Shocking revelations were heard at the Nottingham crown court today relating to the Derby house fire incident which claimed the life of six children of Philpott family, which included that the children’s father Michael Philpott started the fire deliberately in a plot to frame his ex-girlfriend of the murder. Michael Philpott was facing a custody battle with his former lover, Lisa Willis, who had ended their relationship months earlier.

Michael Philpott’s ex-girlfriend Lisa Willis was fighting a custody battle with Michael Philpott for four of their children. Michael Philpott is said to have sewn the seeds of his evil plan by claiming to police that Lisa Willis had made threats against himself and the children. The court heard him say that no one was supposed to get hurt in the blaze. Michael Philpott, his wife Mairead, and family friend Paul Mosley, had arranged an elaborate rescue to make them appear innocent victims.

But the plot went horribly wrong as all of Michael Philpott’s children - Jade, aged 10, and her brothers Duwayne, aged 13, John, aged nine, Jack, aged eight, Jesse, aged six, and Jayden, aged five, died on May 11, 2023, in the semi-detached house in Allenton, Derby, where the family lived. Lisa Willis was also staying in the house but left in February 2012 after getting vexed with the living arrangements.

The jobless father originally lived at the three-bedroom council property with girlfriend Lisa Willis, wife Mairead and a total of 11 children. While Lisa Willis and her children were living at the three-bedroom council house in Victory Road, most of the children normally slept upstairs, while Mairead Philpott slept in either the living room or the conservatory. Her husband slept in a caravan outside with Lisa Willis. The adults had a sexual relationship but Michael Philpott often said he was unhappy with his wife, jurors heard.

Michael Philpott became furious when Lisa Willis walked out with her five children last February and vowed to gain custody of the children, four of whom were his’ and two were from her previous relationship. Jurors heard that Lisa Willis was the ‘catalyst’ of the Derby house fire tragedy, when she decided to walk out on Michael Philpott unable to bear his abuse and bullying. Michael Philpott had complained that he had lost £1,000-a-month in child benefit when she left. Trial continues as Michael Philpott, his wife Mairead and friend Paul Mosley all denied six counts of manslaughter.