Incestuous murderers, "evil" groomers & helicopter pervert - more of Sheffield Crown Court's biggest cases

A case involving as vile sexual exploitation gang and another involving a disgraced Labour peer are amongst the most high-profile cases heard at Sheffield Crown Court since it opened 30 years ago this month

By Sarah Marshall

Crime and court reporter

Published 4th May 2026, 05:01 GMT

Sheffield Crown Court has bore witness to details of some of the worst, and most shocking, crimes in South Yorkshire’s history since it opened almost exactly 30 years ago.

After being officially opened by the then Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Taylor, on May 17, 1996, thousands upon thousands of criminal court cases have been heard inside the imposing building on West Bar in Sheffield city centre.

Judges have dispensed justice in scores of cases, involving criminals convicted of some of the most serious offences on the statute book, the circumstances of which have left people across the county - and indeed the country - in utter disbelief.

Thousands of jury panels have also presided over trials heard at the court, after defendants entered not guilty pleas, triggering the centuries-old right for a case to be heard by a dozen of their peers.

A long line of Star court reporters have also been present in court, furiously noting down every cough and splutter from the press bench, in a bid to be your eyes and ears as cases are heard.

From the pre-internet days when court reporters would dictate copy to the newsroom over a landline telephone, through to providing updates in real time through social media and online blogs, to the months when people were required to stay at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, The Star has been there every step of the way throughout Sheffield Crown Court’s 30-year history.

Court reporting continues to play an important role in open justice; and the principle that “not only must justice be done, justice must be seen to be done,” which was coined more than a century ago by Lord Hewart, the then Lord Chief Justice of England.

The former Sheffield Crown Court building, which was also known as Sheffield Old Town Hall, on Waingate, opposite Castle Market, still stands disused following the move to the new law centre on West Bar. The most recent update in the Grade II listed building’s history came in November 2025, when it failed to sell at auction.

We have delved into The Star’s archives to bring you this collection of the biggest, and most high-profile, cases heard at Sheffield Crown Court over the last three decades.

In this second part, we take a look at cases heard in the second 15 years that have passed since the Crown Court was opened, running from May 2011 through to May 2026.

Below is a list of more detailed court reports included within this article:

Sheffield Crown Court has bore witness to details of some of the worst, and most shocking, crimes in South Yorkshire’s history since it opened almost exactly 30 years ago

1. Biggest cases in Sheffield Crown Court's 30-year history

Sheffield Crown Court has bore witness to details of some of the worst, and most shocking, crimes in South Yorkshire’s history since it opened almost exactly 30 years ago | Mix, see other pictures in series

In the days and weeks following the tragic and untimely deaths of Blake and Tristan Barrass in May 2019, the two brothers were described as 'beautiful boys who touched the lives of everyone they knew'.
Sheffield was left in a state of shock and utter disbelief after learning that 13-year-old Tristan and Blake Barrass, aged 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.
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 KC 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."

2. Shiregreen murders: Incestuous couple jailed for life in 2019 for two sons & trying to kill their four other children

In the days and weeks following the tragic and untimely deaths of Blake and Tristan Barrass in May 2019, the two brothers were described as 'beautiful boys who touched the lives of everyone they knew'. Sheffield was left in a state of shock and utter disbelief after learning that 13-year-old Tristan and Blake Barrass, aged 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. 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 KC 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." | Submit/Iconic Media Group/3rd party

An evil Rotherham child abuse gang who stole the childhoods of vulnerable girls were sentenced to 102 years in jail in February 2016, following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court. Ringleader Arshid Hussain (top left) – who led the appalling sexual and physical abuse of young teenagers in the town who were often then trafficked and sold for sex in Sheffield and other locations – was jailed for 35 years. His brothers, Basharat Hussain (top middle) and Bannaras Hussain (top right), got 25 years and 19 years respectively. Judge Sarah Wright said their offending had been so serious she would depart from normal legal guidelines on maximum prison sentences for their offences. The Hussains’ uncle, Qurban Ali (bottom right) was jailed for 10 years and female accomplice Karen MacGregor (bottom left) for 13 years after the trial heard of her ‘Hansel and Gretel’ role in persuading vulnerable young women to live with her before making them ‘earn their keep’ by having sex with Asian men. Co-defendant Shelley Davis (bottom middle) was given an 18-month suspended sentence after the court was told she had also been a vulnerable teenager at the time of her offending.

