Philpott fire: Court told how Mairead Philpott collapsed to her knees at Duwayne's hospital bedside

HOUSEKEEPERS who worked at the Premier Inn, in Uttoxeter New Road, where the Philpotts were housed immediately after the fire, said Mairead "always had her head down".

And a police officer, who guarded Duwayne Philpott's room at Birmingham Children's Hospital, told how Mrs Philpott collapsed on her knees when she saw her son in his private room.

Neighbours in Victory Road also told the police how well-behaved the six Philpott children were.

In statements read out in court yesterday, housekeepers Elyon Paris, Emma Broughton and Michelle Miles, explained how all of them came across the Philpotts between May 15 and May 29 at the hotel.

Police had arranged for the couple to stay there following the fire at their Victory Road home.

Ms Broughton said: "I never spoke to Mrs Philpott but she always looked upset.

"She was always following him (Philpott) around and always had her head down."

Ms Paris agreed.

In her statement she said: "She (Mairead) always had her head down."

Ms Miles, like the other two housekeepers, said she never spoke to Mairead during the two weeks they stayed at the Premier Inn.

In her statement she said: "She was always quiet when I saw her with other people.

"She looked like she had been crying because her eyes were always red."

In another statement, also read out by Richard Latham, prosecutor, at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday, PC Paul Marriott told how he was tasked with guarding a private room at Birmingham Children's Hospital where Duwayne Philpott, 13, was being treated shortly before he died of his injuries.

In his statement PC Marriott said he saw Mr and Mrs Philpott enter the room where their son as.

He said: "At 6.20pm the Philpotts entered the room.

"Mick had hold of Duwayne's hand and kissed his forehead. He started to cry, rushing out of the room.

"Mairead followed him out of the room, she looked lost.

"She never spoke a word the whole time I was at the hospital.

"When she was at Duwayne's bedside she collapsed on her knees.

"She showed no expression on her face, her expression never altered."

The court also heard two statements from neighbours who lived in Victory Road, both read out by Mr Latham.

Julie Stevenson, whose sons Daniel and Callum tried to help save the children on the morning of the fire, said she lived three doors down from 18 Victory Road.

In her statement she said: "The (Philpott) kids appeared happy and did not cause any problems.

"They were always generally happy, I often heard them playing in the back garden."

And next door neighbour Pearl Turner, who lived at 16 Victory Road, also praised the children in her statement.

She said: "The children were no problem, they were normal kids."

Simon Myers, a plastic surgeon at the Royal Derby Hospital, also gave evidence through a statement read out in court yesterday.

He examined the Philpotts on the morning of the fire.

He concluded that he could not find any evidence of burns or burning to Mairead's body or face but found "a reddening of the skin" on Philpott.

And later, Detective Constable Caroline Van Schaick, told the court how she examined hours of footage seized from CCTV cameras in and around Victory Road, from a number of petrol stations and Royal Derby Hospital.

She said footage viewed from outside the Total garage, in Osmaston Park Road, at 1.27am on the morning of the fire showed a person walk past.

He said: "It is a silhouette, you cannot tell if it is a male or a female."

She also viewed footage taken from the hospital which showed the Philpotts with family and friends outside the accident and emergency area early in the morning after the six children were taken there.

Det Con Van Shaik said: "The CCTV shows an ambulance taking Duwayne to Birmingham Children's Hospital at 8.24am."

The trial continues.

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