Two Men Sentenced for Killing a Mum and Three Children in Bradford
Friday 6 March 2026
Today (6 March) at Doncaster Crown Court Sharaz Ali aged 40 of Langbar Avenue was sentenced to a whole life order for four counts of murder and one attempt murder and Calum Sunderland now aged 27 of Calton Street was sentenced to life in prison for a minimum term of 18 years for four counts of manslaughter.
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The family of Bryonie, Denisty, Oscar and Aubree have released the following statement:
“Today, the judge sentenced the monsters who killed our beautiful family, Bryonie, and her three children Denisty, Oscar, and Aubree.
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“But no sentence, no matter how long, can ever heal the pain they caused. No sentence can bring back their laughter, their hugs, their voices, their love. No sentence can bring back four hearts that should still be beating.
“Every day, our hearts ache with the emptiness they left behind. Every day, we feel the weight of their absence, the joy we lost, the moments that will never come. Every day, we remember them, the love, the light, the life, they gave to us so briefly, so beautifully.
“We carry them in every heartbeat, every tear, every memory, every act of love. They live in us, and through us, they will never be gone.
“Bryonie, Denisty, Oscar, Aubree, you are forever loved, forever ours, forever remembered and forever young.”
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Two men have today been convicted for their roles in the death of a mum and her three children at their home in Bradford.
Bryonie Gawith, aged 29, and her three children Denisty, aged 9, Oscar, aged 5, and Aubree Birtle, aged 22 months, were killed, when their house was deliberately set of fire on Westbury Road, Bradford in August 2024.
Today (10 December) at Doncaster Crown Court Sharaz Ali aged 40 of Langbar Avenue was convicted of four counts of murder and one count of attempt murder and Calum Sunderland aged 26 of Calton Street was convicted of four counts of manslaughter.
The court heard how they filled up a cannister with fuel from a petrol station in Keighley earlier that night, then drove to Westbury Road in the early hours of 21 August 2024.
Sunderland then kicked the door in of the family home, whilst Ali poured petrol over the house and set it on fire.
The house engulfed with flames, leaving Bryonie and her three children inside.
Despite the heroic efforts of emergency services, Bryonie, Denisty, Oscar, and Aubree all died from injuries sustained in the fire.
Ali was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder but was seriously injured. He was taken to hospital where he remained for several months.
Extensive CCTV enquiries led officers to track down Sunderland in the basement of a property in Keighley. He was subsequently arrested and charged.
Ali and Sunderland will be sentenced at a later date.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Atkinson of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team said:
“Bryonie and her three children would still be alive today if it wasn’t for the horrific and truly callous actions of Ali and Sunderland that day.
“They left a mum and her three children completely helpless whilst her sister and their Auntie watched on in horror.
“Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family, who despite their immense strength of character now face the rest of their lives without them.
“I would like to highlight the work of the emergency services that day. They were faced with a heartbreaking situation, and they did everything they could to save them.
“Whilst we know today’s conviction will do nothing to bring them back, I hope the family can find some justice from it.”
The family of Bryonie have released the following statement.
“We, the family of Bryonie Gawith, Denisty, Oscar and Aubree Birtle, want to express our deepest thanks to the police, the prosecution barristers, and every single person who helped us get justice for our loved ones. But 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. We will forever carry this brokenness, and yet we will hold onto them tightly in the only ways we can now, through our memories, our photos, and our precious videos. Those are all we have left now.
“This trial has drained us in ways words can hardly describe. It has been a long, agonising, heart-shattering journey. Now that justice has finally been served, we can at last allow ourselves the space to truly grieve for our beautiful family who should still be here with us.
“Our beautiful B was the glue that held us all together. She was the one everyone turned to, the one who made every room brighter just by walking into it. She was the best daughter, sister, auntie and most of all, the most devoted mother to her three children. They were her world, and she lived every day to love and protect them.
“Our sweet Chuch was blossoming into such a confident, creative soul, a little artist with a growing spark. She loved taekwondo with her cousins and best friend, and she adored her younger brother and sister. She was always by her mum’s side, helping, caring, loving with a maturity far beyond her years.
“Our brave little soldier Oggy, who came into this world fighting, survived open-heart surgery at just five days old. He was strong, cheeky, full of a life that was only just beginning. He had so much ahead of him, so many firsts he never got the chance to reach.
“Our precious Strawberry, so tiny, so joyful, so full of pure innocence. Her hugs could melt sadness in an instant. Her favourite song “happy happy happy” captured her perfectly, she made us smile without even trying.
“These are only a handful of the memories we hold close. We could speak of them for hours, for days, and still never capture all the love they brought into our lives. Their futures were stolen. The children will never grow up; never experience life in all the ways they deserved. And our beloved B will never grow old with us, never watch her babies become who they were meant to be.
“We will love them for the rest of our lives. We will miss them in every breath. Our hearts will never be whole again. They will be forever young, forever ours, forever missed beyond words.”
