A “controlling” father who started a devastating house fire that led to the deaths of six of his children was found guilty of their manslaughter today.

Michael Philpott, a father of 17 who years ago was dubbed “shameless Mick” by the tabloids for his lifestyle, was found to have deliberately started the fire to frame his former mistress. His wife, Mairead, 32, and family friend Paul Mosley, 46, were also found guilty after an eight-week trial. The jury of five women and seven men, took less than two days to reach their verdicts.

Philpott had brought his younger mistress, Lisa Willis, to live with him and his wife 10 years before the fire. He would sleep with one woman in the caravan one night and