Fire death father had won childcare battle

A PENSIONER feared killed in a devastating house fire along with five children was understood to have been at the centre of an emotional legal battle.

David Cuthbertson is believed to have died when flames tore through his converted barn in mid-wales, where he lived with eight of his 17 children, shortly after midnight on Monday.

Three of the children, aged 13, 12 and 10, managed to escape from the burning building, but five others, aged 11 to four years old, are feared to have been killed

It is understood that Mr Cuthbertson, 68, had only won the right to care for his children in recent years, following a protracted legal battle with social services.

Neighbours said that Mr Cuthbertson had fought to have custody of the children when they were taken into care after their mother – his former partner – suffered a severe stroke.

Ella Robinson, 65, who previously lived near Mr Cuthbertson’s home at Pointyn Farm, just outside the village of Llangammarch Wells, said: “They were a lovely family and David was a good father. David wanted custody of them – he wanted them to stay with him.”

Another neighbour added: “His children were his life. I remember the day he was awarded custody. He could not stop smiling”.

Mr Cuthbertson had nine grown-up children from two previous relationships.