Mairead Philpott, wife of Mick Philpott, who together killed six of their children in a bungled arson attack, has been freed from prison.
The 39-year-old mother was jailed for manslaughter in 2013, one year after she, her husband and their friend Paul Mosley killed their children in a house fire.
Mick Philpott wife out of prison
She was released from HMP Send in Surrey and moved to a halfway house.
Photos showed Mairead being escorted by plain-clothes police, with her belongings in a see-through bag, away from the prison.
Even mum Vera, 62, is angry at her early release, telling The Sun: “The sentence is not nearly long enough and we disown her after what she’s done.”
The Philpotts’ crimes
Mick Philpott was already notorious in the tabloids and on magazine shows as the ‘sponger’ father of 17 children.
But in 2012 he hit front pages and news bulletins everywhere following the death of five of his kids and their half-brother.
The children were all killed in a nighttime fire at their home in Derby as they slept in their beds.
On the surface Philpott and Mairead initially appeared devastated over the arson attack but police, the media and the public became suspicious of them when the pair appeared at a press conference.
They went through the motions of crying and breaking down but very obviously didn’t shed a single tear.
As the investigation progressed, detectives discovered that the couple, alongside friend Paul Mosley, were responsible for the killer blaze.
They had not intended to cause harm to the children, but were plotting to frame his ex partner for the inferno, so Philpott could get custody of the children in her care and land a bigger council house.
But their nonsensical scheme went horrifically wrong and, once the fire took hold, they were powerless to prevent the devastating outcome.
Philpott, 63, was convicted of manslaughter in 2013 and given a life sentence, while his wife and Mosley were sentenced to 17 years.
What were the names and ages of all the Philpott children who died?
The fire took the lives of Duwayne, 13, Jade, 10, John, nine, Jack, seven, Jessie, six, Jayden, five.
All of them aside from Duwayne died at the scene. The eldest lost his life three days later in hospital, with Philpott allegedly reluctant to visit him.
What happened at the Philpott press conference?
One of the most memorable moments of the whole case was when Philpott and Mairead appeared at a press conference.
During it, they broke down in tears as they thanked friends and family members for their support.
He said the support was “too overwhelming” and that he couldn’t “express enough thanks” to the emergency services.
But away from the cameras, it’s claimed that Philpott flirted with mortuary staff and called his children “little s**ts”.
When did police realise they had their suspects?
Philpott’s erratic behaviour during the press conference and at the mortuary, where he flirted with female staff, was one giveaway.
But forensics experts also found traces of petrol substances on clothes he had worn that night.
He was also heard during surveillance in a bugged hotel room telling Mairead to “stick to her story”.
Are Mick Philpott and Mairead still married?
Philpott married much younger second wife Mairead Duffy when she was 19 in 2003.
The pair had a volatile relationship during which he was cautioned for being physically abusive to her.
Philpott also had a mistress, Lisa Willis, who lived in the same house with Mairead and their children; at one point both his ‘other woman’ and wife were pregnant at the same time.
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The Mirror reported in 2016 that Mairead asked Philpott for a divorce while they were both behind bars.
Later that year the Daily Mail reported that Mairead had found a new “rough and muscly” man, who she had been sending steamy letters to from her cell.
Is Mairead still in prison and will Mick Philpott ever be released?
She was released from prison mid-November 2020, having served eight years – half of her 17-year sentence.
Mosley is reportedly not yet up for parole. Mick Philpott must serve 15 years before release is even considered.
What happened to Philpott’s remaining children?
Most of the children not involved in the fire have not spoken publicly about their family’s ordeal.
In 2013, Philpott’s eldest son, David Cheshire, told The Mirror that his father was “dead to him”.
David, now in his 30s, said: “Because of him half my family is gone. I’ve lost my five little brothers and a sister.”
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Another of his children, Mikey, claimed in 2018 he had received abuse and been forced to move away from Derby.
Has Philpott ever shown any remorse?
While Philpott himself has not commented, aside from referring to the kids as “s**ts” shortly after they perished, Mairead expressed remorse in 2016.
She said in a letter that killing her children was something “she would have to come to terms with”.
She also said that her “babies live with her forever”.
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