Mom who killed her six children in a house fire is released after eight years

A mother who killed her six children in arson was released from jail after serving just eight years, half of her 17-year sentence.

Mairead Philpott, 39, was jailed for involuntary manslaughter in 2013, a year after she, her husband Mick and their friend Paul Mosley killed their children in a house fire.

The couple had planned the fire to look like an attack orchestrated by Mick’s lover, Lisa Willis, who had recently left home with her children. They hoped the damage would also result in a larger municipal house in Osmaston, Derby.

But after using gasoline to start the fire, the Philpotts were unable to fight the flames and rescue their children. Jade, 10, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five, died during the May 11 fire, and Duwayne, 13, died in hospital three days later.

This week Philpott was released from HMP Send in Surrey and moved to a rehab facility. The photos showed her being escorted by plainclothes police officers, her belongings in a transparent bag.

His release has now drawn the ire of those who believe he should have spent more time in jail, including his own mother. Vera, 62, told The Sun: ‘The sentence is not long enough and we don’t know about it after what he’s done.’

David Spencer of the Center for Crime Prevention said that Phipott’s early release was an “utter mockery” of the nation’s criminal justice system, and said he “shouldn’t have the freedom to roam the streets.”

He continued: ‘She has served just over a year for each of the six innocent lives she cruelly took. She is back on the streets as the taxpayer asks her for a new identity, protection, counseling and a place to live. ‘

Spencer confirmed that Interior Minister Priti Patel had since promised a review of the sentence, although it is unclear if this will affect Philpott’s case.

Philpott will remain in the transitional house, with a 7 pm to 7 am curfew, for three months, before being released under a new identity. He is prohibited from returning to Derby, where the children were killed.

She and Mick had initially received a great deal of support after the fire, as they pleaded with the public to help them find the culprit at a press conference.

The police then became suspicious of the couple and bugged their hotel room, leading them to discover that Mick had devised the fire plan.

Philpott and Mosley were jailed for 17 years, while Mick received a life sentence, with a minimum period of 15 years.

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