On August 21, 2024, a devastating act of violence tore through a quiet Bradford neighborhood, leaving a family shattered and a community in mourning. The flames that engulfed the home on Westbury Road that night claimed the lives of Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her three young children: Denisty Birtle, aged nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle. The tragedy, which unfolded in the early hours, was not the result of an accident. Instead, it was a deliberate act of arson, fueled by jealousy and substance abuse, and aimed at inflicting maximum pain on a family already fractured by abuse.
This week, justice caught up with the perpetrators. Sharaz Ali, 40, has been found guilty at Doncaster Crown Court of four counts of murder and the attempted murder of his ex-partner, Antonia Gawith—Bryonie’s sister, who managed to escape the inferno. According to Sky News, prosecutors described Ali as “motivated by jealousy and fuelled by drink and drugs,” bent on revenge after Antonia ended their seven-year abusive relationship earlier that month. The court heard that Ali’s actions were calculated and chilling, with his intent to take revenge on Antonia leading to the deaths of her sister and young nieces and nephew.
Ali did not act alone. Calum Sunderland, 26, accompanied him to the house that night. Sunderland, a convicted arsonist and someone who had sold drugs for Ali in the past, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Bryonie and her three children, but cleared of murder and attempted murder charges. As reported by BBC News, Sunderland claimed during the trial that he believed he was enlisted to “burn a car” and would never have participated had he known people were inside the house. Despite his claims, the jury found that his actions contributed to the tragedy, though not with the intent required for a murder conviction.
The details of the crime are harrowing. Ali and Sunderland, driven by Mohammed Shabir—who would later die of a heart attack in prison—stopped en route to fill a seven-litre canister with petrol at a station in Keighley. Doorbell footage revealed Ali instructing Sunderland to “kick the door in,” which Sunderland did before fleeing the scene. Ali then entered the house, where Antonia Gawith confronted him in a desperate attempt to protect her family. She tried to wrestle the canister and lighter from Ali’s hands, even running outside in an effort to lure him away from the house. But Ali, described by Crown prosecutor Amanda McInnes as a “selfish killer who had no regard for anyone but himself,” began pouring petrol inside while shouting. In the chaos, he set himself and the house ablaze.
Antonia managed to escape, but Bryonie and her three children, who were asleep upstairs, were unable to get out. Jurors were told that the children likely lost consciousness quickly due to smoke inhalation, a small mercy in an otherwise unspeakable ordeal. Antonia’s attempts to save her family were frantic and desperate. In a video interview played to the jury, she sobbed, “I was just screaming, trying to get back in the house and I couldn’t get in. I couldn’t save them,” Sky News reported. Her words captured the anguish of a moment that would forever alter her life.
Ali suffered burns to 80% of his body and was placed in an induced coma for four months. Medics initially believed he would not survive. When the verdict was delivered on December 10, 2025, Ali appeared via video link from prison, visibly emotional as the jury filed into the courtroom. The trial itself, presided over by Mr Justice Hilliard, was described as “distressing beyond measure.” The judge praised the “extraordinary bravery” of those who tried to save the children and noted, “I don’t think anyone who heard Antonia’s desperate cries for help will ever forget them. These are truly dreadful crimes.”
Outside the court, Antonia Gawith read a statement on behalf of her grieving family. “Even with justice, nothing will ever make this right,” she said. “Nothing will ever fill the silence where their laughter should be. Nothing will ever bring back our family. We will forever carry this brokenness, and yet we will hold on to them tightly in only ways we can now, through our memories, our photos and our precious videos. Those are all we have left now.” She also paid tribute to her sister, saying, “Our beautiful B was the glue that held us all together. She was the best daughter, sister, aunty and most of all the most devoted mother to her three children. They were her world and she lived every day to love and protect them. The children will never grow up, never experience life in all the ways they deserve.”
West Yorkshire Police’s Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Atkinson condemned the “horrific and truly callous actions” of Ali and Sunderland. “They left a mum and her three children completely helpless whilst her sister and their Auntie watched on in horror,” Atkinson said. “Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family, who despite their immense strength of character now face the rest of their lives without them.”
The trial also revealed the role of Mohammed Shabir, 45, who was due to stand trial but died of a heart attack in prison in October 2025. His involvement as the driver who transported Ali and Sunderland to the scene added another layer of tragedy to an already grim case.
Throughout the proceedings, the prosecution emphasized that Ali’s actions were not only premeditated but also reckless in the extreme. He sent a series of aggressive messages to Antonia, accusing her of being with someone else, and was described as wanting to “inflict maximum pain.” Sunderland, for his part, refused to answer many questions during cross-examination, maintaining he “didn’t know” about Ali’s personal life and insisting he would not have participated had he known the true plan.
Both Ali and Sunderland are due to be sentenced at a later date. The community of Bradford, meanwhile, continues to reckon with the loss. The case stands as a grim reminder of the devastating consequences of domestic violence, jealousy, and substance abuse, and the enduring pain inflicted on those left behind. As the judge noted, the courage of those who tried to intervene and the resilience of the surviving family members offer a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark chapter.
The echoes of that night, and the lives lost, will not soon be forgotten in Bradford or beyond.
