Man accused of killing his six children feared losing custody battle

A father accused of killing his six children in a house fire in Derby had become "paranoid" about losing them in an upcoming custody battle, a court has heard.

Man accused of killing his six children feared losing custody battle

A father accused of killing his six children in a house fire in Derby had become "paranoid" about losing them in an upcoming custody battle, a court has heard.

Mick Philpott was worried he would not be able to see his children after a legal hearing that was scheduled on the same day his children tragically died in the fatal blaze.

Philpott (aged 56) was locked in a vitriolic custody battle with his former mistress Lisa Willis (aged 29) after she left the home she shared with him and his wife three months earlier, taking her five children with her.

Philpott was father to four of Miss Willis's children and had another six with his 31-year-old wife, Mairead. The family all lived together in the same home in Allenton.

Philpott and his wife along with a third defendant, 46-year-old Paul Mosley, have each denied six separate counts of manslaughter in relation to the deaths.

Giving evidence to Nottingham Crown Court, neighbour Adam Taylor, who was a close friend of Philpott, said Philpott was not confident about the outcome of the court hearing. "He was more paranoid at not winning," he said.

Prosecutor Richard Latham QC asked him: "If he did not win, what did he think would happen?"

"That he would not get to see them," Mr Taylor said. "He was adamant that he did not want access, like weekends, he wanted full custody."

It is alleged by prosecutors that the fire was the result of a botched plan by the defendants to frame Miss Willis after she left her relationship with Philpott.

The six youngsters - Jayden, five, Jessie, six, Jack, eight, John, nine, Jade, 10, and Duwayne, 13 - all died in the fire on May 11 last year.

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