Mick Philpott: fire could have been ‘random attack’

Mick Philpott asked: “How do we know it was my house intended?”

He was accused of beating his mistress Lisa Willis “with a stick”, but said he “can’t recollect that”. He admitted hitting a previous girlfriend and grabbing her by the hair, but said he had done this because she had hit his children.

Philpott rejected claims that he had hoped to become a hero by rescuing his children from the blaze.

Richard Latham QC suggested his “plan was to go outside and rescue the children and be a hero”, which he denied.

All I know is that someone murdered my children and you are trying to blame me. Mick Philpott

He was asked why ladders “just happened to be” outside the back of the house and suggested “it was part of the plan”. Philpott said he had been doing some work on the roof.

‘Hero and victim’

“You were going to unlock the window and be a hero and victim at the same time,” said Mr Latham, to which Philpott replied: “Definitely not.”

Mr Latham asked Philpott: “The plan was to light the fire, make the 999 call, and rescue them with the ladder, wasn’t it?”

He suggested “the fire was much bigger than expected and you couldn’t get the window open … you knew you were responsible for this whole nightmare”.

Philpott, his wife Mairead Philpott and friend Paul Mosley all deny manslaughter. Jade Philpott, 10; John, nine; Jack, eight; Jesse, six; and Jayden, five, died in the fire in Derby in May last year.

Their half-brother, 13-year-old Duwayne, died later in hospital.

Appearing at Nottingham crown court, Philpott denied changing his story about what happened, saying he had been in shock when he gave his first statement.

‘Cook the books’

Mr Latham said he had “decided to cook the books” and asked why he had not tried to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher that was nearby.

Philpott said he had panicked and “the fire extinguisher was the last thing on my mind”.

He said: “All I know is that someone murdered my children and you are trying to blame me”, adding later that he he could have been victim of a “random attack”.