EIGHTEEN jurors have been selected for the trial of a former Mansfield man and his wife who are accused of killing their six children in a house fire.
Mick and Mairead Philpott, aged 56 and 31, have both denied six separate counts of manslaughter in relation to the blaze that killed their children last May.
A third defendant, 45-year-old Paul Mosley, has also pleaded not guilty to the unlawful killing of the youngsters.
Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five, all died in the fire at their parents’ semi-detached house in Victory Road, Allenton, Derby, in the early hours of 11th May.
Their older brother Duwayne, 13, died of his injuries in Birmingham Children’s Hospital two days later.
At Nottinghham Crown Court today (Monday) a panel of 60 jurors was reduced to 18 who will all hear the prosecution’s opening of the case tomorrow.
The jury will then be reduced to 12 for the remainder of the trial.
Each possible juror was asked to fill in a questionnaire and given the names of over 100 witnesses who could be called to give evidence.
The trial is expected to last six weeks but could break during Easter and continue on the week beginning 3rd April.