Anne West: 'I want to see my files'

ANNE MARIE WEST, daughter of Fred West and step-daughter of Rosemary West, has pledged to fight Gloucestershire social services to gain access to her private files.

Miss West said the authority had repeatedly refused to let her see documents detailing her early life when she was in care and on the "at-risk" register.

Her protest comes amid growing controversy over the failure by Gloucestershire police, health and social services departments to spot warning signs of abuse at the Wests' home in Cromwell Street, Gloucester.

Some critics have even said lives might have been saved had closer attention been paid to the West household.

"I'm trying to see my social service records. I've been told that I'm not allowed to because there are things in there that I shouldn't see and it might hurt and harm people," Miss West said on a late-night debate programme on Central Television.

Douglas French, Tory MP for Gloucester, promised to help her."I am appalled. Those files should be released," he said.

Miss West said the authority told her she couldn't see the files because they need to "go in the archives for other welfare workers to look at and learn from".

"They shouldn't be used in this way. This is my family," she said before breaking down in tears.

A clinical psychologist, Oliver James, who helped chair the television debate on Friday night, said Anne Marie wanted no more than to trace her real mother. "She's trying to find one person who's good in all this," he said.

Gloucestershire social services were unavailable for comment yesterday.