Family handoutA man accused of murder over a fatal fire which killed a mother and her three children has told a court he thought he was going to “burn a car”.
Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty, nine, Oscar, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle all died in the fire at their home on Westbury Road in Bradford in August 2024.
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 told a jury at Doncaster Crown Court he would never have accompanied Mr Ali if he had known there were people in the house.
Prosecutors argue Mr Ali had recruited drug addict Mr Sunderland to take part in a revenge attack on his former partner Antonia Gawith.
Ms Gawith was staying with her sister at the time of the fire after ending her and Mr Ali’s relationship.
The jury heard how Mr Sunderland kicked in the door of the property before Mr Ali entered and began pouring petrol around, on himself and on Antonia Gawith.
She tried to lure him outside but he stayed inside and used a lighter to begin the blaze trapping Ms Gawith and her children upstairs, the court heard.
Mr Sunderland was seen on doorbell camera footage walking up to the house holding the petrol canister, kicking the door down when instructed by Mr Ali, and then running off.
In evidence, Mr Sunderland said on the night of the fire, he was approached by Mr Ali and his friend Mohammed Shabir, who asked if he wanted to make some money.
“He asked me to go light up a car. He said he would pay me a few hundred pounds.
“I said yeah, because I wanted some money.”
He said Mr Shabir drove the three of them from Keighley to Bradford, stopping at a petrol station on the way where Mr Ali told him to fill a canister with petrol.
Mr Sunderland said he did not know whose car he was going to torch and did not ask.
He said when they arrived at the house on Westbury Road, Mr Ali told him the residents were on holiday and they would have to go through the house to get the car out of the garage.
Nicholas Worsley KC, defending, asked him what he thought he was going to do.
“Go burn a car,” replied the defendant.
“As soon as we got on the driveway there was no car.
“(Ali) asked me to kick the door down, but I didn’t really want to kick the door down.
“I said something to him and he said if you don’t do what I want I won’t give you your money.
“So I kicked the door but when I kicked the door there was someone on the stairs shouting, so I ran off.
“If I’d known that [there was anyone in the house] I wouldn’t have kicked the door.”
CPSHe said after he had run off he returned to the car, believing Mr Ali would have also fled, and Mr Shabir drove back to Keighley where he gave him a “couple of quid”.
Mr Sunderland said he used to break car windows for money, which he would use to buy drugs, and was once paid £150 by a friend of Mr Ali to torch a car.
He denied seeing anyone in the street shouting as the fire began and said he did not find out about it for two days.
When asked about the differing accounts he gave in police interviews, he said he lied because he was scared.
“I didn’t want to be accused of murder. I felt ashamed. I felt like it were my fault,” he told the court.
Mr Ali, of no fixed address, and Mr Sunderland, of Calton Street in Keighley, both deny the charges against them.
Mr Shabir, 45, who had been due to go on trial with them, died of a heart attack while on remand.
The trial continues.
Additional reporting by PA Media.
