FOR Acting Superintendent Kate Meynell, the inquiry into the deaths of six children in a house fire has always been about getting justice for them.
The police officer has been involved in solving a succession of horrific murders in the city over the years.
But when she got the call about suspicious circumstances surrounding a house fire at 18 Victory Road, Derby, the pressure on her and the team of officers involved was more intense than usual – because the victims were young children.
"Initially we didn't have any idea about what had happened," she said. "It took 11 months of relentless inquiries to get where were are today."
Mick Philpott, his 32-year-old wife, Mairead, and family friend Paul Mosley, 46, were each convicted on Tuesday of six separate counts of manslaughter following an eight-week trial.
Prosecutors told the jury at Nottingham Crown Court the trio started the fire in an attempt to frame Philpott's ex, 29-year-old Lisa Willis, after she left Victory Road with her children three months previously.
She and her five children, four fathered by Philpott, had lived with the couple and their six children at the family home for ten years until she became unhappy with the domestic set-up. Jurors heard it could have been the desire to get her and the children, or an attempt to weaken her case in an upcoming court hearing over residency of the children, or even the hope for a bigger council house, that could have been the motive for the crime.
Acting Superintendent Meynell told how officers started off by eliminating Lisa Willis from the inquiry, leaving them with a clear picture of a plan hatched by the three defendants.
"The plan was to set fire to the house, for the children to be rescued in order for Mick Philpott to present favourably at the family proceedings the next day," she said.
Jade Philpott, 10, John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five, died on the morning of the fire on May 11, 2012.
Mrs Philpott's son from a previous relationship, 13-year-old Duwayne, died later in hospital.
During the investigation police worked painstakingly to piece together the evidence.
Officers spoke with 3,660 people, gathered 2,410 exhibits, such as clothing, CCTV, petrol cans and debris from the scene, and took 1,782 statements.
They also followed up 3,000 "actions", where they chased general lines of inquiry.
At its height, 100 detectives were involved.
Acting Supt Meynell stressed: "It's all about the children. There were six lives taken away at the end of the day... all because of a stupid plan."
The sentencing had been expected to be delivered yesterday but Mrs Justice Thirlwall delayed her decision until today.
