A mother and the man her children knew as their uncle were jailed for life after murdering two of her sons and attempting to kill their siblings in one of Sheffield’s most disturbing family murder cases. Sarah Barrass and Brandon Machin murdered 14-year-old Blake Barrass and his 13-year-old brother Tristan at the family’s home in the Shiregreen area of Sheffield in May 2019. Four other children survived attempts to kill them. The subsequent police investigation uncovered an extraordinary family secret: Barrass and Machin were half-siblings who shared the same mother, while Machin was also the biological father of all six children. The children had been led to believe their father was dead.
Fears children would be taken into care
Prosecutors said Barrass had become increasingly fearful that her children would be removed from her care. Messages recovered by investigators revealed she had considered killing herself and the children rather than allowing them to be taken away. On May 23, 2019, the day before Blake and Tristan were killed, Barrass and Machin attempted to poison the children. The four eldest children were forced to swallow large quantities of medication, including tablets prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Despite becoming seriously ill and vomiting, the children survived. Rather than abandoning their plan and seeking emergency medical treatment, Barrass and Machin escalated their attempts to kill the children. Evidence subsequently presented in court showed Barrass had searched online for methods including strangulation and drowning.
Blake and Tristan strangled inside family home
On May 24, prosecutors said Barrass strangled Tristan using the cord from her dressing gown. Machin strangled Blake with his hands. Plastic bags were subsequently placed over the boys’ heads. Barrass and Machin also attempted to drown one of the surviving children in a bath as part of what prosecutors described as a plan to murder all six siblings. The four surviving children were aged approximately 11, 10, three and just seven months at the time.
Child made chilling gesture to police officer
Barrass eventually contacted police. When officers arrived at the house, the four surviving children were in a bedroom with their mother. Barrass initially attempted to conceal what had happened to Blake and Tristan by claiming the boys were elsewhere. One of the surviving children then silently moved a hand across their throat in an attempt to signal to an officer what had happened. According to the prosecution account, Barrass noticed the gesture and attempted to prevent the child from revealing more. Officers subsequently discovered Blake and Tristan dead inside the property. Their four siblings were taken to hospital for urgent treatment and survived.
‘Uncle’ was biological father of all six children
As detectives investigated the killings, they discovered the true relationship between Barrass and Machin. Machin was not simply the children’s uncle. He and Barrass were half-siblings and had maintained a secret sexual relationship. He was the biological father of all six children. Prosecutors said Barrass’s fear of losing custody became central to the murder plot, with her ultimately deciding that the children should die rather than live apart from her.
Pair admitted murders and attempted murders
The case did not proceed to a full murder trial after both defendants admitted responsibility. In September 2019, Barrass and Machin pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, conspiracy to murder all six children and five counts of attempted murder. They appeared at Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on November 12, 2019. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 35 years. The minimum terms mean they can only become eligible to be considered for parole after serving 35 years and do not guarantee their release.
Safeguarding review examined agencies’ involvement
The killings subsequently prompted scrutiny of the involvement public agencies had with the family before the murders. A safeguarding review found that professionals were aware the family had experienced difficulties and that Barrass had sought help at various times. 
However, the review concluded that agencies did not know Machin was the biological father of the children. It also found no evidence that professionals could reasonably have predicted that Barrass and Machin would murder Blake and Tristan. The four surviving siblings were left not only with the consequences of the attempts on their own lives, but with the deaths of their two brothers and the knowledge that the adults responsible for protecting them had planned to kill all six children.
Originally published by UKNIP.
