Sister’s ‘jealous’ ex lit fatal Bradford house fire, jury told

A mum and her three children were murdered in a fire after her sister’s “jealous” ex-partner broke into their home and set it alight, a trial has heard.

Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children, Denisty, nine, Oscar, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle, all died in the fire on Westbury Road in Bradford in August last year.

A jury at Doncaster Crown Court heard that Sharaz Ali, 40, was the “main mover” who had decided to “take revenge” on Antonia Gawith – his ex-partner and Bryonie’s sister – who was the only one to escape.

Mr Ali, of Bradford, and Calum Sunderland, 26, of Keighley, deny four counts of murder, the attempted murder of Antonia Gawith and attempting to cause her grievous bodily harm.

On the opening day of the trial on Tuesday, prosecutor David Brooke KC told the court that Mr Ali was “motivated by jealousy and fuelled by drink and drugs” and had “decided to take revenge on his ex-partner Antonia regardless of the potential consequences for others”.

Mr Brooke told jurors that Mr Ali, of no fixed address, poured petrol in the house and set light to it just after 02:00 BST on 21 August 2024.

Bryonie Gawith and her three children died in the “catastrophic” fire, while her sister, Antonia, was the only one to get out, the prosecutor told the jury.

Mr Brooke said Antonia Gawith had been in a relationship with Mr Ali for seven years, but he was abusive, exacerbated by his drinking, and she had decided to separate from him and stay with her sister, Bryonie.

The jury heard from the prosecutor that doorbell footage from the night of the fire had showed Mr Sunderland, of Calton Street in Keighley, carrying a canister containing seven litres of petrol.

Mr Sunderland was heard being ordered by Mr Ali to “kick the door in”, which he did before running back to the car.

The prosecutor told the court that Mr Ali “proceeded to pour petrol in the house and set light to it”, but was “caught by his own actions” and he was later pulled out of the house by police officers, badly injured.

Mr Brooke said to jurors that it was “a particularly horrifying case”, and they would be shown upsetting material.

However, they must leave any natural emotion to one side when they considered their verdicts, he explained.

The court was told that a third man, Mohammed Amjid Shabir, had driven Mr Ali and Mr Sunderland to the scene and would have been on trial with the other two men, but had since died from natural causes.

The trial continues.