Phillpots trial is anybody following it?

[Minimammoth]

I am .

[clam]

I'm not sure I see the relevance of whether they loved their kids or not. Perhaps it's naive of me to think that all parents do so, but I've been told it about a family near me only this week. Yet the children in question are suffering appalling neglect. What good is this parental "love" to them, when it manifests itself in ways which go against so much of what our society holds dear?

So, some parents can allow their children to go hungry, dirty, miss school, be abused physically, emotionally and (possibly, in this case I'm thinking of) sexually, but it's OK because "mummy loves you."

I can barely bring myself to read the evidence being alleged in the Philpott case. It's just too sad.

[Cotapaxi]

I absolutely do not believe that all parents love their children. I knew a family once with 2 children and they openly expressed their desire to have a 3rd so that they could move into bigger council acccommodation. They were both alcoholics, their house was absolutely unbelievable - filthy, stinking, piles of festering damp clothes everywhere. He was the brother of a friend of mine (who didn't live like that at all). I visited many times and never once in all that time saw any food being prepared or any attention paid to the children.

It's like Nancy says, they were just there, the parents barely registered their existence and it was tragic .

[creighton]

i think this is the first time in his adult life that he has been called to account for his actions. his actions seem to have no consequences (for him), his partners and the welfare state pick up the pieces for him.

[Minimammoth]

Mairead seems to have had a hard start in life. Went along with his wishes so as not to lose him, their family life etc. poor woman.

[propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS]

Each day a new article on this case is reported and each day my jaw hits the floor again. It is horrifying to hear the detail of how these parents behaved. God rest the souls of their poor, poor children

[Chippychop]

I can't decide whether mairhead is extremely f**d up due to her past or just simple. Either way he is an example of everything that is wrong with this country. I cannot feel any sympathy for the pathetic excuse of a human. Those poor children... Lets hope it's not too late to save the others from a decrepid life

[donnie]

even if they are found not guilty I sincerely hope that any other children they do have are taken away and adopted by loving parents who don't live in a mire of sordid filth, cannabis and dogging sessions. Yeuch....these people are sewer rats.

[squalorvictoria]

I have been following it because ever since they were charged I've been trying to figure out what the HELL they were planning. The whole thing was too risky to be a simple "Let's burn the house down so we'll get a new one" type job. What they are actually accused of plotting, and the details that are coming to light, are just absolutely beyond comprehension. Those kids didn't stand a chance, in every sense of the phrase.

[hackmum]

Dreams - I don't think you can say that. Maybe better to report your own comment to be on the safe side?

From today's proceedings, it looks as if her defence is that she had nothing to do with it, and she doesn't know who did it. It might be him, it might be someone else.

[georgedawes]

Been following it too, it's so shocking.

The girlfriend has already given evidence, from behind a screen. She said Philpott was abusive and she was scared leaving him. His defence seemed to be to implicate her relatives in starting the fire.

[Minimammoth]

So Paul Mosely will not give evidence. He is using his right to silence. Hmmm.

[DreamsTurnToGoldDust]

Ive reported my last post just in case I cant say that

Ah, I must admit I havent closely followed the trial as I find it so depressing after working with many families in the same position. Nancy66s words on Friday as so very true and families with these set ups are more common than most people realise.

So hes not giving evidence, its a hmmm from me aswell.

[DolomitesDonkey]

squalor It was previously reported that Philpott wanted custody of the ex's children for financial reasons (benefits) and figured that the way to do that was to implicate the ex-gf in the arson. At the time the fire happened he was actually in the middle of a court case regarding custody.

The sordid details were all reported at the time.

[squalorvictoria]

Was all that reported at the time of their arrest? Must have missed it.

[DolomitesDonkey]

Yes it was.

[boxershorts]

I think the trial may end before easter. But the judge will take 2 days summing up

[Domjolly]

I am not shocked was a foster carer for alomst 8 years not socked at all i hope you all see what sw have to deal with so easy for every one to sw didnt put in enough support with these tyoe of familes but sort from the sw moving in and looking after the children usually this is the life the parents are leading behind

The tails the tell the newspapers as they cry sw snached my chikdren

[Domjolly]

DreamsTurnToGoldDust so true did any one watch theat doumentry a few years back about sw i think it was called protecting our chikdren the philpots are silimar to a lot of familes sadly sw dont have the public or the law behind to remove these children who are suffering from what is known as low level negelct



Because people either refuse to believe families like this are real or think sw have some magic wand i know sw who have worked with the same familes mum then daugter up until they retire with not one once of change in the family its not down to the sw the familes often dont want to make a change

[edam]

It's all so sordid and just grim beyond words. I feel so sorry for the women and children. It appears from the evidence so far that both mothers were extremely vulnerable, were already victims of shitty childhoods before they met him, and one at least felt she had to do all sorts of horrible things to keep him because she thought he was the only person who had ever loved her.

I hope the children who had escaped with their mother before the fire go on to have a much better childhood without Philpott, whether or not he's found guilty of murdering their brothers or sisters.

[Minimammoth]

I wonder if it is all over now or whether there will be other witnesses, before judges summing up.

[hackmum]

I was just reading the This is Derbyshire report (which is more detailed than the accounts in the national press):

www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Philpott-Case-trio-slammed-frankly-rubbish/story-18491343-detail/story.html#axzz2OSMIqtuZ

I expected the trial to go on for longer, but as far as I can tell, the prosecution has done their summing up, and the defence barristers are also doing their summings-up but (as far as I can tell), the defence barristers haven't called any witnesses. Is that right? Or have I missed something?

[WhatKindofFool]

I found this particularly shocking. How could someone who loved their children be joking in the mortuary?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-21593235

[georgedawes]

Judge is summing up this afternoon, expected to continue til wed morning

[Minimammoth]

I've not seen any updates recently in the national news. Do they report judges summing ups.