brothers, where she would parade around the house naked after a bath. Bill hadtried to accost Patsy after a bath, so perhaps he had done the same with Rosie and met with less resistance as he’d been grooming
her for years. Indeed, Rosie appears to have been used to being naked around her father. On one occasion she’d stripped off
and stood naked in front of him, telling him about all the children she was going to have one day. When she became bored by
her sexual explorations with her brothers, and possibly even Bill, she began testing her powers further afield, with boys
from the village, asking them round when her parents were out, or going to their houses, where she would invite them to touch
her. This was not the behaviour of a normal 13-year-old girl; this was a girl who had been highly sexualised and who was sexually
precocious as a result.
In the past, Andy had taken the youngest boy, Gordon, for long walks with the dog over the fields to escape their brutal father.
But during the periods that he was living away from home, he could do little to help. The only one showing the little boys
any affection at this time was big sister Rosie, who, when she returned home at night, would climb into bed with them. The
three of them would then huddle together for comfort: a tight-knit little band with Rosie as leader.
Because of a lack of space, the Letts siblings of both genders had, at various times, shared bedrooms and beds with each other.
When Rosie first began to share a bed with Graham, she masturbated him in the morning and again late at night, graduating
to having full sex with him when he was twelve. This continued up until Rosie left home. Graham had thought this was just
sisterly affection and, having frequently been beaten senseless by his father, was grateful of any little bit of warmth shown
to him. Gordon possibly also found comfort in it too.
Rosie, however, hadn’t become sexually active by accident, and was showing all the signs of being highly practised in such
matters. In satisfying Bill’s demands as a young girl, he wouldtypically have made her feel this was to do with love and affection. Emotionally, this meant she had grown up with what experts
call ‘blurred boundaries’. In abusing her brothers, she was probably showing them the same form of ‘love’ and ‘caring’ she
had learnt from her father. Even so, Rosie knew this was wrong for, as Graham was later to say, ‘She knew I wasn’t going to
say anything.’ This indicates that Bill, like many fathers who abuse their children, had warned or frightened his little girl
into keeping the abuse their ‘little secret’.
A Mysterious Case
In January 1968,just after Rose had turned 14, a young girl disappeared as she waited at a bus stop on Bristol Road, Gloucester.
This was Mary Bastholm, a 15-year-old waitress, who had been on her way to play a board game with her boyfriend. To this day
her body has never been found, but pieces of the Monopoly set: hotels, paper money and icons such as the iron and top hat,
were found strewn in the snow where she waited. There had been two rapes in the same area shortly before this incident, so
Gloucester police set up a vast search using tracker dogs and helicopters, but still found no trace of Mary. Andy, who was
almost 16 at the time, used the same bus route home to Bishop’s Cleeve as the young girl. He was on the bus when the police
came on board appealing for information. When Andy arrived home that evening and told his parents what had taken place, Bill
immediately warned Rosie to be wary of ‘strange men’ – yet the ‘strange man’ was within, and the damage already done. And
although Rose had no idea of it then, Mary’s disappearance was to have a significant bearing on her future life. It is now
believed that Frederick West was responsible for abducting the young girl.
* * *
Life carried on as normal at Tobyfield Road where,
her for years. Indeed, Rosie appears to have been used to being naked around her father. On one occasion she’d stripped off
and stood naked in front of him, telling him about all the children she was going to have one day. When she became bored by
her sexual explorations with her brothers, and possibly even Bill, she began testing her powers further afield, with boys
from the village, asking them round when her parents were out, or going to their houses, where she would invite them to touch
her. This was not the behaviour of a normal 13-year-old girl; this was a girl who had been highly sexualised and who was sexually
precocious as a result.
In the past, Andy had taken the youngest boy, Gordon, for long walks with the dog over the fields to escape their brutal father.
But during the periods that he was living away from home, he could do little to help. The only one showing the little boys
any affection at this time was big sister Rosie, who, when she returned home at night, would climb into bed with them. The
three of them would then huddle together for comfort: a tight-knit little band with Rosie as leader.
Because of a lack of space, the Letts siblings of both genders had, at various times, shared bedrooms and beds with each other.
When Rosie first began to share a bed with Graham, she masturbated him in the morning and again late at night, graduating
to having full sex with him when he was twelve. This continued up until Rosie left home. Graham had thought this was just
sisterly affection and, having frequently been beaten senseless by his father, was grateful of any little bit of warmth shown
to him. Gordon possibly also found comfort in it too.
Rosie, however, hadn’t become sexually active by accident, and was showing all the signs of being highly practised in such
matters. In satisfying Bill’s demands as a young girl, he wouldtypically have made her feel this was to do with love and affection. Emotionally, this meant she had grown up with what experts
call ‘blurred boundaries’. In abusing her brothers, she was probably showing them the same form of ‘love’ and ‘caring’ she
had learnt from her father. Even so, Rosie knew this was wrong for, as Graham was later to say, ‘She knew I wasn’t going to
say anything.’ This indicates that Bill, like many fathers who abuse their children, had warned or frightened his little girl
into keeping the abuse their ‘little secret’.
A Mysterious Case
In January 1968,just after Rose had turned 14, a young girl disappeared as she waited at a bus stop on Bristol Road, Gloucester.
This was Mary Bastholm, a 15-year-old waitress, who had been on her way to play a board game with her boyfriend. To this day
her body has never been found, but pieces of the Monopoly set: hotels, paper money and icons such as the iron and top hat,
were found strewn in the snow where she waited. There had been two rapes in the same area shortly before this incident, so
Gloucester police set up a vast search using tracker dogs and helicopters, but still found no trace of Mary. Andy, who was
almost 16 at the time, used the same bus route home to Bishop’s Cleeve as the young girl. He was on the bus when the police
came on board appealing for information. When Andy arrived home that evening and told his parents what had taken place, Bill
immediately warned Rosie to be wary of ‘strange men’ – yet the ‘strange man’ was within, and the damage already done. And
although Rose had no idea of it then, Mary’s disappearance was to have a significant bearing on her future life. It is now
believed that Frederick West was responsible for abducting the young girl.
* * *
Life carried on as normal at Tobyfield Road where,
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