An incestuous couple have been jailed for life for murdering their two teenage sons and trying to kill their remaining four children, Sheffield Crown Court has heard today.
Sarah Barrass, 35, and her partner, Brandon Machin, 39, who is also her half-brother, both pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, and conspiracy to murder six children.
Sarah Barrass and her half-brother Brandon Machin
The court heard the couple feared that their children’s paternity would have been revealed, and they would be taken into care.
Mr Justice James Goss said when sentencing: “I identify the vulnerability of the victims and the gross breach of trust of a parent killing their own child as significant aggravating factors.”
Tristan and Blake Barrass, aged 13 and 14 respectively, died after being strangled at a property in the Shiregreen area of Sheffield on 24 May 2019.
The court has been told the day before the killings, Barrass and Machin had given their four eldest ‘petrified’ children tablets, used to treat ADHD, against their will, expecting them to die.
When the tablets didn’t work, Barrass, of Gregg House Road, Shiregreen, strangled Tristan with a dressing gown cord, and Machin strangled Blake with his hands. Plastic bags were placed over the boys’ heads afterwards ‘just to make sure’.
They also repeatedly tried to drown one of the younger children in a bath.
After that failed, Barrass took the four surviving children to the bedroom and called the police.
Mr Justice Goss told Barrass: “You considered your love for them, and fear of being parted from them, entitled you to take their lives as well as your own.
“It is very fortunate when attempting to kill your third son, you clearly came to your senses and brought the killing to an end.”
Mr Justice Goss added the surviving children were left ‘extremely upset and anxious’ surrounding the deaths, and the attempted murders.
Sentencing the pair, who have no previous convictions, the judge said Barrass, had personality disorders because of her childhood experiences and Machin, of Burngreave Road, Burngreave, suffered from low social skills.
Barrass and Machin, were both sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 35 years for the murders, along with concurrent sentences of life imprisonment with minimum terms of 10 years for the other offences.
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