The couple, along with their friend Paul Mosley, were convicted of setting the fire themselves in a bid to frame Philpott’s former live-in lover, Lisa Willis, and regain custody of five children who had recently moved out (and with them, more than £1000 in monthly benefits claims). The idea was that after the fire was set, Philpott would save his children, and be seen as a hero. Unfortunately, too much petrol was used, and Phlipott could not get to his children.
Hours after the blaze, Mick was seen singing Elvis Presley songs on a pub karaoke machine, joking around in the hospital mortuary, hitting on a female police officer and referring to his kids as “little shits.” He also tried to raise money by selling off the teddy bears gathered at his children’s memorial. He also asked for funeral donations in the form of Argos vouchers.
According to the children’s god mother, Jeannie Donnan, Philpott and his wife started a food fight in the hospital canteen.
“I was like, how can you have a food fight? You have just lost six kids… I was just sitting there thinking, ‘no, this is not right,’” said Donnan.
After the sentence was read in court, Mick shouted curses at the judge, yelling out, “it’s not over yet.”
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