Transcript of 999 Derby fire call

The trial of three people accused of starting a fire in Derby which caused the deaths of six children has heard a recording of a 999 call reporting the incident.

Mick Philpott is charged with manslaughter, along with his wife Mairead and their friend Paul Mosley. All three deny six counts of manslaughter.

The jury at at Nottingham Crown Court heard the recording during their trial.

The following is a transcript of the call made to the emergency services by Mr and Mrs Philpott.

Operator: Emergency, which service?

Mairead: Hello

Operator: Do you need fire, police or ambulance?

Mairead: All three please.

Michael: Tell them the kids are in the bedroom.

Mairead: My kids are in the bedroom. Me house is on fire.

Operator: Yeah, hello police emergency.

Operator: Just connecting a multiple request for all services.

Mairead: 18 Victory Road. 18 Victory Road. 18 Victory Road. My house is on fire, my kids are in bed.

Operator: What address?

Mairead: 18 Victory Road.

Operator: At 18, where's Victory Road?

Mairead: Allenton, Derby.

Operator: Your house is on fire at 18 Victory Road and the kids are inside?

Mairead: Yeah, me kids are in bed.

Operator: OK. Where are you? Where are you phoning from now?

Mairead: I'm in the garden, I'm in the back garden.

Operator: You're in the back, back garden, 18 Victory Road.

Mairead: Yeah, I can't...

Operator: 18 Victory Road. What's your name, duck?

Mairead: I can't get, get into my kids. Mrs Philpott.

Operator: Mrs Philpott, how many kids are in the house, Mrs Philpott, and where are they?

Mairead: There's six. There's six of them.

Operator: Sorry.

Mairead: There's six of them.

Michael: I can't get in the window, duck.

Operator: You've got six kids in the house.

Mairead: Yeah.

Unknown: Mairead.

Operator: Right. Where are the kids? Do you know?

Mairead: They're upstairs in three bedrooms.

Operator: They're upstairs in their bedrooms. Where's the fire?

Mairead: Here. It's, I don't know. It's at the front of the house somewhere.

Operator: It's at the front of the house somewhere.

Mairead: Yeah.

Operator: Can you hear, are there any flames there?

Michael: Smoke's everywhere.

Mairead: Oh my God, please.

Operator: It's all right, we've got the fire service coming on their way. Can you see any flames or anything?

Mairead: Oh God I can't say from in here.

Operator: Sorry, can, can, can you see...

Mairead: He's just, he just smashed the bedroom window open and there's smoke.

Operator: Sorry.

Mairead: My husband's just smashed the bedroom window open and there's smoke coming from everywhere.

Operator: Your husband has just smashed the bedroom window.

Mairead: Yeah.

Michael: I can't get in. Hello.

Operator: Yes all right.

Michael: Please mate, I can't get in the house, my babies are upstairs.

Operator: We've got the fire service on their way.

Michael: I can't get out.

Operator: Right. It's all right. You, you talk to me.

Michael: Please mate.

Operator: The fire service are on their way.

Michael: I've tried to get in the bedroom. I can't get in.

Operator: Right, how old are the kids?

Michael: Get outside, quick (whispers).

Operator: Hello there Mr Philpott, how old are the kids?"

(panting, coughing)

Mairead: Please.

Operator: Hello. Can you talk to me?

(inaudible)

Operator: Talk to me.

Michael: I can't get in the bedroom mate.

Operator: Yeah.

Michael: I can't get in me bedroom, the kids are all upstairs, six of them.

Operator: Is it a terraced house?

Michael: Please.

Operator: Yeah, we've got some, we've got the police on their way. Have you any idea what caused the fire?

Michael: I've no idea mate, we've just been woke up by the alarm. There's smoke everywhere.

Operator: There's smoke everywhere.

Mairead: The electric's gone.

Michael: Me electrics gone and all my babies are all upstairs.

Operator: You're all right, you're in the garden are you?

Michael: I'm round the back mate. I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't get out. (inaudible)

Operator: OK. What's your name please?

Michael: Michael, I'm the, the daddy.

Operator: OK.

Michael: I can't get in.

Operator: Sorry. All right, yeah, I know that. We've got the fire service on their way to you.

Michael: (coughing) I didn't open the door.

Operator: Sorry.

Michael: I can't open the door.

Unknown: Come round the other side door, both the doors are locked.

Operator: Right. Can you, Michael, can you see any flames?

Michael: No, all I can see is black smoke. I can't see anything else than black smoke.

Michael: Mairead, don't go round there.

Mairead: There's somebody out there.

Michael: Help me. Who is it?

Mairead: Help. (inaudible)

Michael: Who's that? Help me. Me babies are trapped inside the house.

Operator: It's all right.

