'They never stood a chance': Sickening images of the blackened home where six Philpott children died as their father, mother and a family friend are found guilty of killing them in botched arson plot

Petrol-fuelled blaze broke out in the hallway of the home in May last year

Philpotts hatched plan to set up mother of five of Mick's children, Lisa Willis, hours before custody battle

Mick Philpott shared house with wife, Ms Willis and 11 kids he had with both women

Blaze killed Duwayne, Jade, John, Jack, Jessie and Jayden, aged between five and 13

After verdicts, Mick Philpott makes the sign of a cross and says: 'It's not over yet'

His sister, Dawn Bestwick, says 'justice has been served'

CPS: 'This has been a challenging and harrowing case to prosecute '

' Philpott 'just wanted house full of kids and benefit money that brings'

All three defendants will be sentenced at 10.30am tomorrow

Mick and Mairead Philpott were today found guilty of killing six of their children in a house fire in Derby as part of a botched attempt to frame his former lover.

The couple were convicted of the manslaughter of their ‘babies’ after a seven-week trial where Mick Philpott repeatedly sobbed in the dock, collapsing when the prosecution accused him of planning the fire that ended in tragedy.

But the jury refused to accept his excuse that someone had started the fire through his letter box, instead believing he was the mastermind of a plot that went 'horribly wrong'.

A third defendant, Philpott's friend Paul Mosley, was also found guilty of six counts of manslaughter.

Scroll down for videos and audio of the 999 call

Killers: A court drawing shows the moment Mick Philpott, wife Mairead and friend Paul Mosley were found guilty of deliberately starting a fire which claimed the lives of six of the Philpotts's children Co-conspirators: Mick and Mairead Philpott appeared at a press conference (left) in a tearful ruse to appeal for information after the fire last year. They are pictured (right) on their wedding day in May 2003



As the jury delivered its verdicts in respect of 56-year-old Philpott, he stood in the dock staring straight ahead with his hands clasped in front of him.

As the court returned guilty verdicts on his wife, he shook his head and she looked down at the floor and fought back tears while clutching a tissue in both her hands.

Mosley showed no emotion as he heard the guilty verdicts.

Before leaving the dock, as the judge rose for a short break after emotional outbursts in the packed public gallery, Philpott, wearing a grey suit, white shirt and pink tie, crossed himself and was heard to say: 'It's not over yet.'

People in the public gallery erupted in tears and shouts as the verdicts came in. Members of the public hugged one another as they sobbed.

Destroyed: The children perished when the fire tore through their home (above) in Derby, last May Plot: A Crown Prosecution Service photo showing the ladder (left) which Philpott placed at the back of the house as part of his plan to rescue his children after starting the fire Sordid: The caravan where Mick Philpott used to sleep with his wife and mistress on alternate nights A spectator in the public gallery shouted: 'You murdering b******. You heard me. I told you didn't I.'

