GUILTY UK - Six Philpott children, ages 5-13, die in Derby arson fire, 11 May 2012

wfgodot

Former Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2009
Messages
30,166
Reaction score
718
Amazingly sad case. (And strange backstory.)

Sobbing father of 17 who lost SIX children in house fire talks for the first time about
inferno which police say was started by petrol being poured through the letterbox
(Daily Mail)
A father broke down in tears today as he relived the moment six of his children died in a house fire as police revealed the callous arsonist ignited the blaze by pouring petrol through the letterbox.

Mick Philpott was in the family home in Allenton, Derby, when the fire broke out in the early hours of last Friday morning.

The father of 17 was woken up downstairs by a smoke alarm and made desperate attempts to rescue his children from the inferno.

However, five died of smoke inhalation at the scene and Mr Philpott and his wife Mairead made the agonising decision to turn off the life support machine of a sixth in hospital.

The dead children were all born to Mrs Philpott and were asleep when the fire tore through their three-bedroom semi-detached home.
---
Personal grudge?
Steve Cotterill, Assistant Chief Constable of Derbyshire Police, confirmed that the seat of the fire was below the letterbox in the front door of the the house.

Investigations had also shown petrol was used as an accelerant, he said.
Smoke from the fire travelled up the stairs of Mr Philpott's home while he and his wife were on the ground floor.

Mr Cotterill said one potential line of inquiry was a possible 'personal grudge' against Mr Philpott because of his 'celebrity status'.

The 55-year-old hit the headlines in 2006 when demanding a bigger council home for his family, before TV appearances with Ann Widdecombe and Jeremy Kyle.

The was dubbed 'Shameless Mick' in 2007 after reportedly demanding a larger council house.
---
Lengthy article with many pictures at DM link above.

Derby (Derbyshire, East Midlands) (Wiki)
 
I've been following this for days. Mr. Philpott was expected to gain custody of his 4 children from Lisa Willis (the girlfriend that left him and took their children) that very day at 10am.

One has to conclude that it was a personal grudge since none of the other houses were damaged. Mr. Philpott was despised by some for being a lay-about.

It's unimaginable that someone hated him so much as to not consider that a fire would most probably kill some members of the family, if not all. I guess there are no CCTV captures of someone roaming about the town that should have been home in bed.

Is this a solvable crime?
 
I think it's a very solvable crime, and will in fact be solved. Godspeed the solution.
 
Oh this is so sad.I can't bare to think about what it's like to lose one child let alone six......just heart breaking.

I hope they find whoever done this and are brought to justice.IMO its just a shame we don't have harsher sentences here.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
 
Sounds like a grudge. Apparently, Mick Philpott appeared on Jeremy Kyle show with an mistress. I wonder if the mistress or someone connected to her had anything to do with the fire.

The arsonist(s) deserves to be exposed to nuclear radiation. Losing one child is bad enough, but six is beyond comprehension.
 
Sounds like a grudge. Apparently, Mick Philpott appeared on Jeremy Kyle show with an mistress. I wonder if the mistress or someone connected to her had anything to do with the fire.

The arsonist(s) deserves to be exposed to nuclear radiation. Losing one child is bad enough, but six is beyond comprehension.
From Daily Mail link above:
---
Mr Philpott's former mistress, Lisa Willis, 28, and her brother-in-law Ian Cousins were arrested on suspicion of murder but later released without charge.
---
Thus-far uncharged.
 
I cannot imagine their pain. Six children perished in an intentionally set fire :(

I pray they find who is responsible.
 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/may/16/derby-fire-death-father-anguish

Sounds like a grudge. Apparently, Mick Philpott appeared on Jeremy Kyle show with an mistress. I wonder if the mistress or someone connected to her had anything to do with the fire.

From what I remember of the Jeremy Kyle show, and from what I've read, the girlfriend and the wife both lived with Mr. Philpott, and were well aware of each other. Sort of a sister-wives situation, but without the religious aspect.

The media interest in the case seems to mostly stem from outrage at his request for a larger council house, shock at the large number of children he had, and curiosity about the family's unusual living situation.
 
http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/C...ilpott-blaze/story-16152481-detail/story.html

article_a1ab00d732a8fcc0_1337179576_9j-4aaqsk.jpeg


Duwayne, 13, (top left) next to his brother John, 9, (top right). Bottom row (left to right) are: Jack, 7, Jessie, 6, their sister Jade, 10, and Jayden, 5,
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ldren-killed-Derby-house-arrested-murder.html

The father and mother of six children killed in a house fire were this morning arrested on suspicion of their murder.

In a dramatic development, Mick Philpott, 55, and his wife Mairead, 31, are in custody being questioned by detectives about the horrific blaze.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-18250397

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...of-six-children-in-Derbyshire-house-fire.html
 
Just coming here to post this, what a shocker! Why? Did they set the fire to get a bigger house and didn't expect any casulties?

I just don't understand :cry:
 
Horrible! I studied abroad and stayed in Derby, ugh, what in the world? :(
 
I was very shocked at that news this morning. their grief at the press conference seemed very real. I wonder if they did it to get their new council house and for some reason did not think the blaze would spread as fast as it did and then it was too late?

if so, that stupid mistake will eat them alive. I truly thought they were devastated at the loss of their kids ...
 
I'm shocked too. Even though I know this kind of thing has happened before, for some reason I just didn't see it coming.
 
Don't know whether to hope Derbyshire Police have made a grievous error in reckoning and arrested the wrong people, or to be thankful that the crime is solved and that justice will be done. Can't do both. Still gobsmacked by the arrests.
 
I think their grief was real, esp. the mother but I hadn't even thought of the possibility that they might've done it to get a new house. Why wouldn't they ensure their kids were safe first? Apparently the dad says he's not worried - that the police are just ruling them out. I'd be worried. Sad to say but after the Joanne Yeates (I think that's her last name but not sure atm) case and another case where a nurse was arrested then released, I don't have much faith in the English police.
 
Police have been given another 12 hours to question the parents. (Police refuse to confirm that it is actually the parents who have been arrested)
So they now have until 10pm tonight to either charge them or request a further period of detention which would have to be approved by magistrates.

From Derbyshire Police Website

“In view of the arrests, I would urge anyone who may have been holding back, not felt comfortable to voice their concerns or not had the confidence, to do so now. They have my personal reassurance that we will deal with their information sensitively.

“We still need information to help us in this inquiry. The latest arrests are just one step further in the investigation. It is absolutely vital that if you know anything you think could help us, come forward now, do not wait any longer. It is important that we find justice for these six young children.”
 
I don't think that it was anything to do with a bid to get a larger house. The girlfriend and her five children had moved out, so the number living there had almost halved.

The key to this is, I suspect, the custody case regarding those five children and the rancour surrounding it. The girlfriend and a relative were earlier arrested then released without charge. Did someone set the fire with the intention of framing her? There may have been no intention to harm the children.

Early days though. The wife has a page on Facebook which makes interesting reading.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
186
Guests online
1,292
Total visitors
1,478

Forum statistics

Threads
589,959
Messages
17,928,340
Members
228,019
Latest member
Semh
Back
Top