UK’s youngest murderers since James Bulger killers, 12, have sentences INCREASED after stabbing innocent teen to death
BRITAIN’S youngest murderers since James Bulger’s killers have had their sentences increased 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.
This year, the pair became the youngest-ever knife murderers to be found guilty in Britain.
They were 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.
The boys – now aged 13 – were sentenced to life in prison in September with a minimum of eight years and six months.
That tariff was today increased to ten years following a hearing at the Court of Appeal.
Lawyers for the Solicitor General said the sentences of both boys were “unduly lenient” and should be increased as it was a “particularly serious type of case”.
Lord Justice William Davis said: “We have, with some reluctance and sadness, come to the conclusion that the minimum terms imposed by Mrs Justice Tipples were unduly lenient.”
A Spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office, added: “This was a deeply distressing case. Shawn Seesahai was only 19 years old and had his whole life ahead of him but was brutally murdered over a minor disagreement.
“Knife crime is a scourge, and we welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase the sentences of Shawn’s murderers, following the referral by the Solicitor General.”
Nottingham Crown Court heard Shawn had been visiting the Midlands while recovering from cataract surgery when the horror unfolded.
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.
Chilling CCTV taken seconds before the tragedy showed Shawn chatting to a friend before entering a park.
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.
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 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.
Speaking previously, Shawn’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.”