Devon House Fire: Teens Die, Boy In Hospital

Two teenagers have died and a young boy is in a serious condition in hospital following a house fire in Devon.

Police said the 17-year-old girl and 18-year-old man died from injuries sustained in the blaze at a property in Lee Close in Honiton.

The boy, aged three, remains in the specialist Frenchay Hospital.

Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Next of kin have been informed.

"Our thoughts are with family at this time and the investigation to establish the cause of the fire is ongoing. At this time the police are not treating the matter as suspicious."

Emergency services were alerted at around 7.50am on Friday.

A total of eight people were in the house when the fire broke out - seven members of a family and another person.

Five were taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, including a six-year-old boy and a man in his 30s, who were treated for smoke inhalation.

Three - the two teenagers and three-year-old - were flown by air ambulance to the hospital for treatment.

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Nelson Mandela Leaves Hospital After 10 Days

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has been discharged from hospital after being treated for pneumonia.

The 94-year-old was allowed to return home this afternoon "following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition".

An ambulance is understood to have taken him back to his residence in Johannesburg.

President Jacob Zuma's office said Mr Mandela would now receive "home-based" care.

Mr Mandela is believed to have been transported home in this ambulance

A statement said: "President Zuma thanks the hard working medical team and hospital staff for looking after Madiba so efficiently."

He also extended his gratitude to all South Africans, friends of the nation and to people around the world for their support.

Spokesman Mac Maharaj told Sky News: "We are all very happy with the news and grateful to the doctors and the hospital staff for looking after so well.

"The doctors say that given his age, they have to monitor him very carefully and they have to remain cautious all the time.

"He is frail, and we need to take into account his age ... but Madiba is a fighter and he is not ready to say goodbye to us."

It has been the third health scare in four months for the anti-apartheid leader.

He was in hospital briefly in early March for a check-up and again in December for nearly three weeks with a lung infection and following surgery to remove gallstones.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994, is a global symbol of tolerance and the struggle for equality.

Mr Mandela stepped down as president in 1999 and has not been politically active for a decade.

He has a history of lung problems dating from when he contracted tuberculosis as a political prisoner.

He spent 27 years on Robben Island and in other jails for his attempts to overthrow the white-minority government.

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India: British Woman Murdered In Kashmir

A second man is being questioned after a British woman was found murdered on a houseboat in Indian-administered Kashmir, police have confirmed.

The son of the owner of the houseboat where Sarah Groves, 24, had been staying for up to two months is helping police with their inquiries, according to Sky sources.

Miss Groves, from Guernsey, was found in a pool of blood on the vessel at Srinagar's Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination.

A police officer at Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination

Local police said the victim had multiple stab wounds all over her body and a knife was found next to her.

The first arrested man - a Dutch national aged in his 40s - was said to have smashed open the door of her room during the night.

He was picked up as he tried to flee the valley with only his passport, senior police officer Abdul Ghani Mir said.

Miss Groves' body is being sent for medical examination to determine whether she was sexually assaulted before being killed.

Speaking to Sky News India correspondent Alex Rossi, Irfan Shoda confirmed his brother Samir was being questioned and described finding the victim's body in the early hours.

Onlookers gathered near the scene of the murder

Superintendent Tahir Sajjad told AFP: "We walked into a pool of blood in her room. We found a sharp-edged knife close to her body. The young lady had multiple stab wounds."

The Dutchman was held at Qazigund, in south Kashmir's Anantag district, around 100km (62 miles) from the lake where Miss Groves' body was found.

He had allegedly fled in a small boat which capsized as he was trying to reach the shore, forcing him to swim.

Speaking near the murder scene, Deputy Inspector General of Police for central Kashmir Syed Afadul Mujtiba said: "There is one houseboat over here in which there were two tourists living.

"She has been living here, an English tourist, and a Dutch tourist arrived two days ago, and now today in the morning the dead body of the female tourist has been found with incision wounds, sharp-edged weapon wounds."

The woman was killed in Indian-administered Kashmir

The weeping owner of the Kashmir houseboat, named Hafeeza, said she was shocked by Miss Groves' murder.

She said: "She was very dear to me, she was just like my daughter."

The Foreign Office says it is in touch with local authorities and Miss Groves' family has been informed.

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Grand National: Auroras Encore Wins At Aintree

Ryan Mania has won on his first ride in the Grand National as he guided outsider Auroras Encore to a shock victory at Aintree racecourse.

The Scottish jockey gave a perfect ride to the 66/1 chance, beating home Welsh duo Cappa Bleu (12/1) and Teaforthree (10/1), while the 2011 runner-up Oscar Time was fourth.

"He gave me a dream ride, he's brilliant. I had the choice of two horses to ride, I wasn't sure which one to go for," said Mania.

"He loved every second of it, just class - he was second in the Scottish National last season. He made a couple of little mistakes then learned from them."

Auroras Encore was ridden by Ryan Mania

Auroras Encore's trainer Sue Smith becomes the third woman in history to train the winner horse.

"It's unbelievable, he gave him such a good ride," she said.

"I knew the ground was right for him and hoped everything else was. He stayed down the middle and had a bit of luck in running. He didn't have a lot of weight and that helped, too.

"He's such a grand little horse, you can ride him anyway you like.

"I just feel sorry for the previous owners, who were wonderful and sold him because of ill health."

Smith's husband, former world famous showjumper Harvey Smith, said: "It's superb, absolutely spot-on."

A sell-out crowd of more than 70,000 gathered at Aintree to watch the 40 runners and riders compete in the world's most famous steeplechase.

Mania seized his chance when Teaforthree hit the last after looking set to give Wales their first win in the race since Kirkland in 1905.

He was never in trouble after that as Cappa Bleu, fourth last year, ran on to rob Teaforthree of second while Cheltenham Gold Cup winning amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen produced another fantastic ride to take fourth.

The Grand National is worth £975,000 in prize money, making it one of the richest jump races in Europe.

Changes were made to the famous fences after four horses died in the last two years.

History could have been made if Katie Walsh, who was on Seabass, won as she would have been the first female winner of the National.

Her brother Ruby rode the favourite On His Own.

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Five Arrested In Triple Murder Inquiry

Police are linking the suspected murders of two men found at the side of a country road with that of a man found stabbed to death in a ditch last weekend.

The pair were discovered by a member of the public close to the Cambridgeshire village of Thorney on Wednesday morning.

They have been named as John Chapman, 56, and Lukasz Slaboszewski, 31, both from Peterborough.

The other two bodies were found by a member of the public at Thorney Dyke

The men were found four days after Kevin Lee, 48, was discovered with stab wounds in a ditch six miles away by the A16 at Newborough, north of Peterborough.

Mr Lee was last seen at 2pm on Good Friday and reported missing at 10.40pm after his Ford Mondeo was found burnt out near a farm in Yaxley, south of Peterborough, that night. His body was found on Saturday morning.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire police said the men found on Wednesday were in their 30s and 50s and that their deaths were being treated as murder.

Officers have arrested a 36-year-old man who has since been charged with perverting the course of justice, and a 47-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman are also in custody after being arrested in Hereford.

Meanwhile a 32-year-old man and a 23-year-old man who were arrested in connection with the murder of Mr Lee have now been released on bail.

In a statement to the public posted on YouTube, Detective Superintendent Jeff Hill said: "This inquiry is a priority for the force and we have a large team of detectives working on it.

