(UK) Man loses 5 of his kids in a fire

Teyla Emmagan

I know there have been a load of threads on AH recently about 'welfare' families with a load of kids looking for bigger houses. Just heard about this on the radio though, and I don't think it's been brought up yet today. Anyway, there were 5 kids from the same family killed in a housefire in the UK today.

Here's a link to the always reliable Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142817/Derby-house-5-children-die-home-Mick-Philpott-father-17.html

Obviously this is a horrific tragedy. Even though the family in question had 17 kids, to lose 5 children in the one day?? That must be too much for the human soul to cope with.

The father in question seems to have been loving, if defensive about his 'lifestyle', and has been onto the council in Derby in recent years looking for a bigger house. Not sure a bigger house could have saved any more of them though. Fire can just run riot through a place. Unless they had a bungalow, with wings, I don't see how this tragedy could have been averted. Very sad.

Any thoughts AH?

christmas2012

he had two partners and 17 kids thats a headache and a half

Battered Mars Bar

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Any thoughts AH?

Nope, none from me. Thanks for asking.

Lapin

I hope the kids didn't suffer too much.
What an awful night for that family.

longhalloween

So the victims were named Jade John Jack Jessie and Jaden

Steven81

Never mind losing 5, to lose one is horrific.

Teyla Emmagan

Battered Mars Bar wrote: »

Nope, none from me. Thanks for asking.

Have none of ye any compassion? Ye rotten b&stards...

Maybe it's just me and the gin then.

Dudess

I don't understand the house size, welfare angle

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Have none of ye any compassion? Ye rotten b&stards...

Maybe it's just me and the gin then.

Abi

Dudess wrote: »

I don't understand the house size, welfare angle

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

I was wondering about that, it's a tragic story but bizarre. Are the mail indirectly speculating that it was something that went wrong in order to get a bigger home, or am I imagining it?

Very odd, will be keeping an eye on the end result of this one. RIP to those poor children.

steddyeddy

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

I know there have been a load of threads on AH recently about 'welfare' families with a load of kids looking for bigger houses. Just heard about this on the radio though, and I don't think it's been brought up yet today. Anyway, there were 5 kids from the same family killed in a housefire in the UK today.

Here's a link to the always reliable Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142817/Derby-house-5-children-die-home-Mick-Philpott-father-17.html

Obviously this is a horrific tragedy. Even though the family in question had 17 kids, to lose 5 children in the one day?? That must be too much for the human soul to cope with.

The father in question seems to have been loving, if defensive about his 'lifestyle', and has been onto the council in Derby in recent years looking for a bigger house. Not sure a bigger house could have saved any more of them though. Fire can just run riot through a place. Unless they had a bungalow, with wings, I don't see how this tragedy could have been averted. Very sad.

Any thoughts AH?

5 children died In a house fire I really dont give a flying whatever wheter they were rich, poor, on welfare or whatever. The daily mail is pretty scummy for making that part of the story.

Micky Dolenz

Abi wrote: »

I was wondering about that, it's a tragic story but bizarre. Are the mail indirectly speculating that it was something that went wrong in order to get a bigger home, or am I imagining it?

Very odd, will be keeping an eye on the end result of this one. RIP to those poor children.

It was reported on RTE news that he came to the media's attention a few years back as the man with 17 kids who was looking for a bigger house from the council for himself, his wife and girlfriend and their pile of kids.


Terrible tragedy, may the children rest in peace, poor little ones.

Tesco Massacre

Good old Daily Mail. No matter what the issue, they'll find a way to shoehorn in the benefit fraud angle.

'First Man to Set Foot on Mars!....but is he a benefit cheat?'

holystungun9

Tesco Massacre wrote: »

Good old Daily Mail. No matter what the issue, they'll find a way to shoehorn in the benefit fraud angle.

'First Man to Set Foot on Mars!....but is he a benefit cheat?'

To be fair, it's only because they couldn't work in the immigrant angle.

mikemac1

steddyeddy wrote: »

5 children died In a house fire I really dont give a flying whatever wheter they were rich, poor, on welfare or whatever. The daily mail is pretty scummy for making that part of the story.

Standard for the DM

You see it just as much for people in lovely houses
Then they give the value of the house. It allows their readers to instantly get a feel for the people and what their background it is
Were they "decent folk", oh that will stir up more sympathy

They don't just highlight council houses, they highlight everyone

Born to Die

No matter how bad things are they can always be worse.
May they rest in peace.

prinz

Dudess wrote: »

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Heard on the grapevine that the woman arrested on suspicion of arson at the place is the wife/girlfriend of the man in question. Which would indicate if true a domestic gone horribly wrong or that it was meant as part of some sort of scam.

Feel sorry for the kids, but then again feel sorry for them before they met that unfortunate end.

iguana

Has anyone actually read through the article? He had 15 children by 5 different women and they didn't all live with him, he also had a step-son by his current wife who lived with him and an unofficial 'step-son' by his most recent girlfriend who lived with him until recently. In fact the oldest 3 by his first wife are all in their early-mid 20s.

The most recent girlfriend moved out in January taking their 4 children and her son with her, so there were 'only' 8 people living the the house. The children who died were the 5 children he and his current wife had together and the injured boy is his her son.

steddyeddy

mikemac1 wrote: »

Standard for the DM

You see it just as much for people in lovely houses
Then they give the value of the house. It allows their readers to instantly get a feel for the people and what their background it is
Were they "decent folk", oh that will stir up more sympathy

They don't just highlight council houses, they highlight everyone

I completely agree Im not saying they confine it to council houses. I often see them put a price tag on deaths from all socio economic groups.

