A picture of the teenage brothers who were allegedly killed by their own mother and uncle has been released for the first time.
The picture shows Blake Barrass, 14, smiling with an arm around his brother Tristan Barrass, 13.
The boys’ mother Sarah Barrass, 34, was charged with murder on May 27 as she appeared with Brandon Machin, 37, at the Sheffield Magistrates’ Court.
Machin, the teens’ uncle, has also been charged with murder.
First pictures of mum and brother accused of murdering her teenage sons https://t.co/ZaVtO5FKq0
— The Sun (@TheSun) May 27, 2019
Prosecutors said that the boys were found at their home on Friday and rushed to the hospital, where it was revealed after they died that they were poisoned, reported the Daily Mail.
According to The Sun, the boys were said to have sent a message to a friend saying they were “feeling sick” at 7 a.m. that day.
“We’re not coming to school today because we’re feeling sick,” the message read, according to the teens’ sister, 23.
Police arrived about 30 minutes later. Four other children in the house survived but were injured and rushed to the hospital.
Sarah Barrass, accused of killing her teenage sons, appeared in court today.
Wearing a grey prison t-shirt and flanked by three security dock officers, Barrass began sobbing as soon as she entered the dock. https://t.co/mbSHJ3g5RK
— Metro (@MetroUK) May 27, 2019
UPDATE: Serious incident in Shiregreen, Sheffield – Two children taken to hospital this morning (Friday 24 May), following reports of concern in the Shiregreen area have sadly died. Emergency services were called to a property in Gregg House Road at 07.30 @BBCBreaking pic.twitter.com/8HR0iQI5st
— Phil Bodmer (@philbodmer) May 24, 2019
“It’s dreadful and totally shocking and I really can’t believe what’s happened,” the sister added.
Sarah Barrass cried as she prepared to face a judge and shouted as she left the courtroom. Bail was not able to be applied for by either defendant. They were slated to appear again in court on Tuesday, according to the Mail.
“Because of the nature of the offenses, bail is not applicable. You will be remanded in custody,” the judge said, noting the pair would appear at the crown court for their next appearance.
Police have released few details about what happened, describing it as a “major incident.”
INCIDENT: Officers have been dealing with a serious incident on Gregg House Road # Shiregreen #Sheffield this morning- https://t.co/KNcrkDY6Kp …
This is not a shooting. The incident is no longer live but investigations are continuing. We will provide an update when we can. pic.twitter.com/voxowL1WXA— SouthYorkshirePolice (@syptweet) May 24, 2019
I’m deeply saddened by the tragedy today in Shiregreen. My sympathies are with the loved ones of the children who have lost their lives. Shiregreen is a strong community – I know the whole area is shaken by what has happened. My thanks to Police and NHS staff for their response.
— Gill Furniss MP (@GillFurnissMP) May 24, 2019
The children’s autopsies were expected to be done on Friday, according to The Star.
Gill Furniss, MP for the area, released a statement expressing her condolences.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic incident today in my constituency. My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones of the children who have lost their lives,” she wrote.
“Shiregreen is a strong community but I know the whole area is deeply shaken by what has happened here. I would like to thank hardworking South Yorkshire Police and the NHS staff for their response in such a difficult situation.”
