Doncaster Crown Court was today shown footage- of the house where Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her three children Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle, died in a blaze
The screams of children allegedly murdered by their aunt’s jealous ex-partner when he torched their home were today muted as footage was played to jurors.
Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her three children Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle, all died in a ferocious blaze in August last year. Sharaz Ali, 40, is accused of storming the property in a “revenge” attack after Bryonie’s sister, Antonia, ended their “abusive” seven-year relationship. Motivated “by jealousy and fuelled by drink and drugs”, he forced his way into the house, poured petrol inside and set it alight, jurors heard.
Footage played in court showed Antonia running out of the property, screaming for help before the fire “exploded into life”. Prosecutor David Brooke KC said some of the footage had been edited to mute screaming, which is believed to have possibly been from one of the children.
Referring to Bryonie’s children, Mr Brooke told the court: “It’s possible that one was woken by the noise going on and was frightened by the sound of the explosion. When the fire officers went in, the children were all still found in their beds. In due course a pathologist carried out an examination of the bodies and the analysis suggests that they were all rendered rapidly unconscious by the fumes.”
Ali, 40, of no fixed address, and his alleged accomplice Calum Sunderland, 26, of Calton Street, Keighley, are charged with murdering Bryonie and the three children, and attempting to murder Antonia. Mohammed Shabir, 45, who had been due to go on trial with them, died of a heart attack last month after collapsing in prison.
Doncaster Crown Court heard Antonia desperately tried to get back into the house where her sister, nieces and nephew were trapped inside as it was engulfed by flames. But the court heard the fire was too strong for any neighbours to help, and when police arrived six minutes later, flames were engulfing the front of the house.
Opening the case to jurors, Mr Brooke said the three men drove from Keighley to Bryonie’s house on Westbury Road, Bradford, West Yorks, just before 2am on August 21 last year, stopping to buy a seven-litre can of petrol on the way. When they arrived Antonia, who had finished her shift at Tesco at 12.30am, was with Bryonie in the main bedroom upstairs.
Mr Brooke said Ring doorbell footage captured Ali telling Sunderland, who was carrying the petrol and a lighter, to “kick the door in”, which he did before running back to the car. Mr Brooke said Bryonie had fallen asleep but Antonia was still awake and started to walk downstairs when she heard a noise.
She saw the door being kicked in and a man in a tracksuit ran off before Ali ran straight into the house and began pouring petrol on her, the court heard. Mr Brooke said: “She fought with him trying to stop him and to get the petrol and lighter off him and then ran outside, screaming for help, hoping that he would follow her out. She quickly realised that he hadn’t followed her and so she ran back to the house.”
Antonia saw Bryonie, who had woken up, kick Ali as he was walking up the stairs, the court heard. Mr Brooke said: “She managed to wrestle the container from him but he lit the lighter and a fire started including himself, the stairs and her sister.
“She ended up outside the closed front door and was then unable to get back inside. She ran around the back of the house but the back door had been jamming and she couldn’t get it open despite her kicking it.”
Mr Brooke said: “Sharaz Ali was himself caught by his own actions and was later pulled out of the house by the police badly injured.” Jurors heard Ali was placed into an induced coma for months before his recovery began.
When he was well enough to be interviewed by police he chose to make no comment to all questions. Jurors heard Sunderland and Shabir, who was driving, fled the scene in Shabir’s car back to Bradford.
Mr Brooke said: “The main mover in what happened was plainly Sharaz Ali. Motivated by jealousy and fuelled by drink and drugs it is obvious that he decided to take revenge on his ex-partner Antonia regardless of the potential consequences for others.
“We, the prosecution, say that when you look at what he did, there is only one sensible conclusion that can be reached. That he went to the house at 2am intending to kill at least Antonia Gawith by burning the house down. Tragically, he killed her sister and three small children and there is some evidence to suggest that he was also deliberately targeting Antonia’s family.”
Ali and Sunderland deny the charges and the trial continues.
