A man has denied murdering a mother and her three young children who died in a house fire in Bradford last year. Sharaz Ali, 39, pleaded not guilty to all charges at Bradford Crown Court on Monday.
Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her three children - nine-year-old Denisty Birtle, five-year-old Oscar Birtle, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle - died in the blaze at their home in Westbury Road in the early hours of 21st August. Ali is also charged with attempting to murder Ms Gawith's sister Antonia Gawith and attempting to cause her grievous bodily harm.
Three men face trial
Ali is one of three defendants accused of murdering the family. Mohammed Shabir, 44, of Alice Street, Keighley, and Calum Sunderland, 25, of Calton Street, Keighley, had already pleaded not guilty to the charges in September last year.
Earlier court hearings were told that Ali had been in a coma since the fire and was not expected to recover sufficiently to stand trial. However, his medical prognosis was later revised following what doctors described as a "marked improvement" in his condition at the beginning of this year.
Recovery enables court appearance
Ali was charged with the offences in March after doctors deemed him fit to stand trial. He initially appeared at court hearings via video link from his hospital bed before being moved to prison.
All three defendants appeared together remotely from prison at Monday's hearing. Prosecutor David Brooke KC told the court that Ali "does appear to be fit" for proceedings.
The trial for all three men is expected to begin on 17th November, the court heard.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
