Two men have been charged with murder and attempted murder after a mother and her three young children were killed in a house fire in Bradford.
Bryonie Gawith, aged 29, and her three children – Denisty Birtle, aged nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle – died after a fire broke out at their home in Westbury Road in the early hours of last Wednesday.
Six days later, West Yorkshire Police have announced that 44-year-old Mohammed Shabir and 25-year-old Calum Sunderland – both from Keighley, respectively of Alice Street and Calton Street – have been charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
The pair will appear at Bradford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, force said.
Four other people remain under investigation, including a 39-year-old man who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and remains in hospital in a critical condition.
Detectives executed a number of warrants in the Keighley area of the city on Friday, the force said.
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.”
In a statement issued via the force last week, the family of the victims said the loss of “our B” and the children, referred to as “Chuch, Oggy and Strawberry”, had brought “unimaginable sadness and grief”.
The tribute read: “Our B was the life and soul of the party, music was a big part of her life, she loved music, singing and dancing, she would always be singing and dancing with Chuch (Denisty), Oggy (Oscar) and Strawberry (Aubree).
“B was always a really happy, joyful, bubbly beautiful woman, who cared for everyone and was loved by everyone, her kids were everything to her, her whole life. Oggy had the cheekiest smile, he was cheeky but he was a shy boy, Strawbs was shy and bashful with big blue eyes and blonde hair and Chuch was a beautiful, confident, outgoing and creative young girl.
“We are still trying to comprehend what has happened to our beautiful family. No words can describe how we are feeling and no words could ever make up for the profound loss we are now faced with.”
Joanne Poole, headteacher of Home Farm Primary School, where Denisty and Oscar were pupils, said: “We serve a close community and this is devastating news that is difficult to comprehend. Denisty and Oscar were lovely pupils who embraced school life.
“They were happy children, full of character and had bright futures ahead of them that we tragically will not get to see … Mum Bryonie was always cheerful and positive – even first thing in the morning.
“We were looking forward to Aubree joining us in the future. They will be very sadly missed and remembered with great fondness.” (Independent)