# Arrests - house fire that killed 6 children



## Kat (29 May 2012)

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/P...icion-murder/story-16218122-detail/story.html

Terrible to think that the parents could have done this......


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## Amymay (29 May 2012)

Indeed 

Something went terribly wrong with their plan to get a bigger house, I'd say.


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## Kat (29 May 2012)

My thoughts exactly.


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## clydesdale (29 May 2012)

really hope it wasnt them


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## fatpiggy (29 May 2012)

The weird thing is, after I watched the parents on the TV doing the police appeal, I commented to my office mate the next day that there was no way the mother at least, was genuinely crying.  If I cry my face goes instantly bright red and puffy, my eyes almost disappear, I can't stop blowing my nose because it all gets totally congested (so a tissue lasts about 10 seconds) and frankly I look a sight and continue to do so for at least half an hour after I've stopped crying.   The mother was dabbing her eyes and kept her face well hidden most of the time. I don't believe father was crying either.  So todays news came as absolutely no surprise at all to be honest. As with someone earlier, I now suspect this was an attempt to get rehoused which went tragically wrong.


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## Fantasy_World (29 May 2012)

I will reserve judgement until all the facts come out. However I will say though that some people can be very good at acting. We have seen it in the past and no doubt will continue to do so.


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## Amymay (29 May 2012)

The news is no surprise, but I think they are people who did something terrible to achieve something they thought they deserved.  The consequences were the deaths of their children.

I don't believe their grief was an act.  They looked simply devastated.


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## HunTheBun (29 May 2012)

fatpiggy said:



			The weird thing is, after I watched the parents on the TV doing the police appeal, I commented to my office mate the next day that there was no way the mother at least, was genuinely crying.  If I cry my face goes instantly bright red and puffy, my eyes almost disappear, I can't stop blowing my nose because it all gets totally congested (so a tissue lasts about 10 seconds) and frankly I look a sight and continue to do so for at least half an hour after I've stopped crying.   The mother was dabbing her eyes and kept her face well hidden most of the time. I don't believe father was crying either.  So todays news came as absolutely no surprise at all to be honest. As with someone earlier, I now suspect this was an attempt to get rehoused which went tragically wrong.
		
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I have no idea about motives but I second what you said about something didn't look quite right.


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## carthorse (29 May 2012)

How could they live with themselves.


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## stevieg (29 May 2012)

I remember these people (well him anyway) being slated because they were on benefits, had numerous children and seemed to think the likes of me should work all hours to support the likes of them. 

Then that dreadful fire happened and they were the best parents in the world. Did everything they could for their children etc etc

And now? Well I guess the witch hunt is back on.


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## sula (29 May 2012)

amymay said:



			The news is no surprise, but I think they are people who did something terrible to achieve something they thought they deserved.  The consequences were the deaths of their children.

I don't believe their grief was an act.  They looked simply devastated.
		
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I wondered at the time how the parents, who were apparently sitting downstairs, allegedly didn`t smell burning until it was too late to save the children.  I found that very hard to understand but suspect the truth may lie somewhere in Amymay`s post.  Very, very tragic whatever the circumstances.


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## rhino (29 May 2012)

fatpiggy said:



			The weird thing is, after I watched the parents on the TV doing the police appeal, I commented to my office mate the next day that there was no way the mother at least, was genuinely crying.
		
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IIRC it's not unknown for the police to get possible suspects to do tv interviews; which are then analysed by body language experts.


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## stevieg (29 May 2012)

As in Shannon Matthews' mum


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## HBM1 (29 May 2012)

I do think there is a huge difference between Shannon Matthews mum and this couple.  she planned exactly what happened to her daughter. I have to agree with AmyMay here, if the fire was started outside they may have thought they could then put it out.  When it took hold he did apparently try all he could to get in.  As said, I think this may have been a dreadful way of trying to get moved and now they have lost their children.  For the life of me I can't see how someone could "act" upset if they had just lost all 6 of their children.  She was probably just so cried out she had no more tears in her.  To have had this go so tragically wrong, i doubt she can really live with herself.


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## stevieg (29 May 2012)

I referred to Shannon Matthews mum in relation to the comment about the police setting up public statements in order to study body language.


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## HBM1 (29 May 2012)

stevieg said:



			I referred to Shannon Matthews mum in relation to the comment about the police setting up public statements in order to study body language.
		
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oh I see, sorry.  Yes - she wasn't the brightest star in the sky at the best of times.  There was no way she was ever going to hold her story together.  I think as with her, the police must have had their suspicions.  It is just so tragic, none of the children deserved any of this.  They have to live with this the rest of their lives, I don't think any punishment they could be given could be any worse than that.


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## Mike007 (30 May 2012)

A terrible tragedy. I have seen too many miscarriages of justice to leap to any conclusions.


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## hairycob (30 May 2012)

I can think of a few cases where someone has been arrested, slated in the press & then turned out not to have even been involved - Bristol, Ipswich anyone, so I would rather reserve any comments on them for now.


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## Honeylight (30 May 2012)

If it's true what people are suspecting & the family laid a fire hoping it would get them re-homed & they lost their children then surely they need our pity not a witch hunt. What ever the reasons it is a terrible tragedy & one they will surely never recover from.


