Mairead Philpott jailed for killing her six children in Derby blaze released
A mother who was jailed for killing her six children in a fire has been released from prison.
Mairead Philpott, 39, was jailed for 17 years in 2013 for the manslaughter of her children at her home in Derby a year before. Jade Philpott, 10, John, nine, Jack, seven, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five, died on the morning of the blaze. Duwayne, 13, died three days later. The Ministry of Justice said it cannot comment on individual cases. "Offenders released on licence face strict conditions and can be returned to prison if they breach them," a spokesperson said. The Sun newspaper reported she has now been released, as the sentencing judge said she only had to serve half her term. The children were killed after Mick Philpott, 63, poured petrol on the floor of the house in Victory Road and set it alight on 11 May, while Mairead spoke to emergency services. Nottingham Crown Court heard he started the fire to frame his former lover and gain custody of her children, but that he did not appreciate how quickly it would spread. Prosecutors said it was a "plan that went horribly wrong". In her sentencing remarks, Mrs Justice Thirlwall said it was clear the fire was Mick Philpott's idea. But she said Mairead's children died because she put her husband first. Mick, who was the father of five of the children, has to serve a minimum term of 15 years in prison for his part in the killings. Mairead and Paul Mosley, a family friend who was also sentenced to 17 years, were both told they would have to serve at least half their sentences. This is why she could now be released. Pauline Latham, Conservative MP for Mid Derbyshire, said she would be raising the matter with the Attorney General as she believed she should serve a life sentence for each child and "never have come out [of jail]". She added: "No one in Derby will ever forget the deaths of those six children. "I'm very shocked she has been released so so quickly. It's not even 18 months per child." Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.