Murder accused died of heart attack, inquest finds

Bryonie Gawith and her three children Denisty, Oscar and Aubree Birtle all died in the house fire in Bradford in August 2024

A man accused of murdering a mother and her three children in a house fire died from a heart attack after collapsing in prison, an inquest found.

Mohammed Shabir, 45, was on remand at HMP Leeds, where he collapsed on a set of stairs moments after a family visit, Wakefield Coroner's Court was told.

Mr Shabir was charged with murdering Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle after a fire at a home on Westbury Road in Bradford, on 21 August last year.

Mr Shabir, who denied the murders and the attempted murder of Ms Gawith's sister, Antonia Gawith, was due to stand trial alongside two co-defendants in November.

Mr Shabir, from Keighley, had a history of asthma which had led to him being taken to hospital "on occasion" before his arrest, the inquest heard.

After initially being held on remand at HMP Hull after he was charged, he was transferred to Armley in Leeds last February.

It was said his family had had concerns about his health while in prison and noted he had become "very overweight".

CCTV footage of a visit from two brothers and Mr Shabir's son on the afternoon of his death showed "nothing untoward", according to a statement read by assistant coroner Oliver Longstaff.

Around 15 minutes after the visit, Mr Shabir was seen struggling to breathe on a set of stairs and he then collapsed.

An ambulance arrived about half an hour later and he was taken to hospital.

Although he was described as initially responsive to medical staff and able to talk, his condition worsened and he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Attempts to resuscitate him were abandoned after 17 minutes, it was said.

Concluding he had died of natural causes, Mr Longstaff offered his condolences to Mr Shabir's family.

Mr Shabir's co-defendants, Sharaz Ali and Calum Sunderland, both deny four charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder.

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