A British couple are facing long jail terms for starting a fire that killed six of their children, in what prosecutors say was an attention-grabbing stunt gone tragically wrong, The Associated Press reported.

Mick and Mairead Philpott have been convicted of manslaughter over the May 2012 fire in Derby, central England.

The deaths of the children, aged 5 to 13, and the twisting saga that ensued have horrified and fascinated Britain.

Prosecutors said the couple hatched a plan to start the gasoline-fueled fire and then rescue the children, pinning blame on Mick Philpott's former mistress.

The trial exposed details of an unorthodox life in which Mick Philpott — who had 17 children with five women — lived with both his wife and girlfriend in a small house.

The couple will be sentenced Wednesday.