THE PARENTS OF SIX children who were killed by a house fire at their home in Derby, England have been charged with their murders.

Michael Philpott, 55, and wife Mairead Philpott, 31, are due to appear in court tomorrow morning.

They were both arrested yesterday for questioning over the 11 May fire which killed six of their children.

Five of the children were killed on the night of the fire: Jade, ten, John, nine, Jack, seven, Jessie, six, and Jayden, five. A sixth child, 13-year-old Duwayne, died in hospital days after the blaze from injuries sustained in the fire.

In a statement this evening, Derbyshire Police confirmed that Michael and Mairead Philpott have been charged with murder.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution service said that the CPS had reviewed the evidence and “decided that there was sufficient evidence to charge”. They added that it is “in the public interest for a prosecution to take place”.

Meanwhile, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said that the investigation into the fire continues:

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.