House Fire Family Agree To End Child's Life

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The family who lost five children in a house fire have agreed to turn off the life support machine later today for a sixth child, police have said.

Thirteen-year-old Duwayne Philpott has been in a critical condition in a hospital in Birmingham since Friday morning when the blaze broke out.
Sky reporter Becky Johnson said: "It's desperately sad news from the family confirmed by Derbyshire Police.
"Duwayne was pulled from the first floor of the house that was filled with thick black smoke by the time emergency services arrived.
"His family, who have been at his bedside, have now made that agonising decision to switch off his life support machine."

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The fire ripped through the house in Allenton, Derby, on Friday morning


Meanwhile, police have suggested someone could be protecting the killer of Duwayne's five siblings who died when their house caught fire as they slept.

Jade Philpott, 10, John, nine, Jack, seven, Jessie, six and five-year-old Jaydon all died when the blaze ripped through their home in Allenton, Derby.

A 38-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman who had been arrested on suspicion of murder following the fatal fire were released without charge on Saturday.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: "This is a complex inquiry which requires careful and methodical investigation. We are still treating the fire as suspicious and are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry."

He thanked the members of the community who had come forward with information but expressed surprise that so few had been in touch.

"I strongly suspect that there is someone out there in the community who knows more than we are being told," he said. "I fully understand that people may be reluctant to talk to us.

"My plea in this case is to remember that we are trying to find out exactly what caused the death of these five young children, who had everything to look forward to in life.

"If someone has confided in you, now is the time to speak up and do the right thing."
The children were asleep in their beds upstairs when the fire broke out. Their father, Mick Philpott was downstairs at the time and tried to get through the smoke and flames to save them.
Mr Philpott is said to have fathered 17 children and hit national headlines several years ago when he demanded a larger house to share with his wife Mairead, girlfriend Lia and their children.
People from the estate have set up an online charity to help the family pay funeral costs and cover other expenses they may now face.
Bobby Sutherland, who has lived on the estate all his life, said he felt inspired to create the charity Catch Me When I Fall.
He said: "I said to my missus, 'They're going to have to pay about 10 grand when they get home,' and I said that ain't right. So I said, 'I want to set up a charity'."
He added: "The original statement was about the kids. Everybody's got kids, everybody wants kids or everybody's had kids, so it affects everybody."


Mr Sutherland said many people had their own judgment about Mr Philpott, but he loved his children desperately.
A special church service was held for the children at St George's Roman Catholic Church on Saturday morning and five candles were lit in their memory.
Father Alan Burbidge, who knew the family well, said: "I knew him (Mr Philpott) to be a good, caring family man. He looked after his children well; he was devoted to his children even though he'd got so many.
"He was there for them and also did the cooking as well at the house. He had a good garden for them with a trampoline and a sort of climbing frame. He was very good with the children."
Flowers, toys and cards have been mounting outside the house as police and forensic teams continue to work to establish the cause of the blaze.
:: Anyone with information can contact Derbyshire Police by calling 101 or anonymously ringing Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They can also email appeals@derbyshire.pnn.police.uk

Source: Sky News
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UPDATE ON THIS STORY



Derby Fire Deaths: Parents Charged With Murder


The parents of six children killed in an arson attack on their home in Derby have been charged with murder.

Derbyshire Police had arrested Mick Philpott, 55, and his wife Mairead, 31, on suspicion of murder on Tuesday.

The pair will appear before Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court on Thursday morning.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: "The evidence was reviewed by a Crown Advocate from the CPS East Midlands complex casework unit, who decided that there was sufficient evidence to charge and that it is in the public interest for a prosecution to take place.

"It is important to note that the defendants are entitled to a fair trial and nothing should be said or reported that would prejudice that right."

Duwayne Philpott, 13, Jade Philpott, 10, and brothers John Philpott, nine, Jack Philpott, seven, Jessie Philpott, six, and Jayden Philpott, five, all died as a result of the fire.

The fire broke out at the house, in Victory Road, Allenton, in the early hours of May 11.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said: "Following the appeal yesterday a number of people have come forward with more information but I want to stress that the two charges this evening should not be seen as the end of the investigation.

"We are determined to get to the truth of what happened and still want people to speak to us to tell us what they know about this tragedy."

Police previously arrested a 38-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman on suspicion of murder shortly after the fire, but both were released without charge the following day.

Mr Philpott and his wife faced the media at a news conference arranged by police five days after the fire.


Source : Sky News 10:28pm UK, Wednesday May 30, 2012
 
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