Woman who brutally murdered her two teenage sons was 'evil since birth' and could've been stopped, says brother
Martyn Barass, the brother of Sarah Barass who murdered her two teenage sons, said she was 'evil since birth' and could have been stopped had social services acted on the multiple warnings and red flags.
Sarah and family member Brandon Machin murdered Tristan, 13, and Blake, 14, in May. They also plotted to kill her four other children. Sarah first attempted to poison the children, and when that failed, she reportedly strangled them to death.
Her brother Martyn said he had warned social services around ten years ago that her boys were at risk because of the "murdering, evil psychopaths who have been evil since birth". He added that he had witnessed Brandon being physically violent to Blake even when the boy was a toddler, according to Daily Mail.
He also recounted the time when the pair would kill pet mice for fun and would watch horror movies together. Ten months before committing these crimes, Sarah had made chilling and alarming posts on Facebook. She posted a quote from a Stephen King novel which read: "Murder is like potato chips; You can't stop with just one".
Sarah broke down during her 20-minute hearing at Sheffield Crown Court as she admitted to killing her 13-year-old son Tristan and 14-year-old son Blake. Brandon did not show any emotion.
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.
The site also reported that a case review initiated by People Services will be held once the legal proceedings are finished. Councillor Jackie Drayton said: "All partners will be coming together to understand, review and reflect on exactly what happened and why."