MICK Philpott was found guilty of manslaughter for his involvement in the deaths of six of his children.
Along with his wife and a friend, he orchestrated a sickening plot to frame his ex and look like a hero — but their evil plan went devastatingly wrong.
Who is Mick Philpott?
Mick Philpott gained public attention in the mid-noughties for fathering numerous children by five different women and generating a large income through benefits.
He was criticised in November 2006 when he demanded a bigger council house after getting both his wife and mistress pregnant at the same time.
Philpott appeared on the Jeremy Kyle show the following year, where he defended his behaviour and insisted he had undergone a vasectomy.
His volatile temper was witnessed firsthand by former MP Ann Widdecombe in 2008, when she stayed with him at his home for a TV documentary about benefit claimants.
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In one of several confrontations, Widdecombe called Philpott a “coward” when he said he would not speak to pensioners about his life on benefits.
He leapt up from his seat and squared up to the former MP, who backed away.
Philpott was born in Derby, England in December 1956.
Attempted murder
In the late 1970s, he was given a seven-year sentence for attempted murder, and a five-year concurrent sentence for grievous bodily harm with intent.
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However, Philpott was released early after serving just over three years.
Then 21, he attacked his former girlfriend, who was 17 at the time, with a knife as she lay in bed after ending their relationship.
He then attacked her mother when she intervened.
Wives and partners
Philpott’s first marriage was to Pamela Lomax in 1986.
The couple had three children together — two sons and a daughter.
In 1994, at the age of 37, Philpott met 14-year-old Heather Kehoe in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire.
When Kehoe turned 16, she ran away from her parents to live with Philpott.
They had two sons together before their relationship ended in 2000.
The same year, Philpott met 19-year-old Mairead Duffy, whom he married in May 2003.
Clinically I suppose you would call him a psychopath — antisocial personality disorder
Psychologist Glenn Wilson
The following year, he met 16-year-old Lisa Willis, who became his mistress.
Both women lived with Philpott in his council house, creating a somewhat unconventional living arrangement.
Children
Throughout his various relationships, Philpott fathered at least 17 children.
He had six children with Mairead.
Lisa Willis bore him four children, and he also had children from his previous relationships.
In June 2017, one of his sons, Michael, revealed he believed his dad is innocent, after a fire at his father’s house killed six children.
In a clip from The Philpotts: Five Years On, which aired on Channel 5 in June 2017, Michael said: “There’s no way on God’s Earth that my dad could have done that.
“I’m 100 per cent positive.”
The fatal fire
On May 11, 2012, a fire broke out at the Philpotts’ home in Derby, resulting in the deaths of six of Mick and Mairead’s children.
The victims were Duwayne (13), Jade (10), John (9), Jack (7), Jesse (6), and Jayden (5).
The “distraught” couple held a press conference where they shed crocodile tears.
However, investigators soon uncovered the truth behind the tragedy.
The children of Mick Philpott who died in the fire (clockwise from top left): Duwayne, John, Jayden, Jade, Jessie and Jack[/caption]
Motive
The fire was revealed to be part of a twisted plot orchestrated by Philpott.
The motive was believed to be an attempt to frame his ex-mistress, Lisa, who had left him earlier that year.
Philpott hatched a plan with wife Mairead and family friend Paul Mosley to both incriminate Lisa and pose as a hero who saved his children.
But the plan to rescue the children went catastrophically wrong when the blaze, which was started with petrol poured through the letter box, quickly got out of control, with Philpott being beaten back by the flames.
Lisa, who had been Philpott’s live-in mistress, left the family home with her four children a few months earlier.
A custody hearing over the children was scheduled to take place on the morning of the fire.
Conviction
On April 2, 2013, following an eight-week trial, Philpott, Mairead, and Mosley were found guilty of manslaughter for the deaths of the six children.
Philpott was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years.
Mairead and Mosely both got 17 years.
Where are the killers now?
Philpott is serving his life sentence for manslaughter at HMP Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
He will be eligible for parole in 2028, but this does not guarantee his release.
The decision will be made by the Parole Board based on whether he still poses a risk to the public.
Mairead was released from HMP Send on licence in November 2020 after serving half of her sentence.
Campaigners criticised her release, as did Tory MP for Mid Derbyshire, Pauline Latham, who said she was seeking assurances that she would not be returning to the area.
Her early release sparked public outrage, with many feeling that her punishment was insufficient given the severity of the crime.
Mosley was released from prison in November 2023 after serving his sentence.
Like Mairead, he was let out on licence halfway through his 17-year sentence.
Psychological profile
Psychologist Glenn Wilson has described Philpott as clinically a “psychopath”.
He told ITV’s Daybreak: “Clinically I suppose you would call him a psychopath — antisocial personality disorder.
“There’s a lot of narcissism as well, a bit of an exhibitionist.
“He liked to appear on television, on the Jeremy Kyle show.
“There was a documentary about him and his super-dad performances.”
The Philpott Fire: A Very British Horror Story
Channel 5 documentary The Philpott Fire: A Very British Horror Story examines the tragic case of the fire that killed his six children and the monsters who set it.
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It provides an in-depth look at the events leading up to the fire, the investigation, and the aftermath of this shocking crime.
The documentary first aired on Channel 5 on May 24, 2023, and is being repeated on the channel on Wednesday, October 9 at 9pm.
