The 2012 Derby arson attack occurred on 11 May 2012 at 18 Victory Road, a semi-detached house in a residential street in
Osmaston (erroneously reported by the press as being in
Allenton),
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, England.
Five children died at the scene, while the oldest later died in hospital.
The parents of the children, Mairead and
Mick Philpott, along with their friend Paul Mosley, were later arrested and charged with murder. In December 2012 their charges were downgraded to manslaughter. On 2 April 2013, Mick Philpott and Paul Mosley were found guilty by
unanimous verdict
A hung jury, also called a deadlocked jury, is a judicial jury that cannot agree upon a verdict after extended deliberation and is unable to reach the required unanimity or supermajority. Hung jury usually results in the case being tried again.
T ...
s, while Mairead Philpott was found guilty by majority verdict.
Fire
The children were asleep upstairs in the house when the fire began, with their parents downstairs.
Their father,
Mick Philpott, was reported to have made "valiant" attempts to save them.
Jade Philpott (10), John Philpott (9), Jack Philpott (7), Jesse Philpott (6) and Jayden Philpott (5) were all killed in the fire; post-mortem tests revealed the children died of smoke inhalation.
Their half-brother, Duwayne Philpott (13) died in hospital two days later.
Jade, John, Jack, and Jesse attended St George's Catholic Primary School, and Duwayne was a student at Saint Benedict Catholic School.
Police confirmed that the fire was started deliberately, with petrol underneath the letterbox, in an act of arson, stating that "Initial indications are that it was deliberately set and as a result six children have been unlawfully killed."
A church service was held in memory of the children at the Catholic church of St George's in
Littleover
Littleover is a village and suburb in the city of Derby, in Derbyshire, England, between Rose Hill, Normanton, Sunny Hill and Mickleover, about southwest of Derby city centre.
History
The history of Littleover's name is simple. It is der ...
.
A charity, Catch Me When I Fall, was set up by local residents to help the family of the children.
A book of condolence at
Derby Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of All Saints Derby, better known as Derby Cathedral, is a cathedral church in the city of Derby, England. In 1927, it was promoted from parish church status, to a cathedral, creating a seat for the Bishop of Derby, w ...
was later signed by hundreds of people.
Arrests
A 38-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of murder, but were later released without charge following questioning.
Following the release of the pair Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said that "While I thank those members of the community who have come forward with information I am surprised by how few people have contacted us. Normally in cases of this scale more information is passed to the police...I strongly suspect that there is someone out there in the community who knows more than we are being told."
The parents of the children, Mick and Mairead Philpott, were arrested on suspicion of murder on 29 May and charged with their murders the following day.
On 5 November 2012, a 49-year-old man and a 45-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of murder. Later that day, the 45-year-old man, Paul Mosley, was charged with murder. The other man was released without charge. Mosley appeared in court the following day. In December 2012 his charge was downgraded to manslaughter. Paul Mosley had previously been arrested in the enquiry and was released on bail in June 2012. He was re-arrested and charged when petrol was found on his clothing following further forensic examination.
Trial
The criminal trial began on 12 February 2013 at
Nottingham Crown Court
Nottingham Crown Court, or more formally the High Court of Justice and Crown Court, Nottingham is a Crown Court and meeting place of the High Court of Justice on Canal Street in Nottingham, England. The building also accommodates the County Cou ...
before judge
Kathryn Thirlwall
Dame Kathryn Mary Thirlwall, DBE (born 21 November 1957), styled The Rt Hon Lady Justice Thirlwall, is an English judge of the Court of Appeal, and since December 2019 is the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales. She practised as a b ...
. Richard Latham QC led the prosecution on behalf of the
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...
. Anthony Orchard QC led the defence for Mick Philpott, Sean Smith QC led the defence for Mairead Philpott, and Benjamin Nolan QC led the defence for Mosley. On 2 April, Mick and Mairead Philpott, along with Paul Mosley, were each found guilty of the manslaughter of the six children. On 4 April, Philpott received a sentence of life imprisonment, and will serve a minimum of 15 years, while his wife and Mosley received 17 years imprisonment for their part.
See also
*
Killamarsh killings
Killamarsh is a village and civil parish in North East Derbyshire, England, bordering Rotherham to the north and Sheffield to the north-west.
Killamarsh is surrounded by, in a clockwise direction from the north, Rother Valley Country Park, th ...
(2021)
*
Shiregreen child murders
At around 07:30 BST on 24 May 2019, police officers were called to a residential property on Gregg House Road in Shiregreen, a northern suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, following reports concerning the welfare of children. Six children wer ...
(2019)
*
Ughill Hall shootings
On 21 September 1986, Ian Wood shot and killed his partner Danielle Ledez and her daughter Stephanie (aged 3), and severely injured Christopher (aged 5), Ledez's elder child, at Ughill#Ughill Hall, Ughill Hall in Bradfield, South Yorkshire, Bra ...
(1986)
References
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2012 disasters in the United Kingdom
2010s fires in the United Kingdom
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2012 in England
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Arson in the 2010s
Attacks on buildings and structures in 2012
Attacks on buildings and structures in England
Building and structure fires in England
Buildings and structures in the United Kingdom destroyed by arson
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