Mum cries in court as she is accused of killing her 2 boys
A MOTHER choked back tears as she appeared in court accused of murdering her two teenage sons and attempting to kill two other victims.
Sarah Barrass, 34, sobbed as the charges were put to her at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court.
The 34-year-old is alleged to have killed Blake Barrass, 14, and Tristan Barrass, 13, at a semidetached house in the Shiregreen area of the city on Friday.
She is also charged with three other attempted murders, relating to two other victims.
Co-defendant Brandon Machin, 37, has also been charged with the murders of Blake and Tristan.
Details of how the children died or of the attempts to murder the two other victims were not revealed in court. Barrass wept
‘Heartbreaking for everyone’
uncontrollably, shook and gasped for breath as she was brought into the dock.
She had to be advised to ‘calm down’ by court staff and was escorted back to the cells briefly to regain her composure.
Machin showed no emotion during the hearing.
Both defendants, dressed in grey prison-issue T-shirts and tracksuit bottoms, confirmed their dates of birth. Barrass gave her address as a housing association-owned house, while Machin said he was of no fixed abode.
No indication of plea was submitted by the defendants.
Magistrates adjourned the case for a hearing before a judge at Sheffield Crown Court today. The two boys died after they were taken to hospital on Friday morning.
A steady stream of well-wishers brought flowers and balloons to the police cordon surrounding the scene after details of the horror emerged.
One woman laying flowers said: ‘It’s just so sad.’
A 12-year-old girl described the boys as ‘two lovely lads’ and told how one of them had raised money for a cancer charity in honour of a friend who had the disease.
She added that they liked football and video games, before breaking down and saying: ‘They always used to look out for you. Everyone is devastated.’
Her mother, aged 45, described the boys as ‘polite’ before adding that her daughter ‘was crying all night’ over the tragedy.
‘It is heartbreaking for everyone,’ she said.
A woman said her son passed flowers to a policeman and even the officer had ‘tears in his eyes’.
Another visitor got out of a taxi in tears, put down some flowers, and then quickly left.
Jonathan Campbell, 50, who lives on the street, did not know the children but felt he should bring flowers as a sign of respect. He said: ‘It is heartbreaking, really sad. It is bad when anyone dies, but especially kids.’
A relative of the children described the youngsters as ‘happy and smart’ and said the family had lost ‘two beautiful boys’.
She said everyone was ‘very upset and can’t get our heads around what has happened’, adding: ‘It has been a massive shock to us all as well as the community. We are also grateful for all the support of the community.’
Reverend David Dean-Revill, of St James and St Christopher Church in Shiregreen, led the congregation in prayers for those affected at his Sunday service.
He said: ‘I wish to express my deepest sympathy to all those affected by the heartbreaking tragedy. Shiregreen is a friendly and resilient community that will be shaken by this tragic event.’
Dawn Dale, a Labour councillor who represents Shiregreen, called the incident ‘heartbreaking’, adding: ‘Most people are in shock.’
Gill Furniss, Labour MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, said she was ‘deeply saddened by the tragic incident’.