Remembering 'beautiful' and 'amazing' Blake and Tristan Barrass three years on from tragic Sheffield brothers' funeral

Sheffield was left in a state of shock and utter disbelief after learning that Tristan, 13, and Blake Barrass, 14 had been murdered at a house in Gregg House Road, Shiregreen on May 24, 2019.

The case took another devastating turn when their parents, Sarah Barrass and Brandon Machin, were subsequently charged with, and pleaded guilty to, their murders.

Scores of people turned out to pay their respects to Tristan and Blake at their funeral, which was held at Grenoside Crematorium three years ago this week on August 8, 2019.

During the service, Grenoside Crematorium Vicar, Lisa Scott, described Blake as a boy who really loved his football, wore his heart on his sleeve and always made people feel loved.

Tristan on the other hand wanted to be different, she said. Mischievous and lovable, his multi-coloured hair got him in trouble with his teachers, but he would always make you smile.

Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s See You Again was played before Blake and Tristan’s family and friends paid tribute to them in a service rich with emotion.

Family friend Danielle Baines said Blake and Tristan were ‘two beautiful boys who touched the lives of everyone they knew’.

She said: “Blake had a natural ability to make everyone smile even if they were having a bad day. He cared about everyone and he had such a big heart. Tristan was brave and knew exactly who he was. He did what he wanted to do no matter what anyone thought. And he loved to express himself through his clothes.”

“Both of them were amazing and I can’t describe how proud I was of them. I think that is how we should remember them.”

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Another family friend, Matthew Saunders, said: “I have been trying to process everything that has happened. Trying to make sense of something that will never make sense.”

The house on Gregg House Road, Shiregreen where Barrass and Machin carried out their sickening crimes was demolished in February last year, as local residents said they were relieved to see the property knocked to the ground.

Sanctuary Housing, which owned the house where the boys were killed, was given approval from the boys’ family for the demolition to take place and for a memorial garden to be created.

At the front of where the property stood, a serene garden has been created, complete with large boulders, where people can come and sit and remember Blake and Tristan.

In November 2019, Barrass and Machin, who are half brother and sister, were jailed for life and each ordered to serve a minimum of 35 years behind bars for murdering their two sons and attempting to murder their other four children.

Their sentences were among the longest ever handed down in Sheffield.

The court was told how the incestuous couple hatched the plan to kill their six children, after becoming fearful of the consequences of their romantic relationship being exposed.

Two days before the murders, a social worker assigned to the family informed Barrass that their status with the local authority would change from ‘child in need’ to ‘child in protection,’ resulting in a higher level of scrutiny from social services.

Prosecutor Kama Melly QC said at the time: “It is the Crown’s case that although the defendants were motivated to prevent the loss of their children to the care of the local authority, this was combined with their fear of the local authorities becoming aware of their unnatural relationship.”