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## Kadastorm (30 May 2012)

so, they have now been charged. 
if it is true, i dont know how they could live with themselves.


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## luckyoldme (30 May 2012)

Honeylight said:



			If it's true what people are suspecting & the family laid a fire hoping it would get them re-homed & they lost their children then surely they need our pity not a witch hunt. What ever the reasons it is a terrible tragedy & one they will surely never recover from.
		
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I ve heard it all now!
Someone threw petrol down and set fire to it in a house where there were 6 children. 
I can think of a few things they need but pity isn t one of them.


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## Honeylight (31 May 2012)

Don't get me wrong I am not condoning their actions & I mean pity in the broadest sense. To pity their ignorance, stupidity & the terrible price they paid.


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## ROG (31 May 2012)

They have been on the Jeremy Kyle show so perhaps back to there for lie detector results?


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## wildwhippet (31 May 2012)

Kadastorm said:



			so, they have now been charged. 
if it is true, i dont know how they could live with themselves.
		
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Guilty or innocent, living with themselves is probably very hard right now, & not going to get much easier.


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## Janah (31 May 2012)

They have now been charged with murder.


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## ROG (31 May 2012)

Not sure if this has anyone thinking but when the story first broke the Mrs and I wondered why the adults had 'run out' when the kids were still upstairs

I woulkd have thought that, if possible, the adults would have run up the stairs - yes?


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## amandat (31 May 2012)

rhino said:



			IIRC it's not unknown for the police to get possible suspects to do tv interviews; which are then analysed by body language experts.
		
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I have to admit that when i saw they were doing the 'press conference' i actually thought about a programme i saw a while ago which showed a number of cases where those who'd taken part in interviews were already suspects & were later charged & found guilty ... may the poor children who have lost their lives Rest in Eternal Peace x


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## amandat (31 May 2012)

ROG said:



			Not sure if this has anyone thinking but when the story first broke the Mrs and I wondered why the adults had 'run out' when the kids were still upstairs

I woulkd have thought that, if possible, the adults would have run up the stairs - yes?
		
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YES ... i'm sure in the first couple of days there was confusion as to whether the father was actually in the house at the time but due to how upset the parents were & the fact they were at the eldest childs bedside they hadn't been interviewed by the Police before they did the TV bit.

Up to now they have had each other for support, tonight they will be all alone with people who will truly despise them !!!!


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## TrasaM (31 May 2012)

Same as ROG I wondered why they'd run out before trying and failing to get back in to rescue the kids. If guilty I don't suppose there is any punishment worse than they've already got but at least they won't be able to dine out on public sympathy any longer.  Guess they won't enjoy the downsized accommodation either.


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## HBM1 (31 May 2012)

ROG said:



			Not sure if this has anyone thinking but when the story first broke the Mrs and I wondered why the adults had 'run out' when the kids were still upstairs

I woulkd have thought that, if possible, the adults would have run up the stairs - yes?
		
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apparently they were sleeping in the caravan in the front garden, so was said this week anyway


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## Nickijem (31 May 2012)

My sympathy lies with the friends of those poor, poor children, the neighbours and the emergency services who did all they could. I was very suspicious of the poor acting shown by the parents of the children at the news conference.  There was not one tear on either of their faces - I don't think anyone could be 'all cried out' so soon after the event (I cried for days when I lost my horse and could cry now if I started talking about it).  
I do think it was a badly thought out plan but I can't believe they intentionally murdered their own children - well that's what I want to believe
RIP those poor kiddies.


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## Ladydragon (1 June 2012)

fatpiggy said:



			The weird thing is, after I watched the parents on the TV doing the police appeal, I commented to my office mate the next day that there was no way the mother at least, was genuinely crying.  If I cry my face goes instantly bright red and puffy, my eyes almost disappear, I can't stop blowing my nose because it all gets totally congested (so a tissue lasts about 10 seconds) and frankly I look a sight and continue to do so for at least half an hour after I've stopped crying.   The mother was dabbing her eyes and kept her face well hidden most of the time. I don't believe father was crying either.  So todays news came as absolutely no surprise at all to be honest. As with someone earlier, I now suspect this was an attempt to get rehoused which went tragically wrong.
		
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Dang...  I hope you don't go around regularly trying to define just how a bereaved parent should display their grief/shock/devastation or what their skin colour/snot production/tissue use should be when they cry in the early days of a bereavement...  



Kadastorm said:



			so, they have now been charged. 
if it is true, i dont know how they could live with themselves.
		
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Absolutely no idea...  It's difficult enough making it through the day when you had nothing to do with the causation of death...  Life is forever full of self analysis and questions - when you eventually reach the point of being able to function...

IF this couple did do something that unexpectedly resulted in the death of their children, I have mixed feelings...  It it truly awful and homicide should not go unpunished...  At the same time, I do feel sorry for them - the personal sentence would* last longer than anything determined by the judicial system or public opinion...  As for remaining children and other family members - I've no idea how they will ever make emotional sense of it all... 

A truly awful mess...


*With the concept that the death of the children was not deliberate - which would be counter productive to the suggestion of getting a bigger house...  Again with the IF...


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