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?

I work with someone who served 14 years for murder, perfectly nice, ordinary chap - who now has a nice ordinary family.

Well, he isn’t really ordinary with that from the past is he?

I was done for having a few crafty fags at school, that’s pretty ordinary in the grand scheme of life.

Yeah, I don’t really think he was that greater person to begin with BUT he did what he had to do and probably saved other children from the same fate. I have only met him a few times but close to 3 decades in prison have definitely taken its toll on him. His daughter see’s him regularly and says he has no regrets and would do it again.

Yup. A very close family friend for historic sex crimes. Absolutely no clue atall and I was utterly shocked.

it knocked my confidence and trust in my own judgment for a very long time.

A man my parents had known since childhood ran a small family business just down the road from our house. We’d buy stuff from him all the time and he was always chatty and very normal…..but even from being a little kid, something about him just felt weird. Could never put my finger on what though.
Then when I was in my early 20’s it came out that he’d been arrested because he’d been molesting his teenage daughter’s friends for years. I was shocked, just because it’s a shocking thing to hear about anyone…..but it made that weird feeling I’d always had in my gut about him make total sense.

It's amazing how many people know men who've been convicted of rape, sexual abuse or viewing indecent images of children. Just think, those are the men we know about. When you think that most women who are raped or sexually assaulted never go to the police, and that even when they do it rarely ends in a conviction, it makes you shudder. I should think there is a rapist or abuser in almost every street. How many of us work with or live near men who give us the creeps? I bet everyone on this thread knows a man she wouldn't leave her kids with or wouldn't want to be alone in a room with.

A pupil I taught - he had behavioural issues in school - was part of a group of lads that stabbed a shopkeeper to death.
One to one he was a nice lad in class, 16 yers old.
However, we only had him for 6 hours a day, and then he went back to a chaotic family and peer group rest of time.
We never stood a chance of changing his behaviour.
He's serving life for his part in the murder.

Thousands, including some notorious, but it's my job, an awful lot are nowhere near the stereotypes the public expects.

Our builder. Everyone said he was the nicest guy you could meet. Good family man. I always just had this inkling. Couldn't put my finger on it but just something. Although I didn't particularly feel uncomfortable around him. He did a bit of work for us. Fast forward a few years and he's been sent to prison for doing the unthinkable to his daughter since she was little. She finally spoke out after years and has been public about it. She was amazing to do what she did to get him arrested.

My child’s Scout leader turned out to be a paedophile. None of the kids in the troop were harmed/touched but I think he had done things in another area, hundreds of child pornography/indecent images found on his computer etc. I felt so sick as the local council safeguarding team informed the heads of schools in the area and I was working in one at the time and the assistant head told me.

A woman I vaguely know was jailed for embezzlement of funds from a local charity run nursery, where she was the treasurer back in the day when things were paid in cash or you could alter cheques by merely initialising them.

Teenage son of someone I considered a good friend, a neighbour. Groomed and sexually abused my primary aged disabled daughter. Friend never accepted it. Screamed abuse at me in the street if she saw me from then on. It's many years ago now but our lives were scarred for ever. Boy was a spoiled brat. One other mum locally said "I have always loathed him and fully believe he is capable of that". Police said he fitted the profile of a serial offender.

I completely and totally agree.
I should have made that clear.
My apologies.

Yes, Google Sharon Carr. I was best friends with her at first school.

Nope and I would probably have gone the other way if I heard so…

Yes. A young Man down the road got done for having indecent photos of children on he's computer. He was caught again and it was on the news again a few days ago.
I thought he was just a nice young lad. He's family are lovely but have had to move. Proves you never know.
Also, a old man who ran our corner shop got arrested and charged with funding terrorism. No idea what happened to him as there was no more updates or anything online or in the news paper but he's family still owns the shop.

My brother, who was a violent abuser of me and sister, was imprisoned several times for firearm offences. He was so horrendous as a sibling and even used to hit my mother when he was a teenager. He joined the army and was convicted and dishonourably discharged after firearm offences. He died alone, friendless, after years of drug use. Ruined my childhood and that of my sister and younger brother. Thing is, he could charm strangers, usually with complete lies about what he had achieved and what he had. Some people couldn't believe how bad he really was after court cases.

No one I've known very well, but one male acquaintance is in prison for sexual offences against children (I don't know the extent of what he did but he's been given a long sentence) and another was caught with CSA images on his phone.

A good friend of mine from childhood killed his girlfriend's Dad during an argument.

He was the loveliest lad. Nobody would ever have imagined he could do such a thing.

I guess you never really know what people are capable of.

Wonder if it's the same person I know? In which case, I might know you as I did work at the practice for a very short time. I used to be friends with the practice manager until she started stealing from me when I refused to lend her money. This was a few years after she was released from prison.

When I opened this thread I thought “no, I don’t think I do know anyone”. But the more of these I read, the more it reminds me.

A teacher who committed fairly large fraud
Relative jailed for drugs and fraud
Colleague who served time for attempted murder
Childhood friend - multiple drugs/violence/gangs
Schoolmate - attempted murder of my friend
Friend’s husband for internet paedophilia
There are probably more.

We were living on Cromwell St during the investigation, nothing was a surprise from what we knew of them!
We lost a 1/3 of the value of our house due to that event. But that's nothing to the horror of their crimes & the lives lost 😡
Gloucester city council and associated agencys got everything they deserved from their failings. I'll say no more as it was a horrendous time in our lives

No but a local bloke murdered his wife - my sister knew him pretty well and said she said it was a complete shock as he was such a lovely man 😬

Why don’t you report them?

I’m sad to say, as a former teacher, I’ve been horrified when I read of ex pupils who have committed serious crimes. I can think of five over my career who have made headlines for the wrong reasons. On the other hand, there are many former pupils who have gone on to achieve great things.

My ex served 3 years for possession with intent to supply.

Coincidentally he had the same barrister as Fred West 😂 And although not in the Wests' league, was also a vile individual!