Third man charged with murder following Bradford house fire that left mother and her three young children dead
3 March 2025, 10:53 | Updated: 3 March 2025, 10:54
A third man has been charged with murder following a house fire that killed a mother and her three children in Bradford.
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Bryonie Gawith, 29, Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle died following the blaze at their home in Westbury Road, Bradford, during the early hours of August 21 last year.
On Monday, police confirmed a third arrest in connection with the case - that of Sharaz Ali, 39, of Langbar Avenue, Bradford.
Ali was charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, West Yorkshire Police said.
Bradford Crown Court previously heard that Ali was arrested at the scene and was “in a coma” and would not be ready for trial “even if he does wake up”.
The latest arrest follows charges against Mohammed Shabir, 44, of Alice Street, Keighley, and Calum Sunderland, 25, of Calton Street, Keighley.
Despite his injuries, Ali made a “marked improvement” in January this year, with doctors saying he was now expected to survive his injuries.
In February, prosecutor Matthew Bean said: “In January and February, we received updates indicating a marked improvement in his condition.
“He is expected to survive and the expected timescale for discharge from hospital is between a number of weeks to a small number of months.”
Ali will appear at Bradford Magistrates' Court on Monday morning, officers said.
Four people were initially placed under investigation following the blaze.
Shabir and Sunderland are due to go on trial on Tuesday, with the pair pleading not guilty to murdering Ms Gawith and the three children, as well as the attempted murder of Ms Gawith's sister, Antonia Gawith.
A 36-year-old man arrested on Friday on suspicion of murder and attempted murder has been interviewed and released on conditional bail, while a 54-year-old woman and 42-year-old man arrested on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender have been interviewed and released on bail.
Amanda McInnes, of the Crown Prosecution Service for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: "Our thoughts remain with the friends and family of Bryonie and her children.
"We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendants are active and that they have a right to a fair trial.
"It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."
