A MAN charged with murdering a mother and her three children in a house fire has been moved to prison from hospital after coming out of a coma, a court heard.
Sharaz Ali was not expected to survive after a blaze that killed Bryonie Gawith, 29; Denisty Birtle, nine; Oscar Birtle, five; and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle at their home in Westbury Road, Bradford, in the early hours of August 21 last year.
The 39-year-old was charged with murder in March after making a “marked improvement” and being found fit to stand trial by doctors, earlier hearings were told.
On Wednesday, Ali appeared at Leeds Crown Court via a video link from prison. At previous hearings, he has appeared from a hospital bed with a police officer next to him.
Wearing a grey prison-issue tracksuit and sitting behind a table, he could be seen pulling a tube from his nose at one point, occasionally putting his head down on the table.
Prosecutor David Brooke KC said Ali would not be entering pleas during the hearing and the case was adjourned until June 3.
Ali and co-defendants Mohammed Shabir, 44, of Alice Street, and Calum Sunderland, 25, of Calton Street, both Keighley, are charged with murdering Ms Gawith and the three children, and attempting to murder Ms Gawith’s sister, Antonia Gawith.
Shabir and Sunderland have denied all the charges.
Sunderland appeared at the hearing via video-link from prison while Shabir was in court.
At an earlier hearing, the judge, Mr Justice Hilliard, set a trial date of November 17 for all three defendants.
