THE self confessed mass murderer, Fred West, carefully planned his own prison cell hanging, believing it would free his beloved wife Rosemary from prison, the Birmingham inquest into his death heard yesterday.
West (53) told his son Stephen before his death on new year's day last year that he planned to sacrifice himself to "protect" Rosemary, who was awaiting trial for 10 murders.
His death would be "quick and simple", Mr Stephen West told the first day of an inquest. But the burly builder, of 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, did not say exactly when he planned to die.
His son tried repeatedly to make him change his plan, but his "determined" father made him promise to say nothing.
"He told me he had talked to a prison psychiatrist and doctor and conned them into believing he was OK", Stephen told the coroner, Dr Richard Whittington.
Mr West told the jury of six women and three men that his father's condition slowly deteriorated in the months before his death.
His sister, Ms Anne Marie Davis, also gave evidence that her father's condition deteriorated after Rosemary shunned him on their first joint appearance before Gloucester Magistrates Court.
She said he did not talk about suicide but told her he would "do anything" for his wife. Her father told her "I will get out of prison one way or another.
The jury heard a full day of evidence, mostly concerning the last weeks in the life of the builder who was found hanging from a makeshift rope from a grille above his cell door around lunchtime.
He and his wife were at that time jointly charged with 10 murders. Nine of the alleged victims, including their daughter Heather (15), were found buried in their home and garden in Cromwell Street. And the remains of West's stepdaughter, eight year old Charmaine, were found buried at a previous nearby family home at 25 Midland Road.
Rosemary West is now serving life imprisonment for 10 murders, including Heather and Charmaine.
West alone faced two further charges alleging he murdered his first wife, Catherine and Scottish girlfriend Anne McFall. Their bodies were found in separate graves in corn fields at Kempley, close to Frederick West's boyhood home.
Mr Stephen West yesterday agreed with the coroner that his inquest evidence contradicted a statement he made two days after his father died. In the statement he said his father gave no indication he was planning suicide.
Mr West said that at that time he did not want to say anything about suicide as his mother was awaiting trial.
Mr West said he was not surprised his father died on New Year's Day.
"He loved publicity. He always wanted to be remembered and he chose a date to be remembered."
Psychiatrist Dr Rosemarie Cope said in evidence that she examined West on five occasions up to August 1994. She did not believe he was mentally ill but thought he was likely to have a personality disorder.
Earlier, the jury was shown the makeshift noose found around West's neck.
The hearing was adjourned until today.