🔴 Jealous Ex ‘Torches Home’, Killing Mum & Three Children
A raging 2am house fire, a bitter breakup & a deadly revenge mission — prosecutors say a jealous ex ignited the blaze that left a mum & three children dead.
A mother and her three young children were killed after her sister’s ex-partner allegedly poured petrol through their home and set it alight in the early hours of the morning, a murder trial has heard.
Bryonie Gawith, 29, her children Denisty, nine, Oscar, five, and 22-month-old Aubree died in the blaze at their house on Westbury Road, Bradford, on 21 August last year. The only adult to escape was Bryonie’s sister Antonia Gawith, who prosecutors say was the intended target.
Doncaster Crown Court heard that Sharaz Ali, 40, acted out of jealousy and a desire for “revenge” after Antonia ended their relationship. He is accused of driving to the property with Calum Sunderland, 26, in the early hours, forcing entry, and igniting a petrol-fuelled fire that rapidly engulfed the home.
Both men are charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. They deny all charges.
A third man, Mohammed Shabir, 45, who prosecutors say was acting as the driver, died of a heart attack in prison last month before the case came to trial.
Ring doorbell footage captured the break-in
Opening the case to jurors, prosecutor David Brooke KC said Ali and Sunderland travelled from Keighley shortly before 2am, stopping to buy a seven-litre can of petrol on the way.
Ring doorbell footage allegedly shows the pair approaching the property. On the recording, Ali can be heard instructing Sunderland to “kick the door in”. Sunderland then forced the front door with a kick before running back to the waiting car, the court heard.
Ali is said to have entered the house with the petrol can, poured fuel around the hallway and ground floor, and set it alight. Flames took hold within seconds.
“Sharaz Ali was himself caught by his own actions and was later pulled out of the house by police, badly injured,” Mr Brooke told the jury. Sunderland and Shabir allegedly fled the scene immediately, driving back towards Bradford.
Firefighters arrived to find the terraced house fully alight. Despite attempts to reach those inside, Bryonie and all three children died.
“Motivated by jealousy” after break-up
Mr Brooke said the Crown’s case was that Ali had decided to take revenge on Antonia, who had ended their seven-year relationship shortly before the fire.
“The main mover in what happened was plainly Sharaz Ali,” he told jurors. “Motivated by jealousy and fuelled by drink and drugs, he decided to take revenge regardless of the consequences.”
“When you look at what he did there is only one sensible conclusion: he went to the house intending to kill at least Antonia by burning it down. Tragically, he killed her sister and three small children.”
The court heard that Ali and Antonia’s relationship had been “abusive”, with arguments frequently triggered by Ali’s drinking. Bryonie had encouraged her sister to leave the relationship on several occasions.
Break-up triggered while on holiday
Jurors were told that Antonia had finally decided to end the relationship while she was on holiday with Bryonie and the children in August last year. Ali had phoned her while drunk, sparking “yet another argument”, the court heard.
When she returned to the UK, she chose to stay with Bryonie temporarily while Ali moved out of her home. But prosecutors say Ali continued to bombard her with calls and texts in the following days, becoming increasingly aggressive.
On the night of the fire, Ali allegedly exchanged calls with Sunderland before texting Antonia shortly after midnight asking what time she finished work. Further messages followed that were, according to prosecutors, “more aggressive”.
Only Antonia survived
Antonia, who had been sleeping upstairs, managed to escape the blaze by jumping from a first-floor window. She suffered injuries but survived.
Her sister and her three nieces and nephew were trapped inside.
The charred remains of the house later became a focal point for floral tributes, with neighbours describing the children as “lovely”, “lively” and “always smiling”.
Ali and Sunderland both deny murder and attempted murder. Defence teams are expected to challenge the prosecution’s account and the roles each man is alleged to have played.
The trial continues.