'No f***** listened to me from day one.' She was escorted from the courtroom. The judge, Mrs Justice Kate Thirwall, told the court she will sentence all three defendants at 10.30am tomorrow. After the case, Mick Philpott's sister, Dawn, said 'justice had been served'. In a statement read on the steps of Nottingham Crown Court by Detective Constable Maria Needs, Mick Philpott's sister Dawn Bestwick, said: 'My family and I have attended court each and every day and listened objectively to all the evidence in this trial to understand what happened to our six beautiful children on May 11, 2012. 'Our presence in court was to find out the truth. Following today's verdict, we the family of Michael Philpott, believe justice has been served.' Scorched: The charred landing reveals just how fierce the fire was when it ripped through the house Ravaged: The petrol-fuelled blaze broke out in the hallway of the home where Philpott lived with wife Mairead, 31, and their own six children - all of whom perished as they slept Mairead Philpott's family, the Duffy family, also issued a statement. It said: 'On 11 May 2012 Duwayne, Jade, John, Jack, Jesse and Jayden were taken away in the cruellest way imaginable by the very people who were supposed to love and protect them. 'We, Mairead's family, cannot describe the pain we feel. Today, justice has been served and we are happy with the verdict. We would like to thank everybody involved in this case.' Derbyshire Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: 'This has to be one of, if not the most upsetting cases any of us has ever investigated. 'This is a shocking case for everyone involved. Six young children lost their lives needlessly in a fire and all our efforts have been focused on getting justice for those children.' Doomed: Firefighters said the children would not have been able to survive the intense heat and thick smoke Spread rapidly: From the moment the fire was set in the hallway, the flames would have surged up the uPVC front door, melting the plastic, and quickly progressed up the staircase, firefighters said Samantha Shallow, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Today's verdict shows that the children died as a result of the actions of Michael and Mairead Philpott and Paul Mosley when they set the fire. 'It was started as a result of a plan between the three of them to turn family court proceedings in Mr Philpott's favour. It was a plan that went disastrously and tragically wrong. 'This has been a challenging and harrowing case to prosecute.' As the verdicts came through, shocking images were released for the first time showing the charred and gutted interior of the property. Fire investigators said temperatures in the upstairs bedrooms of 18 Victory Road in Allenton, Derby, would have reached more than 500C (932F) during the blaze and that anyone in those rooms did not stand a chance of survival. Accomplice: Paul Mosley (centre), pictured visiting the scene of the fire, was found guilty of six counts of manslaughter Thick, black smoke would have quickly filled each of the rooms from floor to ceiling, rendering Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers Duwayne, 13, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five, unconscious in minutes. From the moment the fire was set in the hallway in the early hours of May 11, the flames would have surged up the uPVC front door, melting the plastic, and quickly progressed up the staircase with the help of varnished wood panelling. All the upstairs doors were open during the blaze, allowing the smoke to quickly flood the three bedrooms in which the youngsters slept. Soon after the fire, Mick and Mairead Philpott made a tearful appeal on national television for information, but it was all a ruse to try to cover their tracks. Evidence at the trial and an extraordinary dossier of secret recordings gathered by police publicly released today revealed they were heard asking 'if they were sticking to their story.'

In one recording, the father-of-17 tells his wife: ‘It’s my fault that half the family’s gone. I should have seen it all coming, duck.’ And in another recording, he tells Mairead in a police van: ‘My brief said that for the judge to do what he’s doing, he’s got to have some big balls because there’s no evidence - they’ve got nothing.' The blaze was part of a 'plan' Philpott had to frame his former mistress Lisa Willis, 29, who had left the family home three months earlier, the court heard. She and her five children, four of whom were fathered by Philpott, had lived with the Philpotts and their six children for 10 years before they left in February last year. The fire happened at around 3.45am on May 11, just hours before Philpott, who was father to a total of 17 children by five different women, and Miss Willis were due to appear at a pre-scheduled court hearing to discuss residency of their children. The court date was postponed following the fire. HOW THE PHILPOTT TRAGEDY UNRAVELLED

2006

March : The Philpott family hit the national headlines because Mick Philpott demanded a larger house for him to share with his wife Mairead, Lisa Willis, and their children.

Philpott said his council house in Allenton, Derby, was too cramped to accommodate his clan and he wanted the city council to rehouse them.

'They always come up with the same excuses,' he told the Derby Telegraph. 'They're just not good enough. I love my country, but at the moment I feel ashamed of it. I think the country is going down the pan.'

In the same year Mick Philpott appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show in which he revealed he was prepared to divorce his wife, marry Miss Willis, then divorce her simply so that she would not feel left out because she did not share the Philpott family name.

2007 Philpott appears in a documentary, Ann Widdecombe Versus The Benefit Culture, in which the outspoken MP spent a week living with the family. The programme led to him being dubbed "Shameless Mick" for his benefit claims and refusal to get a job.

2011 February: Lisa Willis moves out of the Philpott home in 18 Victory Road, Allenton, Derby, taking her five children, four fathered by Mick Philpott, with her.

May 11: 03.46am Emergency services are called to a house fire at 18 Victory Road.

Five children - Jade Philpott 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five - are pronounced dead in Derby Royal Hospital.

Duwayne Philpott, 13, is taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Lisa Willis and a 38-year-old man are arrested in connection with the fire. Miss Willis is later released by police with no further action taken.

A pre-scheduled court hearing at which Miss Willis and Mick Philpott were due to discuss residency of their children is postponed due to the tragedy.

May 12: Post-mortem examinations of the children were carried out by a Home Office pathologist.

