A British couple are facing long jail terms Wednesday for starting a fire that killed six of their children in what prosecutors said was an attention-grabbing stunt gone tragically wrong.
Mick and Mairead Philpott are facing sentencing for manslaughter over the May 2012 blaze in Derby, central England.
The deaths of the children, aged 5 to 13, and the twisting saga that ensued have horrified and fascinated Britain.
Prosecutors said the Philpotts had hatched a plan to start the gasoline-fuelled fire and then rescue the children, pinning blame on Mick Philpott’s former mistress so he could gain advantage in a child custody battle.
The children were asleep in their beds when the fire started.
Mick and Mairead Philpott are facing sentencing for manslaughter over the May 2012 blaze in Derby, central England.
The deaths of the children, aged 5 to 13, and the twisting saga that ensued have horrified and fascinated Britain.
Prosecutors said the Philpotts had hatched a plan to start the gasoline-fuelled fire and then rescue the children, pinning blame on Mick Philpott’s former mistress so he could gain advantage in a child custody battle.
The children were asleep in their beds when the fire started.