The face of child killers: Sarah Barrass and half-brother Brandon Machin who were living in an incestuous domestic partnership killed their teen sons, 13 and 14, and plotted to murder their four other kids in May when it appeared their relationship would be exposed and the children removed from the home
The pair of Sarah Barrass and Brandon Machin have been jailed for life.
Barrass, 35, and Machin, 37, who is also her half-brother, murdered 13-year-old Tristan, and Blake, 14, just 12 minutes apart before downing energy drinks.
The teen boys had sent a message a friend telling them “we’re not coming to school” as they felt sick the day of their death.An inquest later heard the teens had died within 12 minutes of each other.
Tristan was pronounced dead at 9.14am on May 14, while Blake died 12 minutes later at 9.26.am.
She was regularly heard telling the youngsters: “I gave you life, I can take it away”.
She allegedly, attempted to poison the boys and her four youngest – two toddlers both under three and two under 13, with medication but her attempts failed to kill the children.
Barrass then began looking at different murder methods – including suffocation and strangulation.
First of the brothers to be killed was Tristan Barass, 13, suffocated by his mother Sarah at his family home in Sheffield, after she plotted to kill him with her partner and half-brother Brandon Machin
Tristan’s older brother Blake Barrass, 14, was next, suffocated by his dad Brandon Machin
The couple ran a bath and repeatedly tried drowning one of the four younger kids, who told today how they were forced to “fight them off” and is now scared of baths.
Sarah Barass and her partner in an incestuous relationship, half-brother Brandon Machin, 37, were today jailed for life with a minimum of 35 years at Sheffield Crown Court.
With a reporting restriction banning identifying Machin as Barrass’ half-brother and also dad to her six children has been lifted – The court was told the Barass and Machin, who had the same mother, had been having sex together ever since their mid-teens.
The court heard wrenching victim impact statements from the surviving children were read to the court – including one who fears they will grow up to be a “murderer”.
All are now in care and said to be “emotionally broken” by the nightmare ordeal, with one saying: “They should be in prison for 300 years.”
At sentencing, Judge Goss admonished the pair, “You considered your love for them and fear of being parted from them entitled you to take their lives as well as your own.”
The Barass and Machin last month pled guilty to conspiracy to murder six of her children, including Tristan and Blake, as well as five counts of attempted murder.
Barrass wept as she dramatically changed her plea after previously protesting her innocence from the dock by shouting: “I didn’t kill my boys. Swear to God. I didn’t do it. You will see.”
A cause of death wasn’t previously released but it was revealed in court today both boys died from asphyxiation after they were strangled with bin bags then placed over their heads.
The monster parents had attempted to murder Tristan, Blake and her other children on May 23 at home in the Shiregreen area of Sheffield.
The court was told Barrass had requested help from the local authority and had sent frantic messages to friends about killing them to cope.
In one of the messages she lamented: “I’ve thought of every possible solution to this mess. Mass murder, putting them all in care, checking in to the local nut house.
“I love my kids too much to kill them, I can’t put them into care for the same reason.”
But despite claiming she loved her children, Barrass then hatched the macabre plot with Machin.
Prosecutor Karma Melly, said: “They decided the children were better off dead than in care and he [Machin], said he would help Sarah Barrass to the best of his ability.”
Brandon Machin plotted to kill all six children he sired in an incestuous relationship with his sister Sarah Barass. The evil pair succeeded in murdering their two oldest boys. They have been sent away for life
Self-serving mom Sarah Barrass, [photo], two months ago pled guilty to murdering her two teenage sons Blake, 14, and Tristan, 13 after choosing to kill her children rather than have them taken away. She will serve a minimum of 35 years in prison, like her partner
Police found the boys dead during a welfare check on the family at the Sheffield home of Sarah Barass [photo], on May 23, following a call in
The depraved pair fed tablets to the kids with a sip of fizzy drink and sent them to bed to die. Barrass even made “light-hearted” Facebook posts saying the children had caught a sickness bug.
But when they survived the night, Barrass called Machin and told him the plan had not worked and he needed to come back.
It was then they asphyxiated the two boys and putting plastic bags over their heads, before repeatedly trying to drown one of the younger children.
In a harrowing police interview, Machin said he killed Blake and Barrass killed Tristan – but swapped victims and wrapped the bags around their heads to make “doubly sure” they were dead.
After murdering Blake because he got “that feeling when you just want to strangle the life out of someone”, Machin then calmly walked downstairs and had an energy drink.
The tragic teens were discovered on their bedroom bunks by emergency crews at 7.30am as Barrass barricaded herself in her room with the four surviving children.
She was was holding a notebook, which was open on a page entitled “Funeral Arrangements”.
An inquest heard Tristan was pronounced dead at 9.14am on May 14, while Blake died 12 minutes later at 9.26.am.
In the weeks leading up to their deaths, twisted Barrass had posted a string of chilling quotes and pictures on Facebook.
She quoted Stephen King in one, saying: “Murder is like potato chips; you can’t stop with just one.”
In one post accompanied by a picture of the Grim Reaper, she wrote: “I’m not mean or cold hearted. I’m just sick of being f****d over.”
Another featured an image of Death holding a blood-covered scythe with the message: “Coming for you…”
Another of Sarah Barass’ siblings branded her “evil from birth” with an obsession with the macabre – and described both her and Machin are “murdering, evil psychopaths”.
Martyn Barrass also said the pair would spend hours watching horror movies and slaughtered pet mice before eventually turning their attention to the innocent children.
And he believes the deaths could have been prevented if social services had acted on his warnings.
Depraved: In the weeks leading up to the murders, Barrass had posted a string of chilling quotes and pictures on Facebook, including one where she quoted Stephen King, “Murder is like potato chips; you can’t stop with just one”
Evil and Bizarre: Killer mom Sarah Barrass also posted a number of images involving the Grim Reaper
Martyn Barrass claimed Machin had attacked Blake when he was just a toddler, while Barrass injured one of the girls by shoving her from a tree.
Tristan and Blake were buried together in one coffin earlier this year with an enormous cortege of 300 motorcycles and two Lamborghini cars escorting them to their final resting place.
A case review into the deaths of the two boys by People Services at Sheffield City Council is now due to take place.
Speaking after today’s sentencing, a family friend said: “We are relieved justice has been served but it should never have come to this.
“We cannot put into words the pain and emptiness we feel but seek some comfort knowing that Blake and Tristan will always be remembered, and how loved both boys were.”
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