Mum of three ‘acted with immense courage’ as her killer poured petrol around | UK | News

A woman whose sister, nieces and nephews were killed when her abusive ex-partner set her house on fire in a jealous rage has said she was “haunted” as the target of the attack as she was given a life sentence. Sharaz Ali was jailed after setting fire to the home of Bryonie Gawith and her three young children in the early hours of August 21, 2024. The court heard Ali went there to “take revenge” on his ex-girlfriend Antonia Gawith, who was staying with his sister after ending their abusive seven-year relationship.

While Antonia managed to escape the fire, Bryonie, 29, and her three children – Denisty Birtle, 9, Oscar Birtle, 5, and Aubree Birtle, 22 months, were trapped upstairs and could not be rescued. On Friday, Ali, 40, was given a life sentence for killing Bryonie and the children and attempting to kill Antonia.

Calum Sunderland, 26, who went to the house with Ali and kicked in the door for him, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years for manslaughter.

Antonia tearfully told the hearing that Bryonie’s children were “my babies, my joy” and that “knowing they died because someone wanted to kill me was a torture I can never put into words.”

Sitting in a wheelchair on the dock, Ali looked down and appeared to start crying as the dock officer, sitting between him and Sunderland, read out a personal statement given by the Antonia victim to Doncaster Crown Court.

“What bothered me the most was that the attack was directed at me. I was the target, gasoline was poured on me, and my life was going to end that night.”

Antonia continued: “I can’t escape the thought that I was saved when they were taken away. How can I move on when they don’t have a chance?”

Sobs could be heard from the family in the public gallery as Antonia said Bryonie “had a warmth that could fill a room and a heart big enough to sacrifice the world if she could.”

He said he was told Bryonie and Denisty died at the scene, while Oscar and Aubree died in the hospital, and said: “I could only sit there broken as pieces of my heart were ripped out.”

The judge, Mr Justice Hilliard, said Ali’s intention was to “destroy a family” and that the three children were “acceptable collateral damage” because Ali was “so filled with hatred for Bryonie”, whom he blamed for the separation, and ruled that if he could not be with Antonia, no one else could.

He said Bryonie “acted with tremendous courage” by staying home with her children after she saw Ali pouring gasoline around.

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Mr Justice Hilliard said: “There was no way Mr Ali could have run away from home and left his children alone, even though he knew what to do.”

“She stayed at the top of the stairs to protect them. Bryonie acted with great courage. I hope this is how her family remembers her last moments. She was determined to protect her children if possible. She begged Mr Ali to stop but he completely ignored her.”

The judge said there had been “significant preliminary preparation” for the murders, adding: “I am sure, on all the evidence, that (Ali) was determined to burn down the house and everyone in it, including the children, unless Antonia changed her mind. She did not do this.”

He said he was sure Sunderland “knew the house was being invaded” and agreed to an “extraordinarily dangerous” plan, adding: “He played with fire and four people died as a result.”

Prosecutor David Brooke KC said there were features of the case that would “justify consideration of a whole life order”, including the level of pre-meditation shown by Ali as he drove a “significant distance” home and stopped for petrol along the way.

He said the murders were “particularly brutal” and that Ali pouring petrol on Antonia showed “intent to kill by excruciatingly painful means”.

Mr Brooke said the jury was “protected” from the children’s suffering because what sounded like a child’s scream was silenced in the 999 call during the trial.

He told the court Ali caused mental pain to Bryonie and at least one of the children, who “begged him to stop”.

“Sadly we say it is clear that at least one child has woken up,” Mr Brooke said.

“Although the pathologist’s opinion was that the children would succumb fairly quickly, the children’s screams could be heard, which were muted for the jury.”

Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Atkinson, who led the investigation ahead of the sentencing hearing, said Ali knew the children were in the house and “knew there was no way they could escape”.

Drug dealer Ali was rescued from the fire by police teams but was seriously injured and was not initially expected to survive.

He appeared in court last year after emerging from a coma and recovering enough to be charged.

Jurors were told that 70 per cent of Ali’s body was burned, two fingers on each hand were amputated, Ali was still on oxygen and had difficulty speaking.

Mohammed Nawaz KC, representing Ali, said although his injuries were self-inflicted, it meant prison would be “felt extremely harshly” by him.

He said Ali “continuously expressed his regret to the legal team for the loss of life he caused.”

Nicholas Worsley KC, representing Sunderland, said he initially believed he was going to burn a car and the house was empty.

Antonia told police that weeks before the fire, Bryonie had given her “trust and support” to leave her violent and controlling relationship with Ali, and that Ali blamed her sister for the breakup.

On the night of the fatal fire, Ali and convicted arsonist Sunderland, who sometimes sold drugs for Ali, were taken to the house in Westbury Road, Bradford, by Mohammed Shabir, who was to stand trial with them but died of a heart attack while in custody.

Jurors heard they stopped on the road to fill a seven-litre jerrycan with petrol and Ali sent Antonia a series of offensive messages accusing her of being with someone else.

Antonia, who had finished her shift at Tesco at 12.30am, was with Bryonie in the master bedroom upstairs when the men arrived.

Doorbell footage shows Ali telling Sunderland, who was carrying petrol and a lighter, to “kick the door”, which he did before running back to the car.

Antonia said she went downstairs after hearing a noise and saw an “angry” Ali run into the house and begin pouring petrol on himself while shouting.

He said he tried to take the canister and lighter from her before running outside to get her out of the house.

When Antonia realized that he was not following her, she went towards the house and woke up to see Bryonie kicking Ali down the stairs.

Antonia said Ali then hit the lighter, ignited the gasoline and set himself and the house on fire.

In a video interview played to jurors, Antonia cried as she told police how she “couldn’t save” her sister, nieces and nephews.

She said she frantically tried to get in through the closed back door while screaming for help.