The parents of six children killed in a house fire will go on trial for their murder next year. At a preliminary hearing at Nottingham crown court on Monday, Mick Philpott, 55, and his wife Mairead, 31, who was wearing a crucifix necklace, were told they would go on trial in January.
The couple are charged with murder following a blaze at their home on Victory Road in Allenton, Derby, on 11 May.
Jade Philpott, 10, and brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jessie, six and Jayden, five, all died in the fire. Duwayne, 13, died in Birmingham children's hospital two days later.
The public gallery was full of onlookers for the short hearing, but there were no outbursts, unlike at previous court hearings.
The judge, the Honourable Mr Justice Colman Treacy, said they would go on trial for murder on 14 January next year.
No applications were made for bail. The couple were remanded into custody until their next court appearance at Nottingham crown court, for a plea and case management hearing, on 5 November.
Meanwhile, church officials confirmed the couple would not be attending the children's funeral service, which takes place on Friday in Derby.
The Roman Catholic diocese of Nottingham said the funeral service at St Mary's Catholic church would be followed by burials at Derby's Nottingham Road cemetery. Father Alan Burbidge, the family priest who will be conducting the service, said the funeral would take place at the church at 11am.
"The family have chosen that church as a venue because they are Catholic children and they wanted a full requiem mass in a Catholic church," he added.
The prison service has not confirmed if the Philpotts have applied for leave to attend the funeral but said a risk assessment would be carried out if an application was made.
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