"There will also be extra police officers out on patrol in the areas where the bodies were discovered. These events are naturally very concerning and local people are understandably shocked by what has happened.

The body of Mr Lee was found near Newborough, six miles from Thorney

"However, the deaths are being linked and treated as part of the same isolated incident over the Easter weekend.

"I would like to stress there is no on-going risk to the public."

A statement released by Mr Lee's family said: "We are devastated by Kevin's death. He was a wonderful husband, father, loving brother and son.

"His naturally infectious personality touched everyone who knew him. He will be hugely missed by all his friends and family. We are struggling to come to terms with our tragic loss and we ask that we are left alone to grieve in private."

Cambridgeshire police investigating Mr Lee's death have confirmed they are liaising with West Mercia detectives investigating the attempted murder of two people found with stab wounds in Hereford on Tuesday.

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North Korea Warns Foreign Embassies Of Risks

By Mark Stone, on the South Korea border

The Foreign Office says it has no intention of evacuating its embassy in Pyongyang after North Korea warned foreign diplomats they may not be safe if war breaks out.

The North Korean government asked foreign embassies whether they were considering evacuating staff, saying it cannot guarantee their safety in the event of conflict from April 10.

Tensions in the region are high after reports that North Korea has now moved two missiles to its eastern coast and loaded them on mobile launchers.

The Foreign Office says it "has no immediate plans to withdraw our embassy" in Pyongyang, adding it condemned the "provocation" by the North Korean government.

Earlier, a spokesperson said: "The DPRK (The Democratic People's Republic of Korea) has responsibilities under the Vienna convention to protect diplomatic missions, and we believe they have taken this step as part of their continuing rhetoric that the US poses a threat to them.

"We are considering next steps, including a change to our travel advice."

It was not immediately clear why the date of April 10 had been mentioned, but there has been speculation that Pyongyang might schedule a firing to coincide with the birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il-Sung in mid-April.

Russia intends to "clarify the situation" before making a decision on any possible evacuation, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-Un has escalated his rhetoric

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported earlier in the day that two North Korean intermediate-range missiles had been moved by train to the country's eastern coast.

The move fuels fears of an imminent firing.

"It has been confirmed that North Korea, early this week, transported two Musudan mid-range missiles by train to the east coast and loaded them on vehicles equipped with launch pads," the agency said, quoting what it said was a top government official.

The  mobile launchers had since been hidden in special underground facilities, according to the report.

Intelligence officials from the US, Japan and South Korea are monitoring the movement of the weapons.

US soldiers give a demonstration of their chemical equipment in South Korea

The Musudan missile is a mid-range weapon, meaning it is capable of reaching South Korea and Japan and perhaps also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

"The range is between 3,000 to 4,000km (1,864 to 2,485 miles). There are major US military forces in Guam and a fixed number of troops to deal with the Korean peninsula, so I think these facts can reduce the possible danger there," said Kim Min-seok, South Korea's Defence Ministry spokesman.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said daily reports from Pyongyang were "really alarming and troubling" and urged North Korea to ease tensions.

"Nuclear threat is not a game, it is very serious," he said, adding that any misjudgement or miscalculation could have "very serious implications".

The South Korean military during an exercise near the border

Speaking to Sky News, a security adviser to the South Korean government said there is no doubt that North Korea's capability is concerning.

"The technological level of North Korean weapons has become much improved and better - especially their missile capability and their long-range artilleries," Kim Byungki said.

"It is more uncertain, it is less predictable, there are more ways for them to destabilise us and there are more ways for us to respond ... so it is more complex."

North Korea which, incensed at fresh UN sanctions and South Korea-US military drills, has issued a series of apocalyptic threats of nuclear war in recent weeks.

America says it is taking "all necessary precautions" to respond to the daily threats from the North Korean leadership.

President Barack Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, said the barrage of rhetoric fitted a "regrettable but familiar" pattern of North Korean behaviour.

The Musudan, which is manoeuvrable on the back of a specially designed mobile launch pad, is untested and its accuracy is unknown. Most experts believe the North Koreans lack the technological ability to mount a nuclear warhead into its tip.

The US is preparing to move an advanced missile defence system to Guam

However, it can carry a significant load of conventional explosives which could cause considerable damage.

It is not clear whether military commanders in North Korea have been given orders to fire the weapon in anger or as a test.

Given the recent level of rhetoric delivered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and the number of US and South Korean military assets that are now in the region, the missile would be shot down within minutes of any launch.

The concern is that this could then lead to an uncontrollable escalation in military action by both sides.

Sky News' Asia correspondent Mark Stone says South Korean people are "remarkably unconcerned about the threats that are coming from the North. Why? Because they're used to it. They've heard it for so many decades now."

Life goes on: South Korean Army reserves do Gangnam style

"They don't believe he'll press the button."

He added that governments are, however, concerned because Mr Kim, North Korea's new young leader, "is very unpredictable".

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HMV Rescue Saves 141 Stores And 2,500 Jobs

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

HMV's future as a high street retailer has been salvaged in a £50m deal that secures 2,500 jobs on Britain's beleaguered high streets.

Hilco, a restructuring firm, confirmed on Friday morning that it had struck an agreement with Deloitte, the administrator to HMV, to rescue the retailer.

The deal, which was revealed exclusively by Sky News on Thursday night, will keep 141 shops open, including 25 which had already been earmarked for closure by Deloitte. All nine of the Fopp-branded shops are included in the transaction.

While that represents little more than half of HMV's UK stores that were open before it called in administrators in January, it represents a more optimistic outcome for the chain than many analysts had predicted.

Hilco acquired HMV's Canadian operations two years ago, since when the performance of the business has surpassed expectations.

Paul McGowan, Hilco chief executive, said the deal had the backing of key HMV suppliers and landlords.

He said: "We hope to replicate some of the success we have had in the Canadian market with the HMV Canada business which we acquired almost two years ago and which is now trading strongly.

"The structural differences in the markets and the higher level of competition in the UK will prove additional challenges for the UK business but we believe it has a successful future ahead of it."

Mr McGowan will become chairman of HMV, with two other Hilco executives taking key roles with the retailer.

HMV had been weighed down by a mountain of debt, allied to a combination of waning consumer confidence and intense pressure from supermarkets encroaching on its entertainment retailing turf, as well as the rapid rise of low-cost digital rivals.

Hilco said it would abandon a recently-introduced practice of selling tablets and other digital devices, using the space instead for an expanded music and visual entertainment range.

Ian Topping, one of the Hilco executives who will be involved in running HMV, said: "The reaction of the British public to the administration of HMV shows a strong desire for the business to continue to trade and we hope to play a constructive part in delivering that."

Hilco also confirmed that it would seek to re-establish a presence for HMV in Ireland.

Nick Edwards, joint administrator at Deloitte, said the deal "provides a solid financial footing on which the business can be taken forward".

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One Dead As School Bus Overturns In Illinois

A man has died and more than 36 people have been hurt after a school bus overturned in northern Illinois.

The bus, which was taking 25 children to Newport Elementary School in Wadsworth, around 45 miles north of Chicago, is believed to have collided with two cars.

The driver of one of the cars was killed, although there were no fatalities among those on the bus.

Officials at two hospitals said the casualties they are treating are in a good to serious condition.

The accident happened around 8am about a mile from the school, which has some 400 students.

Television footage showed the coach on its side, with debris scattered in an adjacent farm field.

