Jealous Ex Receives Whole Life Order for Arson Murders of Sister and Three Children
A man driven by jealousy and intoxication has been sentenced for the horrific murders of his ex-partner's sister and her three young children, whom he killed by setting their Bradford home on fire.
Petrol-Soaked Pleas Ignored in Fatal Attack
In the early hours of August 21 last year, Sharaz Ali, 40, approached the Westbury Road home with a petrol can and lighter. His ex-partner, Antonia Gawith, who was staying with her sister Bryonie after ending their abusive seven-year relationship, spotted him and desperately tried to intervene.
"I was saying 'please don't, I love you, I'll come back, don't do this'. I was begging, I would say anything just so he wouldn't do it," Antonia told police in a tearful interview, recalling how Ali poured petrol over her and the premises.
Despite her pleas, Ali set the house alight, trapping 29-year-old Bryonie Gawith and her children inside. The fire claimed the lives of Destiny, nine, Oscar, five, and Aubree, who was nearly two years old.
Family's Lives Stolen in Jealous Rage
Antonia managed to escape the blaze but watched in horror as the front door closed behind her. When she managed to reopen it, she found "fire everywhere" and screamed for her sister to get out.
The court heard that Ali wanted to "inflict maximum pain" and must have known the children were at home. He had been messaging Antonia earlier that night, accusing her of being with another man after she finished a shift at Tesco.
Bryonie had told her sister to ignore him and started to fall asleep. "I never thought he'd come and do that. Why would he do that?" Antonia said to officers, according to ITV News.
Co-Defendant Convicted of Manslaughter
Calum Sunderland, 26, who accompanied Ali to the house and kicked the door in for him, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Bryonie and the three children. He was cleared of the more serious charge of murder and also found not guilty of attempted murder.
A third man, Mohammed Shabir, who drove Ali and Sunderland to the house, was due to go on trial with them but died of a heart attack while on remand.
Whole Life Sentence Imposed
On March 6 at Doncaster Crown Court, Ali was given a whole life order for the three murders. He had been found guilty in December of murdering Bryonie and the three children, and attempting to murder Antonia.
Reading a statement on behalf of her family outside court in December, Antonia said: "Even with justice, nothing will ever make this right. Nothing will ever fill the silence where their laughter should be. Nothing will ever bring back our family."
Tributes to Victims
Antonia paid tribute to her sister, describing "our beautiful B" as "the glue that held us all together" and "the most devoted mother to her three children."
The family statement described Destiny as "blossoming into such a confident, creative soul" who was "always by her mum's side, helping, caring, loving with maturity far beyond her years."
Oscar, who survived open heart surgery at just five days old, was remembered as "strong, cheeky and full of life that was only just beginning." Aubree was described as "so tiny, so joyful, so pure of innocence" and "made us smile without even trying."
"Their futures were stolen," Antonia said. "The children will never grow up, never experience life in all the ways they deserve, and our B will never grow old with us. Never watch her babies become who they were meant to be."
