A man accused of murdering his ex-partner's sister and her three children in a house fire claims he spilled petrol accidentally during a struggle, a court heard on Friday.
Sharaz Ali, 40, is on trial for the deaths of Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle. Prosecutors say Ali deliberately set fire to the house on Westbury Road, Bradford, in the early hours of August 21 last year in a botched revenge attack on his former partner, Antonia Gawith – Bryonie's sister. The prosecution claims Ali was «motivated by jealousy and fuelled by drink and drugs» when he targeted the home where Antonia was staying after ending their «abusive» seven-year relationship earlier that month.
Antonia told Doncaster Crown Court she came downstairs as Ali and another man broke into the house. She testified Ali poured petrol around the house and on her before attempting to walk up the stairs and being kicked down by Bryonie. She said Ali then used a lighter to start the fire and tearfully described her desperate efforts to get help for her sister and children trapped inside.
Defense claims accidental spill
Mohammed Nawaz KC, defending Ali, said his client denies deliberately pouring the petrol. Cross-examining Antonia, Mr Nawaz said: «He says you and he were wrestling with it and the petrol was spilling out in that way.»
Antonia rejected this account: «No. He was pouring petrol when he walked in the door and he threw it onto me. That's when I was trying to stop him from pouring it everywhere.» She confirmed she had seen Ali go up the stairs and have contact with Bryonie, contradicting the defense's claim that this never happened.
Messages reveal drinking and desperation
Antonia told the court she could tell from Ali's messages earlier that night that he had been drinking because he «wasn't making sense when he was speaking». She confirmed Ali had been saying he was «desperate to see her and have her back». The day before the fire, Ali had talked about killing himself and sent her a video of him self-harming.
Other defendants and trial status
Ali, of no fixed address, and Calum Sunderland, 26, of Calton Street, Keighley, are both charged with murdering Bryonie and the three children and attempting to murder Antonia. Prosecutors say Mohammed Shabir, 45, who had been due to stand trial with them, drove to and from the house while Sunderland kicked the door in. Shabir died of a heart attack last month after collapsing in prison.
Both Ali and Sunderland deny all charges. The trial continues.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
