Uproar in court as fire-horror parents accused of murder

Mick Philpott, 55, and his wife Mairead, 31, were remanded into custody after a brief hearing yesterday at Derby Magistrates’ Court after police charged them with murder following the blaze at the house on Victory Road in Allenton, Derby, on May 11.

Their children Jade, 10, and brothers John, nine, Jack, seven, Jessie, six, and Jayden, five, all died in the fire. A sixth sibling, Duwayne, 13, died of his injuries in Birmingham Children’s Hospital two days later. The children were asleep in their beds when the fire broke out early on morning.

A man and a woman had to be escorted from the court’s public gallery by police and court officials after shouting out “scum” and “bastards” during the 10-minute hearing yesterday.

The Philpotts, who showed no emotion as they stood in the dock, are now due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court today.

Speaking after the couple were charged, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: “We are determined to get to the truth of what happened and still want people to speak to us to tell us what they know about this tragedy.”