Mick Philpott

Mick Philpott, born 1956 or 1957, is an English criminal. He has fathered 17 children and received media coverage initially for his large family and reliance on state benefits, and from May 2012 when six of his children died in a fire at his home.

In April 2013, following a lengthy trial, Philpott, his wife Mairead, and a friend, Paul Mosley were found guilty of manslaughter in relation to the fire.

Relationships with women

In July 1978, aged 21, while AWOL from the Army, Philpott attempted to murder his then girlfriend Kim Hill, stabbing her over a dozen times, before turning on her mother. Philpott was convicted of attempted murder in respect of Kim Hill, and grievous bodily harm in respect of her mother, and was sentenced to seven years in prison in December 1978.

Philpott married Pamela Lomax in 1986. He had three children with Lomax, two sons and a daughter. Lomax said that Philpott was controlling, and she prayed he would move on to someone else.

Her wish was fulfilled when Philpott met Heather Kehoe, then aged 14, in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire. Philpott was 37. On her 16th birthday, Kehoe ran away from her parents to live with Philpott. Kehoe gave birth to two children, both boys, in quick succession, but Philpott wanted a daughter, and beat Kehoe in response. Kehoe described Philpott teaching his older sons to perpetrated violence against Kehoe. Philpott wanted Kehoe to produce more children, but she did not get pregnant again. When Kehoe tried to run away, Philpott threatened her with violence, that he would do with her as he had done with Kim Hill.

In 2000, Philpott met Mairead Duffy, a 19-year-old Irish single mother, who had left a previous abusive relationship. She moved in to Philpott's house shortly after, and the couple married in May 2003.

In 2001, Philpott met Lisa Willis, a 16-year-old orphan, and a single mother. Philpott invited Willis to move into his council house, which was larger than hers, in 2002. After moving in the pair started a relationship, and Philpott began to beat Willis, attacking her with a piece of wood, after accusing about lying over the father of her child. Lisa Willis was bridesmaid at the wedding of Mick and Mairead, despite being Mick's mistress.

On 23 December 2002, Kehoe finally gained legal custody of her two children. Philpott marked this event each year by smashing the family's Christmas tree, the violence showing his anger at his children being taken away.

2006-2007 media coverage

Philpott was heavily criticised in the media in 2006 when he requested a larger council house to house his family, which then consisted of his wife Mairead Philpott, then aged 25, his mistress Lisa Willis, then 22, and four children born to Mrs. Philpott, three to Lisa Willis, and Lisa Willis' child fathered prior to meeting him. It was also revealed that he has a conviction for attempted murder in 1978, and was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

After Lisa Willis gave birth to her fourth child by Philpott in 2006, the press revealed that both she and Mairead Philpott were expecting babies in March 2007. Following their birth, Philpott appeared on the Jeremy Kyle Show in 2007 to defend his lifestyle, saying that he would like to marry one woman and divorce the other, to be fair, and added that he would have a vasectomy. He has had no further children.

He appeared on the 2007 documentary Ann Widdecombe Versus the Benefits Culture, in which Ann Widdecombe lived with him for a week and tried to get him to change his lifestyle. Widdecombe got Philpott a job in a barrel making firm but he did not turn up for work on the first day and the job fell through.

2012 arson and deaths at Philpott's home

Main article: Allenton house fire

On 11 May 2012, the family's home in Allenton, Derby was burned down at around 4am, with petrol used to start the fire.

Jade, John, Jack, Jessie and Jayden Philpott all died at the scene, with a sixth child, Duwayne Philpott, dying in hospital three days later.

There was widespread horror at the death of so many children in one fire, with a special service to remember the children held in the family's Catholic church. A fund to pay for the funerals raised over £11,000 by members of the public living in the same area as the Philpott family.

Criminal investigation

Philpott and Lisa Willis had become estranged in February 2012, and she had left to live with her sister and brother-in-law, along with her four children by Philpott and her son by a different father. On the day of the fire, Philpott and Willis were due in court for a child custody hearing over the children.

Willis and her brother-in-law were initially arrested on suspicion of murder, but were released without charge.

Philpott and his wife were arrested on suspicion of murder on 28 May 2012. After seeking additional time for questioning, the couple were charged with murder on 30 May 2012. In December 2012 their charges were reduced to manslaughter. The couple and Paul Mosley were convicted of manslaughter.

The funeral of the children took place on 22 June 2012 at St Mary's Church, Derby. Mick and Mairead Philpott, on remand on murder charges, were denied leave to attend.