Duwayne Philpott continues to fight for his life with his parents at his bedside at Birmingham Hospital.

May 13 : Duwayne Philpott dies overnight at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

May 14 : Derbyshire Police confirm the fire was started deliberately.

May 16 : A tearful Mick and Mairead Philpott give a press conference, in conjunction with Derbyshire Police, to dozens of reporters.

Detectives confirm that the seat of the fire was below the letterbox in the hallway of the house and that petrol was used as the accelerant.

May 18 : An inquest into the children's deaths is opened and adjourned at Derby Coroner's Court. Coroner Dr Robert Hunter appeals to those responsible to come forward out of human decency and assist the police with their inquiries.

May 21 : A minibus and caravan are removed from the driveway of 18 Victory Road by police for forensic examination.

May 29 : Mick and Mairead Philpott are arrested on suspicion of murder.

May 30 : Mick and Mairead Philpott are charged with murder.

May 31 : People in the public gallery at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court shout "b******s" and "scum" at the couple as they appear in the dock.

June 22 : Funeral service takes place for the six children at St Mary's Catholic Church in Derby. Mick and Mairead are refused prison leave to attend the service over fears for their safety.

November 5 : Paul Mosley, 45, of Cecil Street, Derby, is arrested and charged with the murder of six children who died as a result of a house fire in Derby in May.

November 8 : Mick and Mairead Philpott plead not guilty to six counts of murder at Nottingham Crown Court. Mosley appears alongside them in the dock but does not enter a plea to the same charges.

December 17 : Murder charges changed to manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court.

Mick and Mairead Philpott plead not guilty to six counts of manslaughter via videolink. Paul Mosley appears in the dock at the same hearing and also enters not guilty pleas to same charges.

2013 February 12 : Trial begins at Nottingham Crown Court

April 2 : Mick and Mairead Philpott, and Paul Mosley, are found guilty of manslaughter. Ignited: The door to the hallway where the fire was started with petrol Fire-starter: A petrol can that was found near the property in Victory Road after the blaze Evidence: Crown Prosecution Service photo of a glove and Dr Pepper bottle found near the scene of the fire During the trial, prosecutor Richard Latham QC said Philpott 'just wanted a house full of kids and the benefit money that brings' and tried to set up his former lover Lisa Wills in a bid to win custody of their children.

Dave Coss, watch manager at Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, was part of the team that investigated the fire. Speaking at Derby Kingsway fire station, Mr Coss said the children 'didn't stand a chance'.

The petrol-fuelled blaze broke out in the hallway of the home where Philpott lived with wife Mairead, 31, and their own six children – all of whom perished as they slept. Philpott had six children with Mairead, 31, and four with girlfriend Ms Willis, 29, as well as seven others from three previous relationships. Philpott pictured with the six children, aged between five and 13, who perished in the house fire 'Upsetting and shocking case:' Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill (centre) of Derbyshire Police issues a statement outside Nottingham Crown Court after the verdicts The court heard that until three months before the blaze last May, ‘highly controlling’ Philpott shared his cramped three-bedroom semi-detached home with his wife, mistress and all 11 children he had with both women. The court heard that in the days after the fire, Mosley visited the couple while they were being housed in a hotel by police. The room had been bugged by police and Philpott watched as his wife performed a sex act on Mosley. Afterwards he praised his wife, acknowledging that she did not want to perform the act. Mr Latham told the jury they ‘may conclude’ the sexual favour was carried out to keep Mosley ‘onside’. No hope: Thick, black smoke would have quickly filled each of the rooms from floor to ceiling, rendering the six children (clockwise from top left) - Duwayne, 13, Jade, 10, John, nine, Jessie, six, Jayden, five, and Jack, eight - unconscious in minutes Killed by their own parents: Six wooden crosses mark the graves of the Philpott children