Fire department personnel were joined at the scene by a medical helicopter and several ambulances.

More follows...

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North Korea Army: 'War Could Break Out Today'

By Mark Stone, in Seoul, South Korea

The North Korean military says it has ratified a "merciless" attack against the United States, potentially involving a "cutting-edge" nuclear strike.

"The moment of explosion is approaching fast," the army said in a statement on state news agency KCNA.

War could break out "today or tomorrow", the statement said, quoting a spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army.

"The merciless operation of (our) revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified.

"The US had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation."

The North's rhetoric has been met by a display of US military strength

The North's Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea was later quoted by KCNA as threatening to withdraw its 53,000 workers from the joint industrial zone it shares with the South.

Pyongyang informed Seoul on Wednesday that it was stopping the daily movement of South Koreans to the Kaesong complex, the last real surviving point of contact between the two countries.

And the committee said: "If the South Korean puppets and conservative news media keep badmouthing (us), we will order all our workers to pull out from Kaesong."

North Korea's latest pronouncements came as Washington scrambled to reinforce its Pacific defences, preparing to move an advanced missile defence system to the island of Guam.

Mr Hagel said North Korea posed a "real and clear danger"

The land-based weapon, which is primed to shoot down short and medium-range missiles, will be sent to the US territory to defend its bases there.

The Pentagon has already sent bombers, stealth aircraft and ships.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the North had moved a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast.

The missile is believed to have a range of 1,875 miles (3,000km) or more, which would put all of South Korea and Japan in range and possibly also the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

North Korea is not believed to have tested these missiles, according to most independent experts.

Tensions have been soaring on the Korean peninsula since the North launched a long-range rocket in December and conducted its third nuclear test in February.

A military checkpoint linked to the Kaesong joint industrial complex

North Korea has threatened missile and nuclear strikes against the US and South Korea in response to UN sanctions and joint military drills.

European diplomatic sources speaking to Sky News from the North Korean capital have said there is nothing there to suggest war is imminent: no sign of conscripts being signed up or unusual troop movements.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday that North Korea's "bellicose, dangerous rhetoric" posed a "real and clear danger" to America and its allies South Korea and Japan.

"They have nuclear capacity now, they have missile delivery capacity now," he said.

"We take those threats seriously, we have to take those threats seriously.

"We are doing everything we can, working with the Chinese and others to defuse that situation on the peninsula.

"I hope the North will ratchet its very dangerous rhetoric down."

The UK Government said it was not warning of an immediate risk to British citizens travelling to or living in South Korea.

In a statement to Sky News, the UK Embassy in Seoul said: "We have noted North Korea's most recent statement, we are monitoring the situation and are in close contact with allies.

"We have been clear to North Korea that its long-term interests will not be served by threatening the international community and increasing regional tensions.

"We have updated our Travel Advice, advising British nationals in Korea and those travelling here to follow the advice of local authorities and subscribe to our travel advice, Twitter feed and Facebook page. We currently assess there is no immediate risk to British nationals in or travelling to Korea."

The tensions surrounding Kaesong - established in 2004 and a crucial source of hard currency for North Korea - carry enormous significance.

Neither of the Koreas has allowed previous crises to significantly affect the complex, which is the only surviving example of inter-Korean cooperation and seen as a bellwether for stability on the Korean peninsula.

China, the North's sole major ally, appealed for "calm" from all sides, repeating Beijing's oft-declared position.

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The Mick Philpott Performance Is Over

Philpotts Jailed Over House Fire Deaths

Updated: 4:41pm UK, Thursday 04 April 2013

Mick Philpott has been described in court as "the driving force" behind a fire that killed six of his children, as he was sentenced to life in prison.

He was told by the trial judge at Nottingham Crown Court that he must serve a minimum of 15 years behind bars for the deaths.

Mrs Justice Kate Thirlwall also said he was a "disturbingly dangerous man" with "no moral compass", adding: "Your guiding principle is what Mick Philpott wants, Mick Philpott gets."

The 56-year-old defendant looked down at the floor as the judge handed down the life term.

He showed little emotion until his wife Mairead, 32, was also sentenced over their children's deaths.

He then wiped tears from his eyes and she wept as she was jailed for 17 years and was told she would serve half of that.

Their friend Paul Mosley, 46, received the same sentence as Mairead. He showed no emotion.

After sentencing, family members in the public gallery applauded. One shouted: "Die, Mick, die", while another said: "See you, Mairead. Hope you enjoy life on your own". A third person called out: "Your own babies".

In response, Mick Philpott smiled and made an obscene hand gesture - sticking two fingers up - as he was led from the dock.

The trio were found guilty of six counts of manslaughter - one for each of the victims - on Tuesday.

The defendants were convicted of killing Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and Duwayne, 13, in the blaze at the family home in Derby last May.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall told the trio they were all responsible for the deaths and she had "not the slightest doubt" that Mick Philpott was "the driving force" behind the plot.

He shook his head as the judge outlined his previous violent relationships, including when he stabbed a former girlfriend 13 times.

The judge said he used that attempted murder conviction as a way of controlling other women.

Philpott treated women as his "chattels", the judge told him, adding: "You barked orders and they would obey. You were the kingpin, No-one else mattered."

Dawn Bestwick, his sister, told reporters outside court that justice had been done for the children.

"Victory to them. They've gone down. That's it," she said.

"Shameless Mick", as he was known on his estate, lived in a council house, claimed thousands of pounds in benefit and refused to get a job.

Chancellor George Osborne said the case highlighted the need for reform of the benefits system, as he questioned why taxpayers were funding "lifestyles like that".

Mr Osborne said Philpott was responsible for his "absolutely horrendous" crimes, but said there was a "question for government and for society" about the benefits that allowed Philpott to live the way he did.

The defendants started the fire in the early hours of May 11, pouring petrol in the hallway of the property.

They planned that Philpott should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

But the plot went wrong as fire ripped through the three-bedroom council house in Victoria Road with temperatures reaching 500C.

The judge described the plot as "a wicked and dangerous plan" that was "outside the comprehension of any right-thinking person".

The three defendants had devised the plan to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, 29, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

Philpott had become "obsessed" with Miss Willis and, after she left, did everything to get her back, said Mrs Justice Thirlwall.

She told him: "You could not stand the fact that she had crossed you. You were determined to make sure she came back and you began to put together your plan."

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Kate Meynell from Derbyshire Police said: "Six innocent children died as a result of the actions of their parents, the very people who should have protected them against danger. 

"The Philpotts and Paul Mosley showed no regard for the safety of the children and since the fire have shown no remorse for their actions.

"They have lied throughout the investigation and court case.  There were plenty of opportunities to admit their guilt but they never did and persisted with their denials.

"This has been an incredibly tragic case to investigate and today's sentences bring this difficult inquiry to a close."

The judge was expected to sentence the trio on Wednesday but wanted more time to reflect after mitigation on behalf of the defendants. There were extra police officers on duty outside court.

On Wednesday, Philpott made obscene hand gestures from the dock as he was heckled by members of Mairead's family following his defence team's plea for leniency.

The taunting came after lawyers argued he was a "very good father" who had been "unable to grieve".

His barrister, Mr Anthony Orchard QC, urged the judge to pass the minimum sentence on him, saying the father of 17 children by five different women would "have to live with the hatred and hostility of the press and the public for the rest of his life".

