Man ‘who started house fire killing three kids’ meant to set himself alight to get revenge on ex, court told

A man accused of killing his former partner’s sister and her three children in a house fire was trying to set himself alight, a court was told.

Sharaz Ali, 40, is alleged to have set fire to the home of 29-year-old Bryonie Gawith and her three small children – Denisty, nine, Oscar, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle – in the early hours of August 21 last year, killing all four.

His acts were ‘motivated by jealousy and fuelled by drink and drugs’, prosecutors said.

After his ‘abusive’ seven-year relationship ended earlier that month, Ali is accused of going to the Bradford house to ‘take revenge’ on his former partner, Bryonie’s sister, Antonia Gawith.

Antonia was staying at her sister’s house at the time.

Doncaster Crown Court heard evidence from Ali today as he sat in a wheelchair, dressed in a grey sweatshirt and trousers.

He said he had taken cocaine and drank vodka before travelling to the house with a canister of petrol and a lighter after Antonia told him she wanted to separate.

‘To set myself alight,’ was what Ali said when questioned about what his intention was with the petrol.

The court heard that Ali had decided the day before the fire that he wanted to die by suicide by setting himself on fire in front of Antonia.

He said his motivation for this was ‘because I love her and I want to see her.’

During a ‘scuffle’, Antonia tried to grab the canister from him and the fuel was ‘splashing out’ on the pair before he pushed her out of the house, the court heard.

Ali explained why he pushed her: ‘I didn’t want her to get hurt and I knew what I was going to do.

‘Basically I looked around, she was outside, by that time Bryonie was back at the top of the stairs and I put it next to my chest and I just lit it.’

When asked by Mohammed Nawaz KC, defending, if he deliberately poured petrol inside the house, Ali said no.

The jurors heard that a month before the fire, the couple argued while Antonia was on holiday without him.

In a text message, Antonia told him ‘I don’t love you anymore’ and that she wanted to separate.

Ali did not want the relationship to end but told her he would move out when he got paid by universal credit.

The court heard that three days before the alleged attack, Ali messaged Antonia saying: ‘I know who caused all this in my life whether they meant to or not they better start praying.

‘I promise you one thing they’re going to regret it, not going to look back, love you xx.’

He accepted sending the message and said that he was upset but ‘it was an empty threat, that wasn’t meant to mean anything.’

The couple spoke ‘shortly after’ the message was sent via a WhatsApp call, where he insisted to Antonia that he meant nothing by it.

Ali said the key cause of the couple’s arguments was his drinking and cocaine use, but he denied striking her and preventing her from seeing friends and family during their relationship.

Ali and Calum Sunderland are charged with murdering Bryonie and her three children, and attempting to murder Antonia.

Another man, Mohammed Shabir, 45, was due to go to trial with the other two defendants, but he died of a heart attack last month after collapsing in prison.

Shabir drove to and from the house and Sunderland kicked the house’s door in, prosecutors said.

The court previously heard that Ali was rescued from the fire by police officers who had arrived at the scene first, that he was arrested at the scene and refused treatment from paramedics.

Ali and Sunderland deny the charges.

Samaritans are here to listen, day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org for more information.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@usnewsrank.com.

For more stories like this, check our news page.