Mother sobs in court as she admits murdering two teen sons and plotting to kill four more
A 34-year-old woman accused of murdering her two teenage sons at home in Sheffield, England in May has pleaded guilty. The mother, identified as Sarah Barrass, admitted a further charge of conspiracy to murder four more of her children. She now faces life in prison at sentencing on November 12.
Another person, 37-year-old Brandon Machine, a family member of the victims, was also found guilty of the same charges.
Barrass broke down throughout her 20-minute hearing at Sheffield crown court on Thursday as she admitted to killing her 13-year-old son Tristan and 14-year-old son Blake, while Machin did not show any emotion.
The court heard that all the surviving children in the tragic incident are under 13 years of age. They cannot be named for legal reasons.
Judge Jeremy Richardson QC, told the two assailants: "No words of mine can ever fully reflect the enormity of what you have both done. The crimes you have committed quite frankly speak for themselves. The murder of two children. The attempted murder of four children and the overarching conspiracy to murder those children," the Guardian reported.
"I repeat, those crimes speak for themselves. I have little doubt that each of you will in due course be sentenced to several terms of life imprisonment. This may well be a case, but it’s a matter for the judge, where a whole life order is imposed," he added. Their sentencing has been scheduled for November 12.
While no details were given in court about how the children died or what happened in the house in the days before the deaths on May 24, MEAWW had reported in May that Tristan and Blake were rushed to hospital on May 24, but were pronounced dead soon after. Unconfirmed reports then had stated that the children were poisoned before they were taken to the hospital.
The teenagers had allegedly sent a message at 7 am to a friend through their Nintendo Switch console saying they were "feeling sick". This was just half an hour before police showed up at the residence.