Sheffield Incest Couple Murdered Sons with Bin Bags to Conceal Relationship
A depraved incestuous couple from Sheffield murdered their two teenage sons by strangling them and placing bin bags over their heads, in a brutal attempt to keep their sordid relationship hidden from public exposure. Sarah Barrass and her half-brother Brandon Machin were both sentenced to life imprisonment for the horrific killings of Tristan Barrass, aged 13, and Blake Barrass, aged 14, on May 24, 2019.
Forced Medication and Fatal Suffocation
The day before the murders, Barrass and Machin compelled their two teenage sons, along with two other younger children under the age of three, to ingest tablets gathered from around the family home. These tablets included prescribed ADHD medication, which the couple believed would prove fatal overnight. "None of the children wanted to take the tablets but were forced to do so," prosecutor Kama Melly informed Sheffield Crown Court. "The defendants expected the tablets to kill the children overnight."
When the medication failed to achieve the desired lethal effect, the couple resorted to strangling Tristan and Blake before ensuring their deaths by suffocating them with bin bags. As part of a calculated cover-up, Barrass sent messages and made social media posts overnight, falsely claiming that the family was suffering from a sickness bug.
Police Discovery and Disturbing Details
The alarm was ultimately raised by a friend with whom Barrass had been messaging, leading police to arrive at the scene at 7.45pm. Officers immediately initiated attempts to resuscitate Blake and Tristan, but both children were later pronounced dead. "Nothing could have prepared those two police constables for the scene they had found," Ms Melly stated. The officers discovered Sarah Barrass barricaded in a room with the four surviving children, where she lied to them, asserting that her two other children were with neighbours.
However, one of the children motioned to a police officer that the boys were dead by moving his hand across his throat. Barrass instructed the child to stop, saying, "Stop, don't say that." The four other children, all under the age of 13, were taken to hospital and released later the same day. Barrass subsequently confessed to police that she had intended to kill herself after murdering her children.
Psychological Trauma and Previous Threats
Describing the vivid and harrowing scenes, Barrass admitted that the children were "terrified" as she attempted to force them to take the tablets, and how one became "hysterical" as she plunged their head under water. The court heard that this child is now afraid of baths, while another sibling fears growing up to become a murderer. It was also revealed that Barrass had previously made a depraved threat to her children, telling them, "I gave you life, I can take it away." Ms Melly added that "speaking to the boys in that way was described as an everyday thing."
In a text message to a friend, Barrass admitted, "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."
Safeguarding Report and Agency Involvement
A report commissioned by Sheffield Children's Safeguarding Partnership concluded that social services viewed Barrass as a "loving" mother prior to the murders, and found "no evidence" to predict the events of May 24, 2019. "The deaths of these two children is a tragedy and there is no evidence from this review process that any of the practitioners and agencies involved with the family could have predicted the actions taken by their parents," the report stated.
It further noted, "This review has seen significant evidence of effective and caring practice with the children by all agencies involved with the family... Practitioners saw (Barrass) as a loving, caring and competent mother." The family had extensive contact with numerous staff and various agencies, with the report highlighting that "professionals' view of mother's parenting was overwhelmingly positive and she was seen as a competent, caring and articulate parent who supported and fought hard for her children's access to appropriate support and help."
Floral tributes were left at the scene of the double murder, as the community grappled with the shocking and senseless loss of two young lives, perpetrated by those who were meant to protect them.
