Michael S. Philpott (born December 1956)[2] is a British convicted mass killer who was found guilty in April 2013 of causing the deaths of six of his children by arson.
He had previously shot Hill in the groin with a crossbow because he felt her dress had been too short, and had cracked her kneecap with a hammer when she paid too much attention to a baby she had been minding.
Philpott was convicted of attempted murder of Hill, and grievous bodily harm with intent against her mother,[10] and was sentenced to seven years in prison in December 1978.
[10] In 2000, Philpott met Mairead Duffy, a 19-year-old single mother born in England to an Irish family, who had left a previous volatile relationship.
[21] After Willis gave birth to her fourth child by Philpott, the press revealed that both she and Mairead were expecting babies, due in March 2007.
Before their birth, Philpott appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show to defend his lifestyle, saying that he would like to marry one woman and divorce the other, and added that he would have a vasectomy.
Nancy Banks-Smith in The Guardian reported that Widdecombe gave him "a large slice of her mind", but "decamped" rather than sleep in his caravan.
[22] In the documentary, Philpott was shown to be living in a caravan in his garden, in which his wife and mistress would alternate in spending nights with him.
[24] It was revealed during Philpott's manslaughter trial that Mairead became pregnant by another man whilst the couple were dogging, an activity in which they began to participate during 2011.
[25] A court hearing a week before the fire concerned a road rage incident during November 2011 in which Philpott had punched another driver,[20] for which he had pleaded guilty to common assault,[19] but denied dangerous driving.
[29] On 16 May, Philpott and his wife held an emotional news conference, in which they purported to describe the events concerning the fire.
[33] The children's joint funeral took place on 22 June 2012 at St Mary's Church, Derby, with Mick and Mairead Philpott not attending as they had been remanded in custody charged with murder.
[35][36] Willis, who had a court hearing over custody of her children with Philpott scheduled on the morning of the fire, was initially arrested on suspicion of murder along with her brother-in-law Ian Cousins, but both were released without charge.
Meanwhile, witnesses reported that Philpott behaved strangely for someone who had recently lost several of his children,[37] and appeared to like the media attention.
[38] The police bugged the Philpotts' hotel room and gained evidence confirming the couple were responsible for the fire, including the involvement of friend Paul Mosley, with whom Mairead was heard engaging in a sex act.