Mickey H

Dudess wrote: »

I don't understand the house size, welfare angle

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

News tonight says that a man has also been arrested on suspicion of same and both are being questioned.

IM0

what was he doing hiding them there in the first place

ibarelycare

Jesus...the parents have been arrested on suspicion of murder

The father and mother of six children killed in a house fire were this morning arrested on suspicion of murder.
In a dramatic development, Mick Philpott, 55, and his wife Mairead, 31, are in custody being questioned by detectives about the horrific blaze.
Just two weeks ago the couple, both from Derby, wept uncontrollably at an emotional press conference as officers described how petrol had been poured through the family’s letterbox and set alight.


Jade Philpott, ten, and brothers John, nine, Jack, seven, Jessie, six, and Jayden, five, all perished as flames and smoke engulfed their council house in Allenton, Derby.
Their 13-year-old brother Duwayne died of his injuries in hospital several days later with his parents at his bedside.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said today: ‘I suspect there may still be people with crucial information who have not yet come forward to speak to us.
‘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.’
ACC Cotterill stressed that the investigation is still ongoing and will be a lengthy process.
He added: ‘Although the fire happened more than two weeks ago, this is a complex inquiry and it will take time for us to piece together the events from that tragic evening.
‘I know this case has deeply affected the local community and residents want answers as to what happened and why. But I would ask them to be patient and to continue to show the excellent support they have given us to date. Our investigations are detailed and painstaking and they will take time.’
Just over a week ago, police removed a minibus and caravan - thought to have been used as extra accommodation at the family home, with Mr and Mrs Philpott often sleeping in it - from outside the house.

Four days after the tragic fire, the couple made an emotional appeal and spoke of their devastation.
Mr Philpott said: ‘I want to thank my three eldest children because they have helped us cope. And then there’s a young lad who tried to get in the house the same as myself.
‘Then of course there is the four firemen, the police, the ambulances, the doctors and nurses – everybody who tried to help save our children.
‘We can’t express our gratitude enough. It’s not just us that have suffered, it’s them as well – it’s everybody.’
At the time the nation's heart went out to the family for their devastating loss.
But soon suspicious arose that someone has a grudge against Mr Philpott's celebrity status as a father of a father of 17 children by five women.
He had become known as ‘Shameless Mick’ in 2007 after appearing on the Jeremy Kyle television programme to demand a larger house to share with his wife, his girlfriend Lisa, and eight of his offspring.
Police have again increased their presence on Victory Road.
The mobile police station will return to the area and there will be extra patrols. Forensic examinations are continuing at the house.
Tributes and gifts have been taken from outside the house, by representatives from OSCAR, with the agreement of Mr and Mrs Philpott, and have been placed in St George’s church because of the likelihood of rain.

mikemac1

What's the motive though for burning the house?

The Big Red Button

mikemac1 wrote: »

What's the motive though for burning the house?

To get a new bigger one maybe? Maybe their plan was to stage a fire but to get the kids out, but it went wrong somehow?

Horrible story. The poor kids.

Lollipops23

Jesus, I genuinely didn't see this one coming. They seemed so devastated at that press conference.

IF it's true and they set a massive fire in their overcrowded house hoping to just damage it....then they're beyond stupid. Fire is something that is next to impossible to control, especially with fuel like petrol involved.

Poor kids that are still alive...imagine such a trauma and now this....

seamus

My main suspicion was always that he had done it in order to secure a larger house. It seemed too odd that the adults managed to escape completely unharmed from a fire at 4am while the children didn't. A petrol fire started in the hallway of a home would get out of control ridiculously quickly.

The guy is far from the sharpest tool so it's not something that would surprise me, but it's such an horrific thing I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even if he did it, I imagine that his intention was not to hurt anyone.

Micky Dolenz

However about setting fire to the kitchen or enclosed room but to set the main escape route up is mind boggling if it was the parents that did it.

The Big Red Button

seamus wrote: »

My main suspicion was always that he had done it in order to secure a larger house. It seemed too odd that the adults managed to escape completely unharmed from a fire at 4am while the children didn't. A petrol fire started in the hallway of a home would get out of control ridiculously quickly.

The guy is far from the sharpest tool so it's not something that would surprise me, but it's such an horrific thing I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even if he did it, I imagine that his intention was not to hurt anyone.

To be honest I'd suspected the same.

Whatever his intentions were, even if he planned on getting all the kids out safely ... it's hard to imagine how the pair of them could keep up the lies immediately afterwards, and for this long. Horrible.

kfallon

A good friend of mine lives in Derby and she was telling me yesterday that rumours were rife over the weekend that the parents were involved in the fire.

Seemingly there's been ongoing collections from the public for the family since this terrible tragedy. IF (and that's a big word) they are both found to have been involved in the fire there will be some public backlash I would imagine. Those poor kids

As an aside the father was also once on Jeremy Kyle apparently!

old hippy

I guess all the DM loving anti-benefits crowd will be barely able to surpress their glee over this

Tragic, in every way.

People get arrested all the time for things they haven't done. This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever so I for one won't be jumping to any conclusions from it.