Family handoutA man who was allegedly recruited for a house fire murder plot has denied that he would “kill people for crack cocaine”, saying: “I’d rather go rob a bank.”
Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty, nine, Oscar, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle died in the blaze at their home on Westbury Road, Bradford, in August last year.
Sharaz Ali, 40, and Calum Sunderland, 26, deny four counts of murder and the attempted murder of Bryonie’s sister, Antonia Gawith, and attempting to cause her grievous bodily harm.
Mr Sunderland stopped answering questions for a second day in his trial, telling jurors at Doncaster Crown Court: “I’m not a murderer.”
Prosecutors allege Sharaz Ali recruited drug addict Mr Sunderland for a revenge attack on his former partner Antonia Gawith.
Antonia had been staying with her sister Bryonie after ending her relationship with Mr Ali.
The trial was adjourned on Tuesday after Mr Sunderland refused to answer any more questions from prosecutor David Brooke KC.
He resumed cross examination on Wednesday, but left the witness box after an hour, repeatedly saying he did not want to answer any more questions.
He returned in the afternoon for half an hour before asking to be taken back to prison.
He confirmed he understood that the jury could draw a negative inference if he refused to answer questions, and that the trial could continue in his absence if he did not attend.
At one point in Mr Brooke’s questioning, Mr Sunderland said: “He’s implied throughout the week that I killed people for crack. I’d rather go rob a bank.”
He told Mr Brooke: “You’re drilling me more than you drilled him [Mr Ali]. At the end of the day I didn’t set no fire, I didn’t pour no petrol, it makes no sense.”
On Monday, Mr Sunderland said he had been recruited by Mr Ali to “burn a car” and would never have gone if he had known there were people in the house.
He said he and Mr Ali were “part of the drug world” and that he had bought drugs from Mr Ali as well as selling drugs for him.
He told the court: “I didn’t know his personal life.”
Asked by Mr Brooke if he “didn’t really care as long as he got paid”, Mr Sunderland said: “If that was the case why didn’t I just go and rob my mum’s house?
“There’s quicker ways to make money.”
‘Catastrophic blaze’
Doorbell camera footage shows Mr Sunderland walking up to the property, holding a petrol canister, kicking the door down when told to do so by Mr Ali, and then running off.
The court has heard that after Mr Ali went into the house and started pouring petrol around inside, as well as on himself and Antonia, she ran outside in an attempt to lure him out.
Mr Ali stayed in the house and used a lighter to start a “catastrophic” blaze which killed Bryonie and her three children.
Mr Ali is accused of deliberately setting fire to the house but he told the trial he had wanted to kill himself in front of Antonia and had only intended to set himself alight.
Mr Ali, of no fixed address, and Mr Sunderland, of Calton Street, Keighley, deny all charges. The trial continues.
Mohammed Shabir, 45, who drove Mr Sunderland and Mr Ali to the house, and who had been due to go on trial with them, died of a heart attack while on remand.
Additional reporting by PA Media.