He added that Philpott "faces hostility from other prisoners on a daily basis".

The defence teams of Mairead and Mosley also appealed for leniency as part of the mitigation process in the case.

Unemployed Philpott's criminal record was laid bare in court. It emerged he was on bail for a violent road rage incident at the time of the children's deaths.

A week before the fire he had appeared in court and admitted common assault but denied dangerous driving after punching another driver who he thought had pulled out in front of him at a roundabout.

The court was told the previous girlfriend he had stabbed 13 times was so badly hurt that she still has to take medication.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall heard how Philpott attacked Kim Hill in 1978, leaving her with a broken arm and finger.

He had also been given a police caution for slapping his wife and dragging her from their home by the hair.

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Fire Deaths: Philpotts And Friend Jailed

Mick Philpott has been described in court as "the driving force" behind a fire that killed six of his children, as he was sentenced to life in prison.

He was told by the trial judge at Nottingham Crown Court that he must serve a minimum of 15 years behind bars for the deaths.

Mrs Justice Kate Thirlwall also said he was a "disturbingly dangerous man" with "no moral compass", adding: "Your guiding principle is what Mick Philpott wants, Mick Philpott gets."

The 56-year-old defendant looked down at the floor as the judge handed down the life term.

He showed little emotion until his wife Mairead, 32, was also sentenced over their children's deaths.

He then wiped tears from his eyes and she wept as she was jailed for 17 years and was told she would serve half of that.

Their friend Paul Mosley, 46, received the same sentence as Mairead. He showed no emotion.

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

After sentencing, family members in the public gallery applauded. One shouted: "Die, Mick, die", while another said: "See you, Mairead. Hope you enjoy life on your own". A third person called out: "Your own babies".

In response, Mick Philpott smiled and made an obscene hand gesture - sticking two fingers up - as he was led from the dock.

The trio were found guilty of six counts of manslaughter - one for each of the victims - on Tuesday.

The defendants were convicted of killing Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and Duwayne, 13, in the blaze at the family home in Derby last May.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall told the trio they were all responsible for the deaths and she had "not the slightest doubt" that Mick Philpott was "the driving force" behind the plot.

He shook his head as the judge outlined his previous violent relationships, including when he stabbed a former girlfriend 13 times.

The blackened bathroom of the Philpott's house after the fire. (Pic: CPS)

The judge said he used that attempted murder conviction as a way of controlling other women.

Philpott treated women as his "chattels", the judge told him, adding: "You barked orders and they would obey. You were the kingpin, No-one else mattered."

Dawn Bestwick, his sister, told reporters outside court that justice had been done for the children.

"Victory to them. They've gone down. That's it," she said.

"Shameless Mick", as he was known on his estate, lived in a council house, claimed thousands of pounds in benefit and refused to get a job.

Chancellor George Osborne said the case highlighted the need for reform of the benefits system, as he questioned why taxpayers were funding "lifestyles like that".

Mr Osborne said Philpott was responsible for his "absolutely horrendous" crimes, but said there was a "question for government and for society" about the benefits that allowed Philpott to live the way he did.

The defendants started the fire in the early hours of May 11, pouring petrol in the hallway of the property.

They planned that Philpott should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

But the plot went wrong as fire ripped through the three-bedroom council house in Victoria Road with temperatures reaching 500C.

The judge described the plot as "a wicked and dangerous plan" that was "outside the comprehension of any right-thinking person".

The three defendants had devised the plan to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

The Philpotts gave a news conference following the blaze

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, 29, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

Philpott had become "obsessed" with Miss Willis and, after she left, did everything to get her back, said Mrs Justice Thirlwall.

She told him: "You could not stand the fact that she had crossed you. You were determined to make sure she came back and you began to put together your plan."

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Kate Meynell from Derbyshire Police said: "Six innocent children died as a result of the actions of their parents, the very people who should have protected them against danger. 

"The Philpotts and Paul Mosley showed no regard for the safety of the children and since the fire have shown no remorse for their actions.

The aftermath of the house fire

"They have lied throughout the investigation and court case.  There were plenty of opportunities to admit their guilt but they never did and persisted with their denials.

"This has been an incredibly tragic case to investigate and today's sentences bring this difficult inquiry to a close."

The judge was expected to sentence the trio on Wednesday but wanted more time to reflect after mitigation on behalf of the defendants. There were extra police officers on duty outside court.

On Wednesday, Philpott made obscene hand gestures from the dock as he was heckled by members of Mairead's family following his defence team's plea for leniency.

The taunting came after lawyers argued he was a "very good father" who had been "unable to grieve".

His barrister, Mr Anthony Orchard QC, urged the judge to pass the minimum sentence on him, saying the father of 17 children by five different women would "have to live with the hatred and hostility of the press and the public for the rest of his life".

He added that Philpott "faces hostility from other prisoners on a daily basis".

The defence teams of Mairead and Mosley also appealed for leniency as part of the mitigation process in the case.

Unemployed Philpott's criminal record was laid bare in court. It emerged he was on bail for a violent road rage incident at the time of the children's deaths.

A week before the fire he had appeared in court and admitted common assault but denied dangerous driving after punching another driver who he thought had pulled out in front of him at a roundabout.

The court was told the previous girlfriend he had stabbed 13 times was so badly hurt that she still has to take medication.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall heard how Philpott attacked Kim Hill in 1978, leaving her with a broken arm and finger.

He had also been given a police caution for slapping his wife and dragging her from their home by the hair.

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Osborne Links Philpott Case To Benefit Reform

Extracts From Judge's Comments

Updated: 1:01pm UK, Thursday 04 April 2013

I have not the slightest doubt that you, Michael Philpott were the driving force behind this shockingly dangerous enterprise. You Mairead Philpott, the mother of all of those children and you Paul Mosley, a family friend assisted him.

Judge Mrs Justice Kate Thirlwall's comments to Mick Philpott:

I recognise as I must that the offences of which you have been convicted are offences of manslaughter and not murder. That means that I sentence on the basis that you did not intend either to kill your children or to cause them really serious harm.

But let me be clear; what you did intend, plainly, was to subject your children to a terrifying ordeal. They were to be woken from their beds in the middle of the night with their home on fire so you could rescue them and be the hero.

Their terror was the price they were going to pay for your callous selfishness.  In fact they paid with their six young lives.

They had no chance of survival and I am quite sure that when you set that fire you were not thinking about them because you simply did not care. You were going to get your own way.

It has been said on your behalf that you were a good father. Lisa Willis said so as did others. They said you loved your children.  I cannot give that description to a man who acted as you did.

You lied to the police and you lied to the jury. Ever since the fire your life has been a performance for the public and the police, and then in this court. Your conduct has been punctuated by collapses and shows of distress designed to evoke sympathy where none is merited, designed to manipulate emotion.

I accept you have lost six children. I very much regret that everything about you suggests that your grief has very often been simulated for the public gaze.

You made sure that Mairead "stuck to the story". Checking with her at every opportunity that she wasn't going to stray, as you put it. You knew that Mairead Philpott would do almost anything for your approval, to please you, to get your attention, as she put it.  Without you she would never have become involved in this plan.

Because she failed to put her children before you she has lost all of them. Nothing I have seen in your conduct before and during this trial gives me any reason to believe that you had the slightest concern for Mairead Philpott. She too was expendable.

The maximum sentence for manslaughter is life imprisonment.  You are a disturbingly dangerous man. Your guiding principle is what Mick Philpott wants he gets. You have no moral compass.

