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| Mairead Philpott televised sentence appeal rejected | Mairead Philpott televised sentence appeal rejected |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A mother who was convicted of killing her six children in a house fire in Derby has had an appeal against her sentence rejected. | A mother who was convicted of killing her six children in a house fire in Derby has had an appeal against her sentence rejected. |
| Mairead Philpott, who was handed a 17-year sentence for manslaughter last year, had her appeal televised from Nottingham Crown Court. | Mairead Philpott, who was handed a 17-year sentence for manslaughter last year, had her appeal televised from Nottingham Crown Court. |
| Paul Mosley, who received the same sentence for the children's deaths, withdrew his appeal. | Paul Mosley, who received the same sentence for the children's deaths, withdrew his appeal. |
| Mick Philpott, the victims' father, has not appealed against his life sentence. | Mick Philpott, the victims' father, has not appealed against his life sentence. |
| 'Loving parent' | |
| Court of Appeal judges dismissed a renewed application by Mairead Philpott to challenge the length of her jail term. | Court of Appeal judges dismissed a renewed application by Mairead Philpott to challenge the length of her jail term. |
| Lord Chief Justice Sir John Thomas said: "We have after examination of the circumstances and careful consideration of the judge's remarks come to the conclusion without any hesitation that this appeal must be dismissed. | |
| "There is no doubt at all that she [Mairead Philpott] was a loving and caring parent. She brought up the children well. There was no doubt she had genuine grief at the loss of her children." | |
| But he added that it was "extremely difficult" to understand why she did not "expose Michael Philpott's lie" during the trial and the extensive period when she was separated from his "controlling influence". | |
| "She will always be seen, as Mr Smith [her barrister] put it, as a child killer. She will never be allowed children or contact with children," Lord Thomas said. | |
| Speaking outside court, Mairead Philpott's sister Jennifer Duffy said: "She should have been given life. | |
| "She should have spoken up for her children but she decided not to." | |
| Filming at the Court of Appeal was allowed for the first time last month following a partial lifting of the long-standing ban on cameras in court. | Filming at the Court of Appeal was allowed for the first time last month following a partial lifting of the long-standing ban on cameras in court. |
| Courts minister Shailesh Vara said giving people the opportunity to see and hear the decision of judges sitting in Nottingham was a "significant step towards achieving our aim of having an open and transparent justice system". | Courts minister Shailesh Vara said giving people the opportunity to see and hear the decision of judges sitting in Nottingham was a "significant step towards achieving our aim of having an open and transparent justice system". |
| "Justice must be seen to be done and today marks another important step towards opening up the court process to bring justice closer to the public," he added. | "Justice must be seen to be done and today marks another important step towards opening up the court process to bring justice closer to the public," he added. |
| Mairead Philpott's first appeal, along with Paul Mosley's, was rejected in July. The reasons for this were not made public. | Mairead Philpott's first appeal, along with Paul Mosley's, was rejected in July. The reasons for this were not made public. |
| Earlier this year, Mairead's legal team said an appeal would be made on the grounds her role was "not as substantial as the trial judge had assessed". | Earlier this year, Mairead's legal team said an appeal would be made on the grounds her role was "not as substantial as the trial judge had assessed". |
| Philpott, her husband Mick and family friend Mosley were convicted of manslaughter for the fire at Victory Road, Derby, in May 2012. | Philpott, her husband Mick and family friend Mosley were convicted of manslaughter for the fire at Victory Road, Derby, in May 2012. |
| Jade Philpott, 10, and brothers John, nine, Jack, seven, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five, died in the blaze. | Jade Philpott, 10, and brothers John, nine, Jack, seven, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five, died in the blaze. |
| Duwayne Philpott, who was 13, died three days later in hospital. | Duwayne Philpott, who was 13, died three days later in hospital. |