Couple charged in fire called 'scum'

A woman yelled insults at Mick and Mairead Philpott as they appeared in an English court Thursday to be charged with killing their six children in a fire. The woman, who called the defendants "scum" and "b-st-rds" was escorted from the public gallery of the magistrate's court in Derby, the Daily Express reported. She left quietly with a male companion. Mick Philpott, 55, who has fathered 17 children with several women, and his 31-year-old wife, have been charged with six counts of murder. A daughter, Jade, 10, and four boys, John, 9, Jack, 7, Jessie, 6, and Jayden, 5, were killed in the May 11 fire at their home in Derby, while another son, Duwayne, 13, died two days later. The couple were quiet during the brief hearing. Mairead Philpott displayed a tattoo with the names of her children on one arm. Investigators say the fire was deliberately set by someone who poured an accelerant through the mail slot. After the fire, the Philpotts appeared at a news conference with police, tearfully begging anyone with information on the arsonist to come forward.