Mick Philpott's Son Aidan Changes Name and says: 'He's Dead to Me'

One of Mick Philpott's surviving sons has decided to change his name to remove any association with the Derby child killer.

Philpott's former partner Heather Kehoe said her son Aidan was appalled by his father, who last week was sentenced to life imprisonment for starting the house fire which killed six of his other children.

"He has spending a lot of time in his room crying", Kehoe said. "My son hates Philpott. As far as he's concerned, he's dead."

Kehoe added that Aidan was a "good lad", and would not grow up to be "like his dad".

Kehoe was 14 when she got into a relationship with Philpott, who was then 37. Two years later, Kehoe ran away from her parents to live with Philpott, where she gave birth to two sons in quick succession.

Philpott eventually became abusive, because he wanted a daughter and resorted to violence to produce more children.

Philpott, his wife Mairead and friend Paul Mosley have been sentenced to lengthy prison sentences, and both husband and wife are being kept on suicide watch.

Mairead and Mosley were both given 17 years in jail for working in tandem with Philpott to plan the fire, which broke out last May.

Philpott's oldest David, 26, has also decided to stay away from his father in the wake of last week's sentencing. Like his step-brother Aidan, David Philpott said his father was "dead" to him after what he had done to his young brothers.

David said: "Because of him, half my family is gone. I've lost my five little brothers and a sister. It's heartbreaking because they were just starting out their lives."

David said he wouldn't know what to say if he met his father in prison. He said his father "deserved to be in prison" and would prefer not to meet him there.

"I wouldn't know what to say (if I went to jail to meet my father). I'd just get angry," he added.

Philpott had relationships with host of women, but eventually married Mairead in 2003.