A man accused of killing six of his children in a fatal blaze was heard saying "they have nothing on me" in covert recordings made in a prison van, a court has heard.
Mick and Mairead Philpott were heard talking in the vehicle taking them to Derby Magistrates' Court on May 31 last year. Nottingham Crown Court has heard the couple were being monitored 24 hours a day by Serious and Organised Crime detectives.
The couple, along with a third defendant, Paul Mosley, are accused of the manslaughter of the Philpotts' six young children in the fatal fire in Allenton, Derby, on May 11 last year. The couple were arrested on May 29.
In the van on May 31, Philpott is heard asking his wife: "Are we sticking to the story?" Mairead replies: "Hmmm." Mick whispers: "Good." He then asks her: "Do you know something? Have they got any evidence on you? They've got nothing on me, nothing." Mairead is heard to say: "There's a fingerprint on the window."
Mick replies: "That's it. A few discrepancies, that's all it is. One with Shakey (Paul Mosley) about I said I was going out for a drive at night. I can't remember saying that, Vicky said you were stoned and I said we didn't smoke."
He is then heard to say to his wife: "I love you so much. Look at me. We will walk free and prove our innocence, right? And then we'll sort them out, promise you." Mrs Philpott replies: "Yeah, like I said, we can't even bury the kids."
Philpott says again that "they've got nothing" on him. He is heard saying: "Mick, my brief, said that for the judge to do what he's doing he's got to have some big balls because there's no evidence, they've got nothing, there's no, no petrol on me, on me trousers, no glass, you know the fireman said he put the window through."
During the ten-minute conversation, Philpott is also heard to say "they tried to blame me". His wife says: "I know." She adds: "They said 'Did you pour the petrol there?', cause they said summat about erm... expert thingy."
Philpott replies: "Load of bu****it." His wife is heard to say: "That's why the thingy said just no comment." Her husband replies: "Yeah, that's right, don't say nothing now, don't say nothing."
Philpott asks his wife: "What did you say? You didn't do it?" He then says: "Don't you worry, we'll walk through it, I promise you that. Unless you want me to blab about it?" His wife replies: "No." Philpott then says: "It's your decision."
