A man has been found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s sister and her three children in a house fire in Bradford.
Sharaz Ali killed Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty, nine, Oscar, five, and Aubree Birtle, 22 months, after deliberately setting fire to their home in a revenge attack when Bryonie’s sister Antonia ended their relationship.
The 40-year-old was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Antonia Gawith, following a trial at Doncaster Crown Court.
Co-accused Calum Sunderland, 26, was cleared of murder and attempted murder but found guilty of four counts of manslaughter for his role in breaking into the family home where Antonia was staying.
The trial heard Ali was “motivated by jealousy and fueled by drink and drugs” and Sunderland had arrived at Bryonie’s home in Westbury Road, Bradford, in the early hours of August 21, 2024.
Prosecutors said Ali then ordered Sunderland to break down the door before entering and spraying gasoline around the property.
In her evidence, Antonia told the jury she had confronted Ali on the ground floor of the property.
During a fight, he poured petrol on her before she managed to run into the garden in the hope he would follow her out of the house.
The court heard he tried to go upstairs but Bryonie confronted him and forced him down, where he took a lighter from his pocket and set fire to the house.
Bryonie and her three children, who were sleeping upstairs, were unable to escape.
