Philpott 'gobsmacked' when ex-lover took out legal order against him

MICK Philpott said he was "gobsmacked" when he found out that his former mistress, Lisa Willis, had asked for a non-molestation order against him.

Philpott told the jury he was served with the court papers when he was in Markeaton Park with Ms Willis and the five children on April 16.

He said: "I was gobsmacked when I saw the non-molestation order, the residency order and prohibited steps order – I wasn't bothered about them. It was what she had put in relation to me.

"It was quite upsetting because she said I was knocking her about."

20% Off All New Collections only 50 vouchers available !!

Circus Menswear

View details

Print voucher

You get 20% off all new 2013 Spring/Summer collections. Including Pierre Balmain,Vivienne Westwood,Common People,Scotch & Soda,Elvine,Pearly King,Supra,Blue Collar Worker,Eleven Paris and many more...

Contact: 01332 418271

Valid until: Sunday, June 16 2013

Asked by his lawyer, Anthony Orchard QC, if he accepted he had hit her, Philpott said: "Just once. She hit my princess – Jade."

He said in the court papers it said he hit Ms Willis about once a week, "which definitely wasn't the case".

He said he had hit Mairead for the same reason.

When asked about his view about hitting children, he said: "You smack them but not like that."

The court heard that on April 8, nine days before he was handed the court papers, Ms Willis sent Philpott a text saying: "You are still the kids' dad and always will be. Keep the Easter eggs until you see them."

He said it was the first contact he had had with Ms Willis since March 10, and that day they had their first long phone call since she had left on February 11.

He told the jury: "I was quite excited as I knew I was going to see my children."

Philpott said that over the next week they had regular contact.

"What were you trying to achieve?" Mr Orchard asked Philpott.

He replied: "More than anything I wanted to see my children.

"My children were my main concern at the time."

He said they had also sent each other pictures. Asked by Mr Orchard if it was "a breaking of the ice", Philpott said: "It was a start of something. I thought it would lead to better things."

He said they made a number of arrangements to meet up, which she cancelled. "I started to think she was messing about with me," said Philpott.

He said he eventually met up with Ms Willis and four of the children on April 16 and they spent the day together – going for coffee and breakfast in the Guildhall, to see his mother and then to Alvaston Park. He said that after he dropped them off, he received a call from Mairead saying Ms Willis had been to court three days earlier.

Mr Orchard asked Philpott: "Up until that moment did you know Lisa had gone to court."

"I had no idea and neither did my wife. It was a bombshell."

He said he had already got himself a solicitor, "not to take any action" but for his own protection.

He said that after speaking to his wife he sent a text to Ms Willis and they met up again, on Ashbourne Road and went to Markeaton Park – where someone from the courts found him and served him with documents to appear in court. He said Ms Willis agreed to drop the non-molestation order.

He said Ms Willis had not turned up to the court hearing because she told him she could not get a babysitter. "The other two orders were postponed but the non-molestation order was kicked out," Philpott told the jury."

He said after that they had not maintained contact. He said: "She just didn't want to know again."

*THE PHILPOTT TRIAL: Visit our Philpott trial channel here for all related stories in the fire death case.