3. Evil Rotherham grooming gang jailed for 102 years in 2016 over sickening child abuse

An evil Rotherham child abuse gang who stole the childhoods of vulnerable girls were sentenced to 102 years in jail in February 2016, following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court. Ringleader Arshid Hussain (top left) – who led the appalling sexual and physical abuse of young teenagers in the town who were often then trafficked and sold for sex in Sheffield and other locations – was jailed for 35 years. His brothers, Basharat Hussain (top middle) and Bannaras Hussain (top right), got 25 years and 19 years respectively. Judge Sarah Wright said their offending had been so serious she would depart from normal legal guidelines on maximum prison sentences for their offences. The Hussains’ uncle, Qurban Ali (bottom right) was jailed for 10 years and female accomplice Karen MacGregor (bottom left) for 13 years after the trial heard of her ‘Hansel and Gretel’ role in persuading vulnerable young women to live with her before making them ‘earn their keep’ by having sex with Asian men. Co-defendant Shelley Davis (bottom middle) was given an 18-month suspended sentence after the court was told she had also been a vulnerable teenager at the time of her offending. | SYP

Gary Allen was jailed for life and told he must serve a minimum of 37 behind bars by a judge who described him as ‘wicked’. Allen, who was 47 when he was jailed in June, killed mother-of-three Samantha Class in Hull in 1997, and mother-of-four Alena Grlakova in Rotherham in 2018. He had been cleared of the murder of Ms Class in 2000, but this acquittal was overturned in 2019 after “compelling” new evidence came to light. Sentencing Allen at Sheffield Crown Court, the judge in the case, Mr Justice Goose, said: “It would not be an overstatement to say that what you did to those two women, and the loss and suffering to their families, was wicked.” Jurors heard how the body of 29-year-old Ms Class, who was working in the sex industry, was found by children on the banks of the Humber in October 1997. Ms Grlakova’s body was found naked in a stream in Rotherham in April 2019, four months after she was last seen on Boxing Day 2018. The 38-year-old had been strangled. She was from Slovakia and moved to the UK in 2008 but, after becoming estranged from her husband and children, she started working in the sex industry. The court heard how Allen attacked two sex workers in 2000 in Plymouth, just weeks after he was acquitted of Ms Class’s murder after his initial trial

4. "Wicked" murderer who killed two women 22 years apart finally jailed for life in 2021 after change to double jeopardy laws

Gary Allen was jailed for life and told he must serve a minimum of 37 behind bars by a judge who described him as ‘wicked’. Allen, who was 47 when he was jailed in June, killed mother-of-three Samantha Class in Hull in 1997, and mother-of-four Alena Grlakova in Rotherham in 2018. He had been cleared of the murder of Ms Class in 2000, but this acquittal was overturned in 2019 after “compelling” new evidence came to light. Sentencing Allen at Sheffield Crown Court, the judge in the case, Mr Justice Goose, said: “It would not be an overstatement to say that what you did to those two women, and the loss and suffering to their families, was wicked.” Jurors heard how the body of 29-year-old Ms Class, who was working in the sex industry, was found by children on the banks of the Humber in October 1997. Ms Grlakova’s body was found naked in a stream in Rotherham in April 2019, four months after she was last seen on Boxing Day 2018. The 38-year-old had been strangled. She was from Slovakia and moved to the UK in 2008 but, after becoming estranged from her husband and children, she started working in the sex industry. The court heard how Allen attacked two sex workers in 2000 in Plymouth, just weeks after he was acquitted of Ms Class’s murder after his initial trial | 3rd party/Iconic Media Group

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