I have no hesitation in concluding that these six offences are so serious and the danger you pose is so great that the only proper sentence is one of life imprisonment and that is the sentence I impose upon you.

Judge's comments to Mairead Philpott:

I am not going to repeat the history. Nor do I need to reiterate how serious these offences are.

As a result of what you did in the early hours of 11th May 2012 all your children lost their lives and you have lost all of your children. I accept that you feel their loss profoundly and that your grief is real. It is clear from what has been said about you by Mr Smith that your children were your route to fulfilment. You loved them and cared for them.

I have already made clear that this was Michael Philpott's plan. I accept that he treated you as a skivvy or a slave, and you were prepared to put up with that.

As became clear during the trial you were prepared to go to any lengths, however humiliating, to keep him happy.

These were your children; your first responsibility, surely, was to them. Instead you joined in with his plan. Putting his obsession with Lisa above the safety of your children.

The reality of the plan you went along with and helped execute was that your children were to be frightened out of sleep in the middle of the night and rescued by their father from a fire that should never have been started.

The risks were obvious and overwhelming and anyone who has heard the harrowing wailing from you on the 999 call can hear your realisation that this had gone horribly wrong and your children were in mortal danger. 

But by then it was too late and you bear your responsibility for that. You put Michael Philpott above your children and as a result they have died.

After the fire you threw your lot in with Michael Philpott. You supported him in his quest to get residence of the other children. You complied with his sexual demands to keep Paul Mosley onside.

You lied to the police and you stuck to the story, just as he asked you to, to the police and to the jury. You did not, I recognise, agree to lie about the relationship between Adam Taylor and Lisa Willis when Michael Philpott set about blaming him.

Before these offences you had committed no criminal offences.  You now have convictions for six counts of the manslaughter of your children.

I am quite satisfied that a determinate sentence is appropriate in your case but it must reflect the magnitude of these offences.  The sentence I pass is one of 17 years imprisonment. Of that you will serve one half at which point you will be released on licence.

Judge's comments to Paul Mosley:

Everything that I have said about the seriousness of these offences applies to you.

Michael Philpott's obsession with Lisa Willis was nothing to do with you. Where his children lived had nothing to do with you. You have young children of your own. You must have appreciated the appalling risk to which these six children were to be exposed when this fire was started in their home.

And yet you were prepared to go along with the plan and to join in with it to please your then friend, Michael Philpott.

I am quite sure that one of your tasks that night was to remove the petrol containers from the scene so that the attack would appear to have come from outside. You enjoyed the attention that you gained from your proximity to the fire.

You boasted of being arrested and bailed for six counts of murder.  You could not help telling people that this was a plan that had gone wrong.

You were going to hand yourself in as "it wasn't fair that Mick was taking all the blame", "what would you say if I told you we rehearsed it all six weeks earlier", and so on.

When your clothes were analysed it became clear that petrol additive was on your jeans, your jumper and on one of your shoes just as it was on the clothing of your two co-defendants.    

You too are responsible for the deaths of six children.

I see no proper basis upon which to distinguish between you and Mairead Philpott. Accordingly the sentence I pass is one of 17 years imprisonment. You will serve half of that period. Thereafter you will be released on licence.

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South Korea Warns Military Action An 'Option'

South Korea's defence minister, Kim Kwan-jin, has said that military action is an "option" to protect its citizens in its stand off with North Korea.

The news comes as the United States has said it will "not accept" North Korea as a nuclear state, after Pyongyang raised tensions by refusing the South entry to a joint industrial complex.

The North says it will restart all nuclear facilities including its mothballed Yongbyon reactor, which is able to produce bomb-grade plutonium.

Standing firm: Kerry stated he will not accept N Korea as a nuclear state

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un insisted it was only seeking a deterrent and did not repeat recent threats to attack South Korea and the US.

But the North delayed the daily opening of its Kaesong industrial zone with South Korea on Wednesday morning, in a move that could represent a sharp escalation of tensions between the two countries.

The North had previously threatened to close the joint complex as part of a stand-off with Washington and Seoul.

"We are waiting for access from the North Korean authorities," a Unification Ministry official said.

More than an hour after the time the daily entry clearance is normally granted, the ministry said 861 South Korean workers were in the industrial complex while 179 workers awaited access.

The complex is a rare lucrative source of income for the impoverished North since it was established as a form of joint-Korean cooperation in 2002.

Sky News Asia Correspondent Mark Stone said the site was the only place where relations between the two countries existed.

"As with everything, it's hard to know whether this is more game playing or whether they plan to keep it closed for a while," he said.

Face off: South Korea's Kim Kwan-jin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

"But a number of analysts who have studied the Korean problem for some time said last week that while the park remained open, the situation was not overly worrying. Now it appears to be shut."

Both Washington and Seoul stressed their countries' military readiness and said de-nuclearisation was the only way forward for North Korea.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "What Kim Jong-Un has been choosing to do is provocative, it is dangerous, reckless and the United States will not accept (North Korea) as a nuclear state."

America's deployment of advanced aircraft and warships to South Korea was a signal that "the United States will defend our allies and that we will not be subject to irrational or reckless provocation," he said.

North Koreans attend a rally against the US and South Korea

The parading of US air and naval power with nuclear capability within view of the Korean peninsula, is as much about psychological war as real war.

The US is keen to discourage North Korea's unpredictable leader from starting a fight that could get out of control.

Mr Kerry, who will visit South Korea next week, reminded the North Koreans that "they have an option, and that option is to enter into negotiations for de-nuclearisation ... and to begin to focus on the needs of their people".

Meanwhile, China has expressed "serious concern" over the escalating situation on the Korean peninsula.

South Korean trucks refused entry to the Kaesong complex

An official from China's Foreign Ministry met ambassadors from the US, North Korea and South Korea, following the closing of Kaesong.

China hopes the differences can be resolved through talks and diplomacy, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed for dialogue and negotiation to resolve the crisis.

South Korean soldiers after a military drill near the demilitarised zone

"Nuclear threats are not a game," he said. "Aggressive rhetoric and military posturing only result in counter-actions, and fuel fear and instability."

Meanwhile, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Igor Morgulov, has expressed concern that even a simple human error could cause the crisis to escalate.

The country shares a short border with North Korea south of Vladivostok. In the current crisis, Moscow has steered clear of openly criticising North Korea.

"Russia has to be worried as we are talking about an explosive situation in the immediate vicinity of our Far East borders," he said.

US and South Korea Navy ships in formation west of the Korean peninsula

"In the current tense atmosphere, it would only need an elementary human error or technical problem for the situation to go out of control and plunge into a critical dive.

"We urge all sides to refrain from any comments or actions which could further complicate the situation," said Morgulov.

A speech by the North's young leader, Kim Jong-Un, given on Sunday but published in full by the Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday, appeared to dampen any prospect of a direct confrontation with the US by emphasising that nuclear weapons would ensure the country's safety as a deterrent.

"Our nuclear strength is a reliable war deterrent and a guarantee to protect our sovereignty," Mr Kim said.

"It is on the basis of a strong nuclear strength that peace and prosperity can exist and so can the happiness of people's lives."

The crisis flared after Pyongyang was hit with US sanctions for conducting a third nuclear test in February, before America and South Korea staged military drills that North Korea viewed as "hostile".

