Rose first encountered Fred West in early 1969, shortly after her 15th birthday; he was 27. The pair first met at Cheltenham bus station. Initially, Rose was repulsed by Fred's unkempt appearance and deduced he was a tramp, but she quickly became flattered by the attention he continued to lavish on her over the following days as he invariably sat alongside her at the same bus stop. Rose twice refused to go on a date with Fred, but allowed him to accompany her home.