Fred West was given an “appropriate adult” during police interviews because he was treated in law as a vulnerable adult, with limited intellectual ability and literacy, meaning there was concern he might not fully understand the process or his rights without extra support. In England and Wales, an appropriate adult must be present for children and for adults judged vulnerable, to safeguard their interests and reduce the risk that any confession could later be ruled unfair or inadmissible.

What is an appropriate adult?

In UK law (under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act – PACE – Code C), an appropriate adult is someone who:

  • Sits in on police interviews with a child or vulnerable adult.
  • Helps ensure they understand questions, their legal rights and the consequences of what they say.
  • Acts as a safeguard against pressure, coercion or misunderstandings.

They are not a lawyer, but a protector of the suspect’s basic rights and welfare during questioning.

Why Fred West was classed as “vulnerable”

Accounts discussing his interviews and legal treatment say West was viewed as vulnerable because of:

  • Low cognitive ability and learning difficulties.
  • Very limited reading and writing skills.
  • Concerns that he might not fully grasp legal procedures or the implications of his admissions.

Because of this, police treated him as a vulnerable adult under PACE, which triggered the requirement for an appropriate adult.

Other reasons the police wanted an appropriate adult

Commentary around the case also notes a more cautious, legal-protection angle:

  • Officers were disturbed by how matter‑of‑fact he was when describing killings, which raised concerns about his mental state and suggestibility.
  • Having an appropriate adult present reduced the risk that West could later argue his confessions were unsafe, coerced, or not properly understood, which might have undermined the prosecution.

So his appropriate adult, Janet Leach, was there both because he met the vulnerability criteria and because the authorities wanted the interviews to be seen as procedurally fair and robust.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.