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Derby Fire: Philpotts Face Jail Over Deaths

Mick Philpott, who killed six children by setting fire to his home, stabbed a previous girlfriend 13 times, injuring her so badly she still has to take medication, a court has heard.

Philpott's criminal record was laid out in front of a judge at Nottingham Crown Court, who will tomorow sentence him and his partner, Mairead, for the manslaughter of their six children.

Mrs Justice Kate Thirlwall heard how Philpott attacked Kim Hill in 1978 leaving her severely injured with a broken arm and finger.

He had also been given a police caution for slapping Mairead and dragging her from their home by her hair.

But his barrister, Mr Anthony Orchard QC urged that the judge should pass the minimum sentence on Philpott on the grounds that he was a "good father", who had lost his children.

Back (L-R) Duwayne and John, Front (L-R) Jack, Jessie, Jade and Jayden

He said that the father of 17 children by five different women would "have to live with the hatred and hostility of the press and the public for the rest of his life".

He added that Philpott "faces hostility from other prisoners on a daily basis".

Philpott and his partner Mairead, 32, started the blaze at their Derby home in the early hours of May 11, pouring petrol in the hallway of the property.

Mick Philpott tried to frame his former partner over the blaze

Together with their friend Paul Mosley, 46, who will also be sentenced tomorrow, they planned that Philpott should break in by the back door and rescue the children.

But the plot went wrong and fire ripped through the three-bedroom council house in Victoria Road, Derby, with temperatures reaching 500C.

Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, aged eight, Jesse, six, Jayden, five, and 13-year-old Duwayne, all died.

The three had devised the plan in a bid to frame Lisa Willis, Philpott's former girlfriend.

Philpott was fighting a custody battle with Miss Willis, 29, who had lived with the couple and slept with Philpott on alternate nights while living at the house.

Paul Mosley helped the Philpotts with their deadly plan

Both women were said to have lived happily with one another for a decade but Miss Willis left Philpott three months before the deadly fire taking her five children, four of whom were fathered by him.

In mitigation at court today, Mr Orchard said that the fire had gone "disastrously wrong" because it spread too quickly.

However, the judge countered that even if the children had been saved by Philpott, as intended, the experience would still have been terrifying.

She said: "If the plan had been successful the effect on the children would have been this, would it not - they would have been awoken in their beds with their house on fire and their father coming in to rescue them."

The judge said that she was troubled by Philpott's attitude to women and pointed out that there had been violence in every one of his relationships.

Mairead Philpott does not have a 'heart of stone', says barrister

She heard that Mairead had devoted her life to bringing up the children and that they were "happy children" despite their unusual living arrangements.

Her barrister, Sean Smith QC, told the court Mairead "is not a woman who has a heart of stone, her grief is overwhelming".

He said Mairead had spent 12-and-a-half of her 32 years with Philpott and realised it was "utter folly" to stay with him but that she "would do whatever he said, whatever he wanted".

Mr Smith said that she "will be forever known as a child killer" and even when released from prison she would never be able to have children or be involved with children.

After the mitigation speeches for each defendant had finished there were obscene gestures made by relatives of Mairead Philpott towards Mick Philpott in the dock.

He responded by making hand gestures himself before being led away by a team of security guards ahead of sentencing at 3pm.

Temperatures inside the house reached 500C

Jurors at Nottingham Crown Court returned guilty verdicts on manslaughter charges for the pair and co-defendant Mosley, 46, on Tuesday after an eight-week trial.

Upon their conviction, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill, of Derbyshire Police, revealed how he suspected Philpott as he watched his reactions during a press conference.

He said that officers had been surprised when Philpott wanted to speak to the media five days after fire.

Mr Cotterill said his misgivings were betrayed in a single photograph, taken as he sat alongside Mick, and his wife Mairead.

He said: "In one particular photograph, what I saw there was a guy who was sat there pretending to cry and I've described it as a bit of a sham of a performance and I didn't believe that he was genuinely overcome by grief.

"I thought he was playing to the cameras."

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill's disbelief captured on camera

Philpott became known as Shameless Mick for a lifestyle, which saw him take charge of some £2,000 a month in benefits, and claim he needed a bigger council home in which to house his vast family.

His propensity for cashing in on the welfare state propelled him on to television screens in a documentary with Ann Widdecombe and on the Jeremy Kyle Show.

But the role he played in the devastating fire on May 11 that led to allegations he was "acting".

Brothers Jamie and Darren Butler, who live on the same road as the Philpotts, told Sky News how the Philpotts did nothing to help rescue their children and stood like "a couple of statues".

Jamie said: "You watch Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale all the time, and you can see people are acting, because they get paid to act. That's exactly what he was doing, he wasn't being paid for it, but he was acting. There was no emotion, he was motionless, there was nothing."

Even as Philpott went to see the bodies of the dead children at Derby Royal Hospital he attempted to keep up the act.

Mortuary manager Marie Smith described how Philpott had pretended to faint when he saw his children's bodies for the first time.

She said he also asked for alcohol and engaged in horseplay with a police liaison officer days after the tragedy while bemused staff looked on.

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Joss Stone: Two Guilty Of Plot To Kill Singer

Two men have been found guilty - one jailed for life - of plotting to rob and kill pop singer Joss Stone.

Kevin Liverpool, aged 35, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months.

The sentencing of co-accused Junior Bradshaw, 32, was adjourned.

The pair, of St Stephen's Close, Longsight, in Manchester, harboured a deep hatred for the soul artist, the three-week trial at Exeter Crown Court heard.

They were convicted of conspiring to rob and kill the star before planning to dump her body in a river last summer.

The pair set off from their home in Manchester with a samurai sword, knives, bags and gloves crammed in their Fiat Punto, bound for Miss Stone's address in mid-Devon.

Some of the weapons found and presented as evidence in the trial

However, their plan to rob and kill Miss Stone - whose birth name is Jocelyn Stoker - was fraught with problems.

They became lost around seven miles from Miss Stone's home and stopped to ask postman Alex Greening for directions to  the property in Ashill, showing him a map with handwritten notes on it, as well as a picture of the 25-year-old celebrity.

The pair had earlier been stopped by police at the M5 Michaelwood services in Gloucestershire at 5am after their Punto crashed into metal railings and a digger.

Officers thought the car was too badly damaged to be driven and left - but the pair continued their journey south.

They were arrested on June 13, 2011, a few miles from Miss Stone's home when concerned local residents - spotting their crash-damaged car - called police.

The damaged Fiat Punto the pair used to drive down south from Manchester

The suspicious uniformed PCs discovered Bradshaw did not have a driving licence and arrested him.

They searched the Punto and found a stash of weapons, including a black-handled samurai sword, three knives, a section of garden hosepipe, two hammers, black gloves and balaclavas.

A further holdall contained a metal spike, black bags and black tape. There were also print outs of AA routefinder maps from Manchester to Devon.

Notes made by Liverpool - who was branded a fantasist by his own lawyer - found in the car and his flat in Manchester included references to robbing, killing and beheading the singer.

Rambling hand-written diaries were also discovered, in which he highlighted the need to buy a semi-automatic gun, a silencer, infra red sights and a "ninja" sword.

Hammers were also discovered in the Punto by police officers

He called Miss Stone "princess" and other entries referred to "Jocelyn RIP - try to get info. Rob and kill". They also referred to her as a "She devil in flesh".

Giving evidence to the court, Miss Stone admitted there was lax security at her home, but said she only learned of the plot against her from police.

