A man has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison for the premeditated murders of a mother and her three young children in a revenge arson attack on their Bradford home.
Sharaz Ali, 40, was given a whole life order at Doncaster Crown Court yesterday for killing Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty, nine, Oscar, five, and 22-month-old Aubree.
He was also sentenced to 37 years for the attempted murder of Bryonie’s sister, Antonia Gawith, his former partner.
The judge, Mr Justice Hilliard, described the case as one of “exceptional seriousness,” citing substantial premeditation and the vulnerability of the young victims, who were asleep when the fire was started in the early hours of Aug. 21, 2024.
Ali’s accomplice, Calum Sunderland, 27, was convicted of four counts of manslaughter and received a life sentence with a minimum term of 16 years and 175 days before he can be considered for parole.
The court heard the attack stemmed from Ali’s controlling and abusive relationship with Antonia Gawith. After she ended the relationship while on holiday with her sister on Aug. 2, 2024, and returned to stay with Bryonie at the family home on Westbury Road, Bradford, Ali became consumed with jealousy and blame, wrongly convinced she had a new boyfriend.
From Aug. 18 onward, Ali sent a series of messages the judge said showed clear premeditation to destroy Bryonie’s family by fire. One read: “Remember one thing, the people that are laughing at me will cry bout their own life.” Another warned: “I know who caused all this in my life … they better start praying cos now I’m getting involved in her life and I promise one thing, they’re gonna regret it … the house, the kids, the family … are gonna feel it.”
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The judge found the messages proved Ali was planning to set fire to the house with the family inside, blaming Bryonie for the break-up and viewing the children as “acceptable collateral damage.”
On the night of Aug. 20, Ali recruited Sunderland, telephoning him for 44 seconds. The pair drove to a garage in Keighley, bought a petrol container and seven litres of fuel, and headed to Westbury Road. They parked nearby for 20 minutes to ensure everyone was asleep before approaching the front door.
Sunderland kicked the door in while Ali poured petrol inside the property and over Antonia, who had come downstairs after hearing the noise.
A confrontation followed. Bryonie came to the top of the stairs to protect her children and kicked Ali back down, refusing to abandon them despite the danger. Ali pushed Antonia aside and ignited the petrol. The fire spread rapidly. Antonia escaped, but the blaze killed her sister and the three children.
Both men were convicted after a trial that concluded on Dec. 10, 2025. Ali denied murder but was found guilty on all counts. Sunderland was convicted of manslaughter rather than murder, the jury accepting he knew the plan involved setting fire to an occupied house but may not have shared Ali’s full intent to kill the specific victims.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Hilliard cited victim impact statements from the family. Bryonie’s father, Brian Gawith, said the crimes had “torn their world apart” and “stolen four beautiful members of their family in the most horrific way possible.”
Bryonie’s mother, Rachel Gawith, spoke of the lost birthdays, parties and milestones now replaced by visits to the cemetery.
Antonia Gawith described the night as one that “shattered my entire existence.”
“The fear and heartbreak in that moment was unbearable,” she said. “The attack did not just alter my life. It destroyed the world I knew and replaced it with an unbearable void.”
She said the emotional and psychological wounds would never heal and described constant survivor’s guilt.
The judge stressed that no sentence could measure the value of the lives lost.
“The sentences that I pass are not intended as a measure of the value of the lives that have been lost,” he said. “Their lives are precious beyond measure. And no sentence I pass can put right what the defendants have done.”
Aggravating factors included prolonged premeditation, the deliberate targeting of a family home at night, the use of fire — a weapon difficult to control — and Ali’s history of violence towards Antonia, fuelled by alcohol and cocaine.
Ali had previous convictions for assault, drug supply, kidnap and dangerous driving, and was on licence at the time.
Ali sustained life-changing injuries in the fire, including burns to 59% of his body, amputation of fingers on both hands, chronic respiratory failure requiring oxygen and wheelchair dependency. The judge gave this little weight, describing him as “the sole author of his own predicament.”
Under sentencing guidelines for multiple murders involving substantial premeditation and the killing of children, the judge said a whole life order was the only appropriate sentence.
“I am satisfied that this was the murder of three children and their mother where all the murders involved substantial premeditation,” Mr Justice Hilliard told Ali. “I am satisfied that it is a case of exceptional seriousness and that the starting point must be a whole life order.”
Sunderland’s role, while secondary, was still serious. He helped obtain the petrol, kicked in the door knowing the house was occupied and fled only after seeing Antonia.
The judge noted his prior arson conviction, long-standing drug problems and pre-sentence reports assessing him as posing a high risk of serious harm.
Psychiatric evidence found no mental disorder but highlighted poor emotional control and a willingness to act recklessly for gain or drugs.
Sunderland expressed regret in letters to the court and family, but the judge said this was incomplete and noted he had lied to the jury about believing the target was a car.
A life sentence with the 16-year-175-day minimum term was imposed for public protection.
Outside court, the Gawith family paid tribute to Bryonie’s courage in her final moments and to Antonia’s bravery in surviving and giving evidence.
Community leaders in Bradford expressed horror at the targeting of innocent children.
