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?

Oh I’ve just remembered I knew someone who was imprisoned for child abuse photos - but tbh I always thought he was a bit creepy. Years later I saw him working in an hotel about 25 miles away and I did wonder if his co workers knew (you’d think they’d have to disclose this given they might come into contact with the public)

Yes I do know more than a handful of people who have committed serious crimes and not all of them violent crimes. I do believe that good people can do bad things in certain circumstances. I’m not talking about the wests and their like but your run of the mill person that does something criminally bad in their lives. Most people can be rehabilitated. I allow a member of our family who has been to prison for something violent and is now rehabilitated to have a relationship with our children (not unsupervised) because it was a blip nearly 30 years ago.

Teacher at school was also a scout master and went on the run and was caught in Spain (sexual abuse of young boys )
Primary school friend,him and his brother murdered an elderly night Watchman in a botched robbery.
Various people for drug supply ending in lengthy custodial sentences 8 years.
Friend jailed for breaking into a chemist late 70s 8 year sentence.

A cheeky name change for this one as its quite outing....
I knew the artist Kallus Spore. He stabbed his girlfriend 30+ times and is in prison for murder. I have friends who actively miss and support him and still display his artwork! I can't support that but he was a good guy and really interesting previous to this but he is not someone I will be having anything to do with now.

I also know a rapist who was best friends with my teenage boyfriend he was lovely and really good looking. That genuinely shocked us all.

And I used to live next to a pedophile. We didn't know anything was up untill the police came knocking asking us about him then it was splashed all over the news! He was a great neighbour, we used to feed his cat and he would he would lend us tools when we were just starring out and didn't have everything we needed. He helped jump start our car on several occasions seriously seemed like a great neighbour untill that! Luckily his house was sold and pulled down and a new home built on its place sk we never had tk worry about him returning. I was pregnant when he was arrested.

These people are 'normal' people until they are found out and they just go about living their lives untill the day they get locked up! I also know a few people who have historic drug and violence offences from misspent youths but they have grown up and moved on.

I watched a programme about this guy, he took part in a pilot scheme where the perpetrators met the victims family and he met the poor guy’s parents and said how sorry he was. He was just a young idiot turning up to a fight tho, he never meant to kill anyone, just really unfortunate. I felt sorry for him, and even sorrier for the guy he killed’s family. They handled it all with such grace.

I don’t know any crims personally but I do sometimes really freak myself out thinking I have probably been nice to a paedophile at some point in my life without knowing it. Murder I can understand, fiddling with kids, never. Sick.

A friend of mine at Uni also knew Fred West and also said he was a lovely bloke. We pointed out he only seemed like a lovely bloke. Apparently he'd built the porch in his parents house.... The obvious questions followed.

I know people who knew Harold Shipman too and not just as a GP but as a neighbour. They all said he was lovely too.

Someone I went to University with sexually abused his infant son and posted pictures online.

I strongly disliked him. He was extremely arrogant and very controlling of his then girlfriend. Did I ever suspect he would do something like that? Definitely not.

I used to do some prison visiting and many of the men, most of whom had committed heinous crimes, came across as pleasant, 'normal' and respectful. In my personal life I know two men who have been sent to prison, both for fraud. One, who was an absolute pillar of the community and a very friendly guy, had systematically robbed a charity, of which he was a trustee, of very large sums of money. You just never know.

Yes, one a triple murder that made national news and then my elderly neighbour who always seemed such a lovely family man received a prison sentence for historic sex offences! You just never really know people!

An ex (over 30 years ago) is no 1 suspect in a high profile disappearance of a young woman in Ireland, she disappeared in the 90s and was upgraded to a murder investigation.

I don’t know what to think and did he do it? I’ve been interviewed by the Gardai a few times by phone

I worked with a guy for years who kidnapped and raped 3 woman and I honestly couldn’t believe it when someone sent me the news paper article about his arrest. I had a crush on him as a silly 17 year old because he was so lovely and attractive. Looking back he was a serial womaniser.

I made friends with a girl at a baby group with my eldest. It was for young parents. We were both 17 with 3 months old. We got on great and our little ones always played well I Went back to college so stopped going to the group but always got invited on the big summer trip, and i would meet up with her every couple months at soft play or whatever. When our kids were 2.5 she told me she was getting bsck with babies dad as he's been released from prison. And distanced myself, I didn't want any association with it, (I spent the most of my child's life running and avoiding bad people, drama, violence etc as had restraining order on my own child's father) 7 months later her daughter was dead and he killed her and she let it happen/protected him....
They both got sent down...
I used to feel like I'd turned my back on a child in need, that had I stayed involved in their life I could have saved her and I struggled with the reality that there isn't anything I could ever have done.

Not that smart he got caught.

A relative who murdered a man, an old work colleague who was done for child abuse images and an old school friend who was a rapist.

I often wonder how many "sweet old men" did awful things when they were young. I once read a horrific memoir by a man who'd been raised in care in the 1970s. The man who ran the home treated the orphan girls like his private sex toys and regularly came into their rooms at night to rape them. He was never convicted for it. If that creature is still alive, he's in his 80s, and no doubt his neighbours collect his bins and give him lifts to the hospital and think he's a nice old guy.

A girl my eldest daughter was good friends with (and who at 13 spent most weekends at our house for sleepovers) was convicted last year along with her partner of abusing, torturing and killing their 7 month old son.

Bloody awful. Couldnt say I saw it coming but she had an awful childhood - hence the staying with us an awful lot - but even so. It was (and still is) shocking. They both got life.

And my cousin was jailed for rape. But I come from a big family and only ever met him once so dont really know him.

Yes I worked as a funeral director.I lived locally so I did know a lot of the families we dealt with. Anyway I was in the office and a guy who was in my class at school came in and said his wife had died and could we do the arrangements. When we went up to the hospital mortuary the next day it was all sealed off with police tape. Apparently her sisters had raised suspicions. It turned out he'd murdered her. The next thing we knew the police interviewed us all at work and a colleague and myself ended up giving evidence in the high court.

Someone in my family (dead now) was a paedophile. He was caught, sentenced and served time. I was absolutely shocked he seemed like the loveliest person 😭 sometimes you just can't tell!!!

God, it's just one post after another on this thread of people saying a friend or neighbour turned out to be a paedophile but seemed so nice. It's terrifying. I'm sitting here working through various male neighbours and colleagues and wondering if they're hiding something.😞

My ex husband turned up in the news having been convicted of possessing child porn.

Yes. Someone very close to me who I love very much.
In terms of warning signs/my reaction,there were some minor/low level issues but nothing like what eventually transpired.I was absolutely devastated & completely shocked.

Just to say the offence in question was very serious but not involving children or anything of a sexual nature.

It is horrific how many there are and I have to say after that it made me much more distrustful of men in general

I went to school with someone who ran away to Syria and joined Isis. Not quite the same, but completely unexpected and shocking.