"I had an alarm but I did not really turn it on very much. I didn't really have a lock on my door ... But I do now."

Bradshaw and Liverpool denied charges of conspiracy to murder, the alternative charges of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to rob.

Defending Liverpool, Philip King QC, said the plot to kill Miss Stone was nothing more than a bungled "fantasy" that was never going to be carried out.

Bradshaw, who has spent time detained under the Mental Health Act in psychiatric units, said he had never heard of the singer until his arrest and that he believed he was on a day out with his friend.

Plastic black bags were also found in the vehicle

In a statement after the verdicts, Miss Stone said: "I am relieved the trial is now over and that these men are no longer in a position to cause harm to anyone."

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Duncan Smith: MP Complains Over £53 Challenge

A Conservative MP to the BBC about a radio interview in which a market trader claimed he lived off just £53 a week and challenged Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to do the same.

Backbencher Dominic Raab has written to the new director general, Lord Hall, who was on his first day in the job on the day of the interview, complaining it "lacked accuracy".

David Bennett, 51, told Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that he earned around £2,700 last year working between 50 and 70 hours a week.

He said his housing benefit had been cut even though his children stayed with him several days a week, and that his overall income was about £53 per week.

However, it has since emerged that Mr Bennett has an income that is nearly three times the £53 he quoted in his challenge to Mr Duncan Smith.

According to the Daily Telegraph the market trader receives £232 a month in housing benefit and £200 a month in working tax credit. His average weekly income, including market stall earnings, is in reality £156 a week, the paper reports.

Dominic Raab MP

Mr Raab told Sky News: "If (the BBC) are going to put someone up and ambush (IDS) they should check they have got their facts straight first."

He said the Mr Bennett had been used in a "cavalier" way and the point he was making about the Government's spare room subsidy had proved to be "demonstrably false".

Amongst other things, Mr Raab's letter questions how the market trader was selected for the interview and raises concern that Mr Bennett said he was chosen for the radio programme after he put a comment on the BBC's website saying: "Cameron can stick his Big Society where the sun doesn't shine".

It goes on to say the interview "could be perceived as attempting to exaggerate the effect of benefit changes".

The MP for Esher and Walton also Given the subsequent media attention on the market trader the BBC "may well have failed in its duty of care towards Mr Bennett", the MP for Esher and Walton added.

A BBC spokesperson said: "We will respond to Mr Raab's letter shortly, when we have received it.

"His complaint refers to an interview used to illustrate how the changes to the welfare system might affect people. Mr Bennett outlined his circumstances but was also questioned robustly."

During the interview, Mr Duncan Smith, whose ministerial salary is equivalent to around £1,600 a week after tax, stressed he did not know Mr Bennett's individual circumstances.

But asked whether he could live on £53 a week, the former army officer, who married into a wealthy family, replied: "If I had to I would."

This sparked an online petition calling on the Cabinet minister to prove he really could live off what amounts to just £7.57 a day.

 The petition urging Mr Duncan Smith to live off £53 a week for a year has so far attracted signatures from over 375,000 people, the most that a petition on the Government's e-petition website has ever received.

Mr Raab said that the online petition was "totally irrelevant to the substance of the policy".

The Work and Pensions Secretary has, meanwhile, branded it a "complete stunt", telling his local newspaper that he has been unemployed twice so knew what it was like to live on the breadline.

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Philpott Under Suspicion After 'Sham' Photo

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

A senior police officer has told Sky News he suspected that Mick Philpott had started the fire which killed six of his children as he watched his reactions during a news conference.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill, from Derbyshire Police, said officers were surprised when Philpott, 56, wanted to speak to the media five days after fire, but they went along with it.

Mr Cotterill said his misgivings were betrayed in a single photograph, taken as he sat alongside Mick, and his wife Mairead.

He said: "In one particular photograph, what I saw there was a guy who was sat there pretending to cry and I've described it as a bit of a sham of a performance and I didn't believe that he was genuinely overcome by grief.

"I thought he was playing to the cameras."

Mr Cotterill said prior to the press conference Philpott seemed "overly excited by the prospect of going to face the media given what had taken place and given that he had lost six of his children in that fire".

Floral tributes left outside the family home

During the conference Philpott thanked neighbours in Derby for trying to rescue the youngsters who were asleep upstairs.

But a short time afterwards Mr Cotterill witnessed Philpott ask a family liaison officer to marry him.

He said: "That was just an inappropriate comment in my view which I dealt with and took him to task over."

He also saw Philpott fake a faint, describing how he "found him lying on the floor being attended to by other officers".

He added: "Now, having seen people overcome by grief and unable to stand, what I was presented with was nothing like that.

"It was more or less childlike if I'm being honest with you, playing around on the floor, and I think that was borne out by the fact that 10 or 20 seconds later he was back up on his feet and, dare I say it, back to his normal self."

Mr Cotterill, who led the investigation into the deaths, said he has "very little sympathy" for the Philpotts.

He said: "The duty of parents is to look after their children, protect them from harm, not to put them in harm's way purposely for whatever half-baked idea this was and to set a fire in that manner, use petrol to do so, and then run outside screaming for help and for people to try and rescue them and make some half-cocked attempt to try and rescue them yourself.

"I don't believe he did anything whatsoever to save those children. Otherwise why was he able to walk away from that fire in one piece?

"I would have thought as the father of those children he would have paid the ultimate sacrifice."

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Benefits: Osborne Defends Welfare Shake-Up

George Osborne has robustly defended the Government's controversial benefits shake-up - insisting Britain can no longer afford to reward people who do the "wrong thing".

Speaking at a supermarket distribution centre in Kent, the Chancellor condemned the old system as "fundamentally broken" and warned Labour that they were out of step with public opinion on the issue.

Mr Osborne insisted that nine out of 10 working households will be better off as a result of the welfare and tax changes.

He said people in Britain understood that the welfare system needed to change.

"In 2010 alone, payments to working age families cost £90bn," he said.

"That means about one in every £6 of tax that working people like you pay was going on working age benefits. To put that into perspective - that's more than we spend on our schools."

He pledged to make sure people were better off in work than out, thereby making the system much "fairer". Changes, such as cutting housing benefit for social housing tenants deemed to have a spare bedroom, were simply asking people on welfare to take the same choices as working families, he said.

Mr Osborne: People will no longer be better off on the dole than in work

The Chancellor told the Morrisons workers: "For too long, we've had a system where people who did the right thing - who get up in the morning and work hard - felt penalised for it, while people who did the wrong thing got rewarded for it.

"That's wrong ... This month we will make work pay.

"What this Government is trying to do is to put things right. We're trying to make the system fair on people like you, who get up, go to work, and expect your taxes to be spent wisely.

"And we're trying to restore hope in those communities who have been let down by generations of politicians, by getting them back into work."

Wider welfare and tax changes coming into force this month will also see council tax benefit funding cut, and working-age benefits and tax credit rises pegged at 1% - well below inflation - for three years.

Disability living allowance is being replaced by the personal independence payment (Pip), while trials are due to begin in four London boroughs of a £500-a-week cap on household benefits, and of the new universal credit system.

Critics of the Government's housing benefit reforms call it a 'bedroom tax'

Mr Osborne dismissed "depressingly predictable outrage" about the reforms, claiming they would help the most vulnerable and "give people a ladder out of poverty".

