Two men have gone on trial in the U.K., accused of killing a woman and her three children in what prosecutors say was a revenge arson attack that targeted the victim’s sister.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
During opening statements on Tuesday, Nov. 18, prosecutors told jurors that Sharaz Ali, 40, of Bradford, allegedly decided to “take revenge” on his ex-girlfriend, Antonia Gawith, by setting fire to her home in Bradford in the early hours of Aug. 21, 2024, according to the BBC.
Antonia managed to escape the blaze. Her sister, 29-year-old Bryonie Gawith, and Bryonie’s three children — Denisty, 9, Oscar, 5, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle — all died in the fire.
Ali and his friend, 26-year-old Calum Sunderland of Keighley, have each been charged with four counts of murder, attempted murder and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, police said.
Prosecutor David Brooke told jurors that Ali was allegedly “motivated by jealousy and fueled by drink and drugs” and that he “decided to take revenge on his ex-partner Antonia regardless of the potential consequences for others,” the BBC reports.
Ali is accused of breaking into the property shortly before 2 a.m., pouring gasoline inside and then setting the house alight, Brooke said.
Bryonie and her three young children died in what Brooke described as a “catastrophic” fire.
Lindsay Pearson, 56, said her daughter heard shouting coming from the house at about 1:45 a.m., according to The Guardian. Shortly afterward, her daughter saw “a big flame, like the sky was all lit up,” and described it as being “like thunder and lightning, like you see in a thunderstorm.”
Ali was also injured in the blaze and had to be rescued. Brooke told the court that Ali was “caught by his own actions.”
Brooke said Antonia had been in a relationship with Ali for seven years before leaving him because of his alleged abuse and alcohol use. After ending the relationship, she went to stay at her sister Bryonie’s home, the BBC reports.
A third suspect, Mohammed Amjid Shabir, allegedly drove Ali and Sunderland to the house, but he died of a heart attack in jail while awaiting trial, according to the BBC.
