UK’s youngest murderers since James Bulger killers, 12, are locked up after stabbing Shawn Seesahai to death in park
BRITAIN’S youngest murderers since James Bulger’s killers have been locked up after knifing a teen to death when they were aged just 12.
The monstrous duo ambushed 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai as he hung out with pals in Wolverhampton.
Chilling CCTV taken seconds before the tragedy showed Shawn chatting to a friend before entering a park.
Just moments later, Shawn was struck on his back, legs and skull with a 42.5cm-long machete – despite the fact he “offered no violence, nor done anything to offend”.
One of the boys killed him by plunging the blade so deep into his back it went through his heart and almost came out his chest.
Prosecutors argued they were jointly responsible for the attack, with the pair this year becoming the youngest-ever knife murderers to be found guilty in Britain.
The boys are also the youngest defendants in the UK to be convicted of murder since James’ killers Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, then aged 11, in 1993.
They were today sentenced to life with a minimum of eight years and six months, which will be spent in secure accommodation.
Despite their vile crimes, Mrs Justice Tipples ruled both boys could not be identified due to welfare concerns.
Nottingham Crown Court heard Shawn had been visiting the Midlands while recovering from cataract surgery.
On November 13, he and his pals met up, while the schoolboy killers joined two girls in the park.
During the course of the day, one of the boys was seen handling the machete, which he regularly carried around with him.
Meanwhile, footage showed Shawn leaving Handsworth, in Birmingham, with two friends around 5.30pm on a tram at Winson Green station.
Later, the three of them exited at Priestfield stop in Wolverhampton and made their way towards the park.
At around 6.30pm Shawn and one of his friends went to go to a petrol station before heading back inside.
Once there, Shawn and the pal were sat chatting on a bench when they stumbled across the killers.
One “deliberately shoulder-brushed” the teen before pulling out the blade from his trousers.
Shawn managed to shout “run” to his friend before he was hacked at with the machete as he lay defenceless on the ground.
One of the boys stabbed him so savagely a “piece of bone had actually come away” from his skull, the court heard.
As he repeatedly knifed Shawn, the other killer was seen punching and stamping on his head.
Michelle Heeley KC, prosecuting, said: “These two boys engaged in a joint attack upon a man who had done nothing wrong, a man with no weapon, who was utterly defenceless on the ground.”
Following the horror, both boys sought to blame each other for the attack as they desperately covered their tracks.
They also claimed they had been playing video games in the hours after the killing.
But police raided both their homes and discovered the machete under one of their beds.
Pictures released by cops show the machete, as well as long knives on top of another bed.
They also discovered screenshots of knives on their phones and chilling web searches, including “how many criminal records can you have to leave the country”.
One of the thugs had even posed with the machete hours before the killing.
Shawn's family speak of torment
The teen’s loved ones said: “We are devastated as a family, totally heartbroken and confused.
“None of us have had an unbroken night’s sleep since Shawn was taken from us. Every time I close my eyes, all I can think about are what his last moments were and how scared he must have been.
“It continually breaks my heart.
“The impact on us as a family is devastating. It’s hard to believe that we will ever come to terms with what has happened.
“Shawn was a very loving child to us. He was very helpful and hardworking. He loved to help out with dad in construction and loved to help with the household chores. He was a humble person and his personality was unique.”
This boy was described in court as having been “groomed, exploited and trafficked by older youths and young men in the wider community who encouraged him towards the possession of knives”.
The court heard he had “experienced significant trauma in his life” and came from a deprived home with family members who had also offended.
At the time of the horror, he was under the care of his gran, who had brought his behaviour to the attention of social services on a number of occasions.
But she only had “intermittent contact” with support workers, the court heard.
The boy’s co-killer had also experienced significant disruption in his home life but there was no evidence he carried a knife.
Jonathan Rose, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “As prosecutors, we often deal with harrowing cases, but this case is particularly distressing due to the complete senselessness and devastating consequences of the defendants’ actions.
“The defendants at the age of 12 should have been enjoying their childhood rather than arming themselves with a machete and killing an innocent person.
“Shawn Seesahai lost his life in a horrifically cruel way.
“I hope today’s sentencing serves as a reminder of the dangers of carrying machetes.
“Shawn’s family have shown remarkable strength and dignity in the aftermath of such a tragedy and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”