He said: "Because defending every line item of welfare spending isn't credible in the current economic environment.

"Because defending benefits that trap people in poverty and penalise work is defending the indefensible.

"The benefit system is broken. It penalises those who try to do the right thing and the British people badly want it fixed.

"We agree - and those who don't are on the wrong side of the British public."

But shadow chancellor Ed Balls told Sky News that "the truth" was that households were losing out because of the reforms.

Citing an independent study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showing the average family would be £891 worse off this year as a result of all the coalition's changes since 2010, he added: "Working families are worse off and now the Government is cutting the top rate of income tax only for the richest people.

"A millionaires' tax cut paid for by millions of working people. That's not fair, that's not right."

Mr Duncan Smith has been urged to prove a claim he could live on £53 a week

Changes that mean the rate for top-rate taxpayers has been reduced from 50% to 45% also come into effect this month.

Sky News Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones said Mr Osborne's speech was "combative" and "aggressive".

"He has not apologised for the stance he is taking," he said.

It came a day after Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, the architect of the reforms, was facing a a growing backlash after suggesting that he could get by on £53 a week, rather than his current after-tax income of £1,600 a week.

In the wake of the comment in a radio interview, tens of thousands of people have signed a petition on the change.org website, calling for the minister to try surviving on that money for a year.

During his speech on Tuesday Mr Osborne refused to be drawn on whether he could manage on £53 a week. In response to a question, he said: "I don't think it's sensible to reduce this debate to one individual's state of circumstances.

"We have a welfare system where there are lots of benefits available to people on very low incomes. 

"This debate is not about any individual, it's about creating a welfare system that rewards work."

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Derby Fire: Philpotts Found Guilty Over Deaths

Mick Philpott and his wife Mairead have been found guilty of the manslaughter of six children in a fire at their house in Derby.

Their friend Paul Mosley was also convicted of manslaughter over the petrol-fuelled blaze that engulfed the semi-detached house at Allenton, Derby in May last year.

Mick Philpott stared straight ahead as the guilty verdict was read out, but when his wife was convicted he shook his head as she looked down at the floor clasping a tissue in her hands.

Mosley showed no emotion as he heard the guilty verdicts.

Paul Mosley showed no emotion as the verdicts were read

Shortly after the verdicts were read out, the court was cleared as one of Mairead Philpott's sisters was removed for swearing.

And as he was led from the dock, Mick Philpott shouted: "Not over yet, mate!"

The 56-year-old was attempting to frame his ex-mistress and win custody of his other offspring when he set the fire, the court heard. Lisa Willis, 28, had left the house with her five children and the Philpotts wanted them back.

But as a jury at Nottingham Crown Court was told "the plan went horribly wrong".

Five of the children, who died of smoke inhalation as they slept, were Mick and Mairead Philpott's; Jade, 10, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, and Jayden who was five.

Duwayne, 13, who was Mairead Philpott's child from a former partner, died in hospital three days later.

Paul Mosley told friends that they had "actually rehearsed" the fire six weeks earlier and the plan was for him to rescue the children. He would break in the back door while the Philpotts were out front.

The bathroom of the house in Allenton after the blaze

The jury heard a disturbing and chaotic 999 call made by the Philpotts. In it Mick Philpott was heard to say: "I can't get in." He had tried to punch and smash his way through an upstairs window, but had been beaten back by the smoke.

While it was being played, he said: "I can't listen to it." He tried to leave the dock but he was stopped by prison guards and sat sobbing with his head in his hands.

As the bodies were being carried from the house, Mick Philpott immediately began to blame Ms Willis, who he had earlier reported to police for allegedly threatening him and his family.

Mick Philpott said tried to get back in through an upstairs window

Samantha Shallow, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Today's verdict shows that the children died as a result of the actions of Michael and Mairead Philpott and Paul Mosley when they set the fire.

"It was started as a result of a plan between the three of them to turn family court proceedings in Mr Philpott's favour. It was a plan that went disastrously and tragically wrong.

"Amid all the details of the defendants' personal lives that have come out in court, it should not be forgotten that at the heart of this case were the deaths of six innocent children."

Anthony Latham QC prosecuting said that people at the hospital noted that Mick Philpott was "spotlessly clean" for someone who had been caught up in a house fire.

He told the court that afterwards he had sex and smoked cannabis to try to blot out the horror of what had happened.

"I was finding it hard to cope," said Mick Philpott. "Having sex and smoking cannabis was one way of blocking it out. It was my idea, not my wife's."

After the blaze police bugged their hotel room and a police vehicle.

Mick Philpott was heard to say to Mairead: "Don't worry, we will walk through it. I promise you that, unless you want me to blab about it ... don't say nothing now, don't say nothing."

In another part of the recording he is alleged to have said: "I didn't mean to do it, on my life."

A glove and an empty plastic bottle found near the scene

Mairead Philpott and Ms Willis took it in turns to sleep with Mick Philpott in his caravan on the drive. He said he preferred Ms Willis, but believed that at one time they had been one "big happy family".

The wages or benefits of both women were paid into Mr Philpott's account. He was said to have had complete control over both of them.

At times Mairead Philpott had sex with her husband and co-defendant Paul Moseley. The Philpott's went dogging together. Mairead said dogging was the only time her husband gave her proper attention.

He had mentioned divorcing his wife to marry his mistress but Lisa Willis lost her patience with the arrangement in Victory Road and left the home with her five children three months before the fire.

On the day of the fire, Ms Willis and Mick Philpott were due in court to discuss custody of the children.

Sentencing is due to take place for all three on Wednesday at 10.30am.

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Derby Fire Parents 'Did Nothing To Save Children'

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

Brothers who tried to save the Philpotts' children from the fire have told Sky News their parents did nothing to help, describing them as "a couple of statues".

Jamie and Darren Butler, who live on Victory Road, the same road as the Philpotts, rushed to the scene after they were woken by screams.

The front door, which was PVC, had already melted away. Jamie, 37, scrambled over a caravan to get in through the back.

"You couldn't really see nothing, there was confusion.

"I didn't know the fire service was there.

"Police officers were saying 'come out, come out'. I said 'no there's six kids in here', I could hear my brother saying 'please be careful, please be careful', you could hear the worry in his voice ... it was like a tornado in a fire."

"I'm going to be honest with you, I expected more flames", said Darren, 35. "But it was more smoke than flames, but the heat was hot, it was hot.

"Once my brother knew the emergency services were there, he stopped his efforts, but his hope was still there, like mine was, until we saw the children come out then all hope was gone. It was gone."

Afterwards, Jamie saw Mick Philpott at the front of the house and apologised to him for not saving his kids.

A short time later, he realised that neither Mick nor Mairead had done anything to help.

"They weren't in the back garden, clung onto me saying 'help me, my kids are dying', they weren't there ... I'm a dad, you would have seen me come out burning. He didn't, he was over the street in someone else's house."

"They just stood there like a couple of statues in the garden when really they should have been in the house", said Darren. "When I first saw Mairead at the back gate crying her eyes out I said 'how many kids are in the house?' Six. 'Where?' Back bedroom. 'How come you ain't there then?'

"You watch Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale all the time, and you can see people are acting, because they get paid to act. That's exactly what he was doing, he wasn't being paid for it, but he was acting. There was no emotion, he was motionless, there was nothing," said Jamie.

"Acting is the word," said Darren. "He was coughing, I thought 'why you coughing? you've not done anything'."

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