In 1999, Anna Marie West attempted suicide by drowning herself in the River Severn. Stephen West is also known to have made an unsuccessful suicide attempt in 2002, by attempting to hang himself. In 2004, he was jailed for nine months for having unlawful sex with a 14-year-old girl on multiple occasions. The couple's youngest son, Barry, committed suicide via a suspected drug overdose in October 2020. He is known to have battled a drug addiction and psychiatric issues as a result of the abuse he witnessed and endured as a child.