Young lives destroyed: The six coffins carrying the Philpotts's children are carried into St Mary's Roman Catholic Church for their funeral last year Community in shock: Floral tributes adorn the pavement outside the house Philpott shared with Mairead in Allenton, Derby, after the fire on May 14 last year The court heard Philpott controlled all aspects of the family finances, with all benefit money paid towards the children’s upkeep along with the two women’s meagre part-time income paid straight into his account – the same arrangement he had instigated with both his first wife and another woman he then left her for. Mr Latham said it was only after Miss Willis left and was rehoused by the local authority that she discovered she had been entitled to more than £1,000 a month in benefits to help look after the children. As a harrowing 999 call made by the Philpotts from the garden of their Derby home was played to the court, Philpott shouted ‘I can’t listen to it’ and attempted to leave the dock, but was subdued by security staff. Towards the end of the call, his wife, who dabbed tears from her eyes in the dock, could be heard wailing uncontrollably in the background of the call. The court heard that after tiring of Philpott’s ‘domineering’ behaviour, Miss Willis decided to leave him.

Denied charges: A drawing of Philpott breaking down in the witness box as he gives evidence during the trial

Denial: Mairead Philpott tells jurors she didn't know who had started the fire because she was asleep

In the dock: Mick Philpott (second from left) and wife Mairead (second from right) appear at Nottingham Crown Court along with co-defendant Paul Mosley (right) ahead of their trial

Facing justice: A prison van carrying Michael and Mairead Philpott and Paul Mosley at Nottingham Crown Court for the start of the trial in February Exactly three months before the blaze, she walked out without warning, taking the children first to her sister’s home, then into a women’s refuge before she was eventually rehoused by the local authority.

The couple became involved in a bitter row over the residency of the children, with Philpott telling friends Miss Willis had made threats against his home and children, something he would ‘use in court to get his children back’. Mr Latham said Philpott was deeply troubled by her leaving, to the point that he had become depressed and even tried to take his own life. He steadily became 'obsessed with getting Lisa and the kids back' and part of his distress was because of the simple fact that Miss Willis had left him. The court heard how neighbours tried to rescue the children from the burning house but were beaten back by the smoke and flames.

Taking it in: Jimmy Duffy, the father of Mairead Philpott, hugs daughter Bernadette, outside after the verdicts

Difficult time: Mairead Philpott's father Jimmy Duffy (pictured hugging his daughter Bernadette) said he had difficulty accepting his daughter's involvement

When the bodies of the children were carried out of the house by police, Philpott ran forward and had to be restrained, Mr Latham said.

'It must have been quite clear the plan had gone horribly wrong.'

Philpott was heard telling people Miss Willis threatened to kill them or to set fire to the house .

'She was being set up as the culprit,' Mr Latham said.

Philpott told neighbours the children were in the back bedroom of the house.

'Is this where they were expected to be as part of the plan to rescue them?,' Mr Latham said.

Facing jail: Maired and Mick Philpott embrace at their home

Philpott told police he was playing snooker with Mosley before the fire broke out.



He said Mosley left before 2am and Michael and Mairead fell asleep watching a film, but they were woken by a smoke alarm and he discovered a large fire in the hall.

He called 999 and handed the phone to his wife before climbing a ladder in the back garden and smashing a hole in the back window. He said the black smoke beat him back.

Police reported his behaviour following the fire as 'unusual', the court heard.

One constable said Philpott showed 'no emotion' and acted as if at a social event.

At the hospital, onlookers described him as looking 'spotlessly clean' for someone who had been in a house fire, Mr Latham said.

Mick Philpott claimed during the trial that traces of petrol were found on him only because he had not bathed for three months.

Philpott made the admission on his second day of giving evidence at court and argued that it explained why traces of petrol were found on him after the fire.

The petrol had been there for several weeks from another incident, he insisted.



In the wake of the tragedy, one local, Bobby Sutherland, was inspired to set up a charity to help pay for the children's funerals, who he said Philpott loved desperately.

Fighting back tears as he stood in the street outside the fire-ravaged family home, Mr Sutherland said at the time: 'Yeah they can slag him off, but he loved his kids.

'Who doesn't make a mistake?

'Yeah you make mistakes but you don't deserve that. Nobody deserves that. You know what I mean?'

Weeks after the blaze the parents were charged, shocking the nation along with members of the community who had seen Philpott as a loving family man.

Local feeling turned to anger and upset - a disgruntled group even stood outside court ahead of the couple's first appearance and hurled abuse as prison vans drove them in.

But the community of Allenton pressed ahead with raising money to ensure the children were buried with dignity.