The trial of two men accused of a devastating house fire that claimed the lives of a mother and her three children in Bradford has gripped the community, with harrowing testimony and chilling details emerging in court. As the proceedings at Doncaster Crown Court continue, the case has shone a spotlight on the tragic consequences of violence, addiction, and desperation—leaving loved ones and neighbors searching for answers in the ashes of an unthinkable loss.
In August 2024, a fire tore through a home on Westbury Road in Bradford, killing 29-year-old Bryonie Gawith and her three children: Denisty, nine; Oscar, five; and Aubree Birtle, just 22 months old. The only adult survivor, Bryonie’s sister Antonia Gawith, managed to escape the flames. Prosecutors allege that the fire was not a random accident but a calculated act of revenge orchestrated by Sharaz Ali, 40, against his former partner, Antonia Gawith. The prosecution contends that Ali recruited Calum Sunderland, a 26-year-old convicted arsonist, to help carry out the attack. Both men deny four counts of murder, the attempted murder of Antonia Gawith, and attempting to cause her grievous bodily harm.
According to BBC and reporting by PA Media, the prosecution’s case is built on a sequence of events that began when Ali, allegedly seeking retribution after Antonia ended their relationship, sought out Sunderland and his friend Mohammed Shabir. Sunderland, who has a history of breaking car windows and committing arson for money to fund his drug addiction, testified that he was approached by Ali and Shabir on the night of the fire with an offer to “burn a car” in exchange for a few hundred pounds. “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,” Sunderland told the court, as quoted by BBC.
The trio’s journey from Keighley to Bradford included a stop at a petrol station, where Sunderland was instructed to fill a canister with petrol. CCTV footage shown to the jury captured Sunderland at the pump, canister in hand. The plan, Sunderland claimed, was to torch a car parked in a garage at the Westbury Road property. Ali allegedly assured Sunderland that the residents were on holiday and that they would need to go through the house to reach the car. Sunderland said he did not question whose car it was or why it needed to be burned, a detail that speaks to the desperation and detachment that can accompany addiction.
Upon arrival at the house, the situation took a grim turn. Doorbell camera footage presented in court showed Sunderland walking up to the house with the petrol canister, kicking the door down on Ali’s instruction, and then running off. Sunderland recounted the moment in court: “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.”
Prosecutors allege that after Sunderland fled, Ali entered the house, poured petrol around the premises—including on himself and Antonia Gawith—and used a lighter to ignite the blaze. Antonia managed to escape, but Bryonie and her children were trapped upstairs, unable to flee the inferno. The court heard that Ali was later rescued from the burning house by police officers and suffered extensive burns.
Sunderland’s testimony painted a picture of a man deeply entrenched in addiction and criminality, but also haunted by guilt and shame. He admitted to previously being paid £150 by a friend of Ali’s to torch a car, an act that resulted in a conviction for arson. On the night of the fatal fire, Sunderland said he was not friends with Ali, though they had drunk together and taken cocaine “twice at most.” He described returning to the car after fleeing the house, believing Ali had also run off, and then being driven back to Keighley by Shabir. “He gave me a couple of quid and a few cigs before I left,” Sunderland told the court, according to BBC and other sources.
It wasn’t until two days later, Sunderland claimed, that he learned of the fire’s deadly outcome. Overcome with remorse, he told the court he took an overdose before his arrest: “I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up…Because four people had just died.” Sunderland also addressed the inconsistencies in his police interviews, saying, “I didn’t want to be accused of murder. I felt ashamed. I felt like it were my fault.”
The trial has also been marked by the death of Mohammed Shabir, who was due to be tried alongside Ali and Sunderland. Shabir died of a heart attack while on remand, leaving many questions about his precise role in the events of that night unanswered.
Throughout the proceedings, the community’s grief has been palpable. Dozens of tributes—flowers, cards, and stuffed animals—were left outside the blackened, burnt-out home, a stark reminder of the lives lost and the families shattered. The case has also reignited conversations about domestic violence, the dangers of addiction, and the vulnerabilities that can be exploited when desperation meets opportunity.
The defense has sought to distance Sunderland from the intent to harm, emphasizing his claim that he believed he was only going to “burn a car” and would never have participated had he known people were inside the house. Yet the prosecution maintains that the evidence, including surveillance footage and Sunderland’s own admissions, points to a deliberate act of violence with catastrophic consequences.
As the trial continues, the court—and the wider public—await a verdict that will determine not only the fate of the accused but also, perhaps, offer a measure of closure to a community still reeling from tragedy. The story serves as a somber reminder of how quickly lives can be upended by a single, irreversible act, and how the search for justice can be as complex and fraught as the events that demand it.
For now, the charred remains of the Gawith home stand as both a memorial and a warning, as Bradford and the nation watch and wait for the final chapter in this heartbreaking case.