Michael: Help me.

Operator: We've, we've got people on their way.

Michael: Get down.

Operator: We've got the fire service are on their way.

Michael: Please hurry up.

Operator: Yeah but Michael, Michael.

Michael: What?

Michael: My babies are...

Operator: Michael, I need you to calm down and give you some advice. Michael, Michael.

Michael: God please help me.

Operator: It's all right if you go outside now and speak to our police officers. They're there.

Michael: I can't get out mate, I'm stuck in the back because there's the caravan at the side of the house and there's smoke all downstairs.

Operator: All right yeah. But is there someone round at the front.

Michael: Yeah, we're stuck in the back. We can't get, we can't get round. I can't get round to my babies.

Operator: OK. OK. We've got police officers at the front now. If, now upstairs in the bedrooms. Where are the kids?

Michael: Oh my God. What was that?

Operator: Michael.

Michael: Who is it?

Unknown: (inaudible) Daniel.

Michael: Adam mate, the babies are stuck inside and I can't get to them.

Operator: Michael, who are you talking to now?

Michael: My neighbour Adam. Adam, where are you? I can't get in the house.

Operator: Michael, Michael talk to me.

Operator: Up upstairs. Upstairs.

Operator: Are the kids in the front or the back bedroom?

Unknown: (inaudible) What, where's the big... (inaudible)

Michael: I don't know mate.

Operator: Michael.

Michael: Yes mate.

Operator: Michael, are the kids in the front or the back bedroom?

Michael: They're in the back bedroom mate.

Operator: All of them?

Michael: All of them yeah. I, we just can't get in. There's smoke everywhere. (starts coughing)

Operator: Yeah it's all right, yeah.

Operator: The fire service will be with you very shortly.

Operator: Michael.

Michael: Yes.

Operator: How old are the kids?

Michael: Erm the youngest is erm, erm, erm, five and the eldest is, is, the oldest is, is 11.

Unknown: Have you got a hammer Mick?

Michael: Aye?

Unknown: You got a hammer? You got a hammer?

Operator: Yeah, anything...

Michael: Erm, I can't see out here. Maireid, have we got something to bang the door down with (inaudible) anything.

Operator: Yeah, the trouble is you might spread the fire if we do that.

Michael: Oh, he said we might spread the fire if we do that.

Operator: Can, can you go through your neighbour's property and speak to our police officers out there.

Michael: I've got a ladder here mate and I've smashed the window. I can't, I can't get in. There's no noise from the children. There's no noise from my children. There's no noise from my children.

Unknown: Mick, I've got it, Mick.

Operator: Are they all, how many you say the kids are there?

Unknown: Where are you? Open a window.

Operator: Michael, who are you talking to now?

Michael: Me neighbours have come to help me.

Operator: Yeah.

Michael: We can't get in the bedroom.

Operator: Right. OK, Michael, Michael.

Unknown: Michael, come on man.

Michael: I can't get in.

Operator: OK yeah. Michael, we've got police officers at the front.

Michael: Somebody's here, I don't know who it is.

Operator: We've got the police there.

Michael: I don't know, Mairead, where are you?

Michael: Please.

Mairead: My babies, please.

Michael: Come here, come here, shh, shh, shh.

Operator: Michael?

Mairead: (wailing)

Michael: The babies are in the house, yeah.

Operator: Michael. How many kids are there?

Michael: There's six of them, one, me daughter and five boys.

Operator: Six children, right.

Michael: There's smoke coming out everywhere.

Operator: One girl and five boys.

Michael: Yeah.

Operator: OK.

Michael: I tried to get up mate, I couldn't get in the bedr... I couldn't get in the window. I couldn't get in. I've smashed it but I just can't get in.

Operator: Right, OK. So we have got the police officers around the front.

Michael: Yeah there's some everywhere. (sobs)

Operator: OK yeah.

Unknown: Hello, hello, it's the police.

Michael: I'm here mate, where are ya?

Unknown: Come on mate, it's all right.

Michael: My babies are inside. The police are, the police are here now.

Operator: Yeah, aye, Michael, is Lisa Willis out of the address?

Michael: Pardon?

Operator: You're talking to the police now, is Lisa out of the address?

Michael: Mate, they're in the bedroom here, I can't get at them.

Unknown: Come on mate, come out of the way, come out of the way.

Operator: Michael, is Lisa out of the address?

Michael: Yes mate.

Operator: Yes she's out of the address.

Operator: It's the children that are at the address. There's not adults in the address.

Michael: No, no adults or 'owt, it's just the babies.

Operator: You talk to our, you talk to our police officers.

Michael: All right mate.

Operator: OK Michael.

Unknown: Do you want to come out?

Operator: Thank you very much.