Southend United, a soccer club that plays in England’s fifth tier, says it will change the name of its Gilbert and Rose West Stand because of its association with one of the country’s most notorious serial killers.
Rose West and her husband, Fred, murdered an unknown number of people during a 20-year stretch that included the 1960s. Rose was convicted in ’95 of killing 10 people and is an inmate at a West Yorkshire prison. Meanwhile, Fred died by suicide while awaiting trial.
The soccer club’s sponsorship deal is with Gilbert and Rose real estate agents. Ron Martin, the club’s chairman, said to radio station talkSPORT: “It’s not the most advisable thing; it is unfortunate. I suspect that the Gilbert and Rose are delighted with the press that they’re getting but it’s not good for the club.”
