A third man has been charged with murder following a housefire that killed a mother and her three children.
Bryonie Gawith, 29, Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle died following the blaze at their home in Bradford in August last year.
Mohammed Shabir, 44, and Calum Sunderland, 25, are set to face trial on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to their murders.
Now, 39-year-old Sharaz Ali has also been charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, West Yorkshire police said.
Bradford Crown Court previously heard that Ali was arrested at the scene and was “in a coma” and would not be ready for trial “even if he does wake up”.
But he made a “marked improvement” in January this year, with doctors saying he was expected to survive.
In February, prosecutor Matthew Bean said: “In January and February, we received updates indicating a marked improvement in his condition.
“He is expected to survive and the expected timescale for discharge from hospital is between a number of weeks to a small number of months.”
Ali will appear at Bradford Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning, West Yorkshire Police added.
Bryonie’s partner and the children’s father, Jonathan, said he was “absolutely distraught” at his sudden loss.
In a statement issued by the police, he said: “Bryonie and I were together for a long time, and we had a good life together. She was a beautiful woman and a loving mother to Oscar, Aubree and Denisty.
“I loved them with all my heart and if I had the chance, I would take their place in a heartbeat. I cannot imagine life without them.”
West Yorkshire Police previously confirmed Ali was the ex-partner of a woman who was visiting the family.
Ms Gawith died at the scene and the three children died from their injuries in hospital, police said.
