sent to prison. During his trial, he was clearly having some sort of breakdown.
I did visit a few times, but he asked me to stop coming so I did, and I didn't hear any more from him after that. I believe he served his time and was released with no further incidents.

I was quite shocked about it - he'd been something of a mentor to me for a while.

My db’s teacher was recently imprisoned for historical SA against the boys he taught, my db says he seemed perfectly professional/normal.

The manager at one of my yard’s was imprisoned, also SA, prime place to groom young girls.

I used to prison visit back in the day, so met all sorts, including a murderer. Her bf kept beating her up, she turned one day and killed him. Seemed like a perfectly normal young woman.

i have known 4 different men who were convicted of rape and received a prison sentence.

All middle class, well educated men.

When the Yorkshire Ripper was caught and we saw his photo my late OH said Bloody hell, it's Pete! He'd worked with his as a student in Bingley Churchyard 15 years earlier.
An ex pupil of mine was jailed for conning people out of £ 250 000 claiming he had cancer and then he was later jailed for murdering his lover, he's still there I think.

Worked at a company in late 70s where a male colleague asked female colleague on a date and murdered her, totally shocking and office packed with CID for a long time

I was in school with a woman who went on to kill an elderly man in a local shop whilst his wife (with severe dementia) sat and waited for him in a car that he never returned to. I knew this woman when we were children and she is genuinely one of the sweetest and nicest people I have ever known, never said a bad word about anyone but had serious mental health issues as was clear from her FB posts before the awful incident.
My friends ex boyfriend was sent down for rape of a 16 year old, he was my friend and I didn't see that coming.
Another girl from my secondary school killed her daughter and tried to dispose of her in the background whilst she was having a severe psychotic episode, she believed that she was "saving" her child.
A man who volunteered at a company I worked for who seemed really nice and friendly but constantly accused a local shop owner of being a pedophile... was caught and prosecuted for being a pedophile with indecent images.
Another man who volunteered at the company was a reformed drug smuggler who served 15 years, he truly was sorry for what he did and made no excuses for his behaviour.
There are dozens of people in my town who openly commit crimes who will never have to face justice.

As a young teenager, I hung around in the same wider circle as someone who is now in prison for murdering a child. Awful. I remember he punched me really hard in the leg one night, for absolutely no reason whatsoever. I think I was maybe 13/14. I was really quiet and didn’t fit in with the crowd so was an easy target I guess. Never liked him and was utterly disgusted to hear of what he did but not entirely surprised. Pity they can’t throw away the key.

Out of interest, how were they found out? I know someone who brags about this sort thing. Totally unrepentant.

The dad of my best friend growing up was jailed for sex crimes against several women.

Among former colleagues, teachers and friends, all of whom I knew well, three are doing or have done time ranging from three to thirty years for serious offences. I have also committed serious crime myself, though not the sort with victims direct or indirect. I have incidentally worked in institutions with extremely serious offenders in a professional capacity.

My mum grew up living next to Fred and Rosemary. She knew their daughter.

An ex boyfriend caused a man’s death - he was judged to have died of natural causes (it was a fight on a tube train) so he got off scot free.

Two paedo teachers at my school - one was a sports coach who tried to groom me. The other an RE teacher. were both convicted at various times for offences against boys! The sports guy is still revered in his fucking sport - just looked him up.

My old school headmaster got fired for misusing funds and treating teachers inappropriately. I wasn't surprised really, he always had an odd vibe to him.

I also had an old client who was arrested for stalking and harassment - that didn't really surprise me either, he often made things up and was a bit creepy.

In the town where I live, a man was arrested because of child porn on his computer. It wasn’t found out if he had “only“ bought it or done more, as he killed himself in jail before his trial could start.
I didn’t know him but one of my best friends and her husband were quite close to the family. They, and also his wife and teenage daughters, didn’t have any idea until one morning the family were woken up by the police. It was awful.

I don't.

I imagine if you know someone who was convicted of drug dealing etc, then the same person probably knows more people who deal drugs. So for example,one person might know four criminals and another three don't know any.

Depends how you define a serious crime, I’ve come across a couple of people convicted of murder through my job, one was a surprise as nothing about them would even remotely suggest that was possible, also knew someone personally, considered them a good friend, who was convicted of sexually assaulting kids, that one was a real shock and actually terrifying knowing how often my own kids were with them

Yes and it was a terrible shock.
I did wonder why she was always at home and not at work.
She was arrested later and went to prison.
Awful

The next door neighbour, who I got on really well with and who bought presents for my children when they were born, murdered his wife then committed suicide.

Their 2 toddlers were found in the property over 24 hours after their deaths.

A former teaching colleague. Paedophile (young boys). Only found out because of images on his computer. Nobody had a clue, including the two female colleagues he had affairs with.

I went to school with a lad who joined the Army and later went to prison for a similar manslaughter.

However he was a cocky prick with few regrets about his actions after release - all his Facebook posts were making a joke of it all. He's now a gas fitter and father of two. Hope he's found his remorse, it happened over 20yrs ago now.

Harold Shipman was my GP.

Yes. I worked closely with someone who was convicted of being a paedophile. I worked with him for 10 years! He was quite, very polite and I never saw him lose his temper. He served 8 years in prison and was released last year.