A man accused of killing a mother and her three young children in a horrific house fire dramatically refused to give evidence, telling a court he was 'not a murderer'. The trial at Doncaster Crown Court heard harrowing details of a revenge plot that ended in tragedy in Bradford last summer.
Courtroom Outbursts and Denials
Calum Sunderland, 26, repeatedly left the witness box during his cross-examination this week. He told the judge and jury: 'I'm not a murderer, I know I'm not a murderer.' The defendant became agitated under questioning from prosecutor David Brooke KC, at one point stating he would rather 'rob a bank' than be involved in killing people for drugs.
Sunderland is standing trial alongside Sharaz Ali, 40, who is alleged to have masterminded the attack on his former partner, Antonia Gawith. The court heard that in August last year, Ali recruited Sunderland, a convicted arsonist addicted to crack cocaine, to help carry out the arson. Prosecutors say Sunderland was captured on a Ring doorbell holding a petrol canister and kicking down the door of the house on Westbury Road before running away.
The Fatal Night in Bradford
The court was told that Antonia Gawith had ended her 'abusive' seven-year relationship with Ali earlier in August 2023 and was staying at her sister Bryonie's home for safety. In the early hours of August 21, Ali and Sunderland travelled to the property. Jurors heard that Ali entered the house, poured petrol around the interior and on himself and Antonia.
When Antonia ran outside in a desperate attempt to lure Ali out, he allegedly stayed inside and used a lighter to start a 'catastrophic' blaze. The fire killed Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her three children: Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle, who were all upstairs. Ali told the court he only intended to set himself alight to kill himself in front of Antonia. He was rescued by police, suffering severe burns that led to the amputation of two fingers on each hand.
Claims of a Misunderstood Deal
In his defence, Sunderland claimed he believed he was being recruited only to 'burn a car' for money, a crime he had been convicted of before. He told the court he was part of the 'drug world' with Ali, buying and selling drugs for him, but insisted he would never have participated if he knew people were in the house. 'I don't get involved in people's domestics, it's nowt to do with me,' he said.
A third man, Mohammed Shabir, 45, who drove the pair to the house, died of a heart attack while on remand awaiting trial. Both Ali, of no fixed address, and Sunderland, of Keighley, West Yorkshire, deny four counts of murder and one of attempted murder against Antonia Gawith. The trial continues.
