Philpott House Fire: 'Children Died In Sleep'

Five children allegedly killed by their parents in a house fire probably died in their sleep, a court has heard.

Richard Latham QC, for the prosecution, told Nottingham Crown Court it was "a blessing" that the youngsters were unaware of what happened.

They were most likely to have been overcome by fumes and rendered unconscious without waking up, according to pathology reports. There were no 'before death' injuries.

The sixth child to lose his life in the fire, 13-year-old Duwayne, died three days later of a combination of smoke inhalation and cardiac arrest.

Duwayne, his sister Jade, 10, and her brothers John, 9, Jack, 8, Jesse, 6, and Jayden, 5, all perished as a result of the blaze in May 2012.

Their parents Mick and Mairead Philpott, and a third defendant, Paul Moseley, all deny six counts of manslaughter following the fire in Allenton, Derby.

Earlier, the court heard from forensic and scenes-of-crime experts who gave technical details of what they found at the house.

Scientific support officer David Ciudisks said he seized a petrol-driven strimmer from the bottom of the garden. He decanted the fuel for analysis.

Fire service investigator Mat Lee said it was not possible to say whether petrol was poured through the letter box, because the door was destroyed in the blaze.

But petrol was detected on the floor close to the inside of the doorway.

The case continues.