A man who murdered his ex-partner's sister and her three children by setting fire to their home in Bradford has been given a whole-life order, meaning he will never be released from prison. Sharaz Ali, 40, was sentenced at Doncaster Crown Court on Friday for the arson attack that killed Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and Aubree Birtle, 22 months.
The court heard that Ali was motivated by jealousy and fuelled by drink and drugs when he poured petrol around the house in the early hours of 21 August 2024. His ex-partner, Antonia Gawith, who had ended an abusive seven-year relationship with him, managed to escape but her sister and children died. The judge, Mr Justice Hilliard, said Ali intended to 'wipe out a family' and viewed the children as 'acceptable collateral damage' due to his hatred for Bryonie, whom he blamed for the breakup.
Antonia Gawith told the hearing she was 'haunted' because she was the intended target. 'Knowing they died because someone wanted to kill me is a torment I can never put into words,' she said. She described Bryonie as having 'warmth that could fill a room' and said the children were 'my babies, my joy'. The judge praised Bryonie's courage, noting she stayed in the house to protect her children rather than flee.
Calum Sunderland, 27, who accompanied Ali and kicked in the door, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years for manslaughter. The judge said Sunderland knew the house was occupied and agreed to an 'extraordinarily dangerous' scheme. Ali, a drug dealer, suffered severe burns in the fire and was initially not expected to survive, but recovered enough to be tried.
