A mother who played a part in the death of her six children was seen drinking a pint at a pub with a friend.
Mairead Philpott, 40, who was release from prison in November after half her 17-year sentence, was enjoying a snakebite and black.
Following the trip to the Lock, Stock and Barrel in Newbury, Berkshire, Mairead went shopping, The Sun reported.
Mairead was jailed over a 2012 fire in Allenton, Derby, that killed Duwayne Philpott, 13, his sister Jade, 10, and brothers Jack, nine, John, eight, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five.
Mairead Philpott, 40, who was release from prison in November after half her 17-year sentence after a house fire which killed her six children, enjoyed a pint at a pub in Newbury with a friend
Her husband Mick led her and their friend Mosely in a scheme to get a bigger council house by burning down the home and framing ex-lover Lisa Willis.
His intention was to rescue the sleeping children through an upstairs window of the three-bed council home but it went disastrously wrong and the youngsters all died from smoke inhalation.
She kept wearing her face covering at the venue amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, lowering it to drink and eat her lasagne, peas and potato wedges.
An onlooker told The Sun: ‘She seemed nervous about being recognised. But there was no mistaking her when she pulled her mask down to eat and drink.
Mairead sported a face covering amid the ongoing pandemic, lowering it to drink and eat her lasagne, potato wedges and peas
Mairead was jailed over a 2012 fire in Allenton, Derby, that killed their children. Her husband Mick (pictured together) led her and their friend Mosely in a scheme to get a bigger council house by burning down the home and framing ex-lover Lisa Willis
‘Once she had been there for a while, she started laughing and joking with her friend.
‘It was pretty sickening to see her though, especially in such a lovely spot at a pub beside a river.’
Mairead was said to be ‘delighted’ at being given her earliest possible release date from HMP Send in Surrey in November.
She was due to stay at a bail hostel for three months before being freed under a new name. She had a 7pm to 7am curfew.
The couple’s six children – Duwayne, 13, Jade, 10, John, nine, Jack, seven, Jesse, six, and Jayden, five – died from smoke inhalation as a result of the blaze
Mick’s intention was to rescue the sleeping children through an upstairs window (the house, pictured) but it went disastrously wrong and the youngsters all died from smoke inhalation
Earlier this month, Mairead was seen enjoying a £5.19 McChicken sandwich and fries meal which was delivered by bicycle to the hostel where she is staying in the south of England.
She also enjoyed a pink birthday cake, as she turned 40, The Mirror reported.
At the end of last month, she was seen enjoying a shopping trip while sporting the new darker hair colour.
She covered her face with a blue mask but her new hair was on show and struck a stark change from her former red locks.
A source told The Sun: ‘She is being eased back into life in the community.
Mairead was said to be ‘delighted’ at being given her earliest possible release date from HMP Send in Surrey in November. Pictured: The coffins of her children after the blaze
Mick, who had previously been jailed for stabbing his schoolgirl lover 27 times, wove a web of lies trying to get away with the crime. Pictured: The aftermath of the fire
‘If she continues to comply with her probation requirements she will be able to slip back into life somewhere largely undetected. She’s very much hoping for a fresh start.’
News of her release was slammed by the Centre For Crime Prevention think-tank, which said in November: ‘This is not justice.’
The taxpayer covered the thousands of pounds worth of costs for her to stay in the hostel with a new identity.
Initially, Mairead and Mick Philpott received an outpouring of sympathy, and wept at a press conference as they appealed for help to find the culprits.
But their behaviour later aroused suspicions and the pair were subsequently charged alongside Mosely.
Duwayne Philpott, 13, died in a special burns unit in Birmingham. Family liaison officers had to persuade Mick to go visit his dying son
Jess Philpott, six, left, and Jayden Philpott, five, were the two youngest of the Philpott children to die in the fire
At Mick’s sentencing, the judge described the plot as ‘a wicked and dangerous plan’ that was ‘outside the comprehension of any right-thinking person’.
She said there was ‘no precedent’ for the case, describing it as a ‘uniquely grave set of offences’.
The Philpotts and Mosely were found guilty of manslaughter. Mick was sentenced to life in prison and Mairead and Mosely to 17 years. The couple later divorced.
The father-of-seventeen, who married Mairead in 2003, used his children to rake in an astonishing £60,000 a year in benefits.
Mairead and Mick roused the suspicions of journalists and investigators with their ‘crocodile tears during a press conference about the blaze in May 2012
Mick, who had previously been jailed for stabbing his schoolgirl lover 27 times, wove a web of lies trying to get away with the crime.
He even plotted to ‘get rich quick’ off generous donations from the local community meant to pay for the funerals of his children.
David Spencer at the Centre for Crime Prevention said in November: ‘It makes an absolute mockery of the UK’s criminal justice system.
‘She has served barely more than a year for each of the six innocent lives she callously took away.’
The horrific scene inside the property where the fire was started and killed six children
