In May 2012, a fire tore through a house in Victory Road, Derby, killing six children from the Philpott family. What initially appeared to be a horrific house fire later became one of Britain’s most shocking criminal cases.
The children who died were Duwayne, 13, Jade, 10, John, 9, Jack, 8, Jesse, 6, and Jayden, 5. Five died in the fire and Duwayne died in hospital two days later from his injuries.
Investigators eventually discovered that the fire had been deliberately started as part of a plan involving Mick Philpott, his wife Mairead Philpott, and their friend Paul Mosley. Prosecutors said Mick Philpott had intended to frame his former partner during a dispute over the children and expected to rescue those inside after the fire was started. Instead, the blaze spread rapidly and the children could not be saved.
All three were convicted of manslaughter in 2013. Mick Philpott was described by the judge as the driving force behind the plan and was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years. Mairead Philpott and Paul Mosley were each sentenced to 17 years.
The case attracted enormous media attention, not only because six children had died, but because of Philpott’s behaviour before and after the fire. The trial heard about his controlling behaviour towards women and his history of violence, while prosecutors argued that the fatal plan had been driven by his desire to regain control of a situation that was slipping away from him.
Perhaps the hardest part of the case to understand is that the children were never supposed to die according to the plan presented at trial. The intention appears to have been to create a dramatic situation that Philpott believed he could control, but six children ultimately paid the price.
The children who died were Duwayne, 13, Jade, 10, John, 9, Jack, 8, Jesse, 6, and Jayden, 5. Five died in the fire and Duwayne died in hospital two days later from his injuries.
Investigators eventually discovered that the fire had been deliberately started as part of a plan involving Mick Philpott, his wife Mairead Philpott, and their friend Paul Mosley. Prosecutors said Mick Philpott had intended to frame his former partner during a dispute over the children and expected to rescue those inside after the fire was started. Instead, the blaze spread rapidly and the children could not be saved.
All three were convicted of manslaughter in 2013. Mick Philpott was described by the judge as the driving force behind the plan and was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years. Mairead Philpott and Paul Mosley were each sentenced to 17 years.
The case attracted enormous media attention, not only because six children had died, but because of Philpott’s behaviour before and after the fire. The trial heard about his controlling behaviour towards women and his history of violence, while prosecutors argued that the fatal plan had been driven by his desire to regain control of a situation that was slipping away from him.
Perhaps the hardest part of the case to understand is that the children were never supposed to die according to the plan presented at trial. The intention appears to have been to create a dramatic situation that Philpott believed he could control, but six children ultimately paid the price.