'Britain's youngest knife murderers': Two boys, 12, guilty of killing stranger with a machete in unprovoked attack
10 June 2024, 15:58 | Updated: 10 June 2024, 17:05
Two 12-year-old boys have been found guilty of murdering a man who was stabbed to death in a machete attack.
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Shawn Seesahai, 19, died after being stabbed in the heart on Stowlawn playing fields in East Park, Wolverhampton last November.
The two boys cannot be named due to their age but they are believed to be the youngest knife murderers in the UK.
They looked to blame each other during the trial at Nottingham Crown Court but prosecutors said they were jointly responsible for the savage attack.
Mr Seesahai was struck on his back, legs and skull while the fatal wound to his back was more than 20cm deep and "almost came out" of his chest after going "through his heart".
Although CPR was administered to him, he died at the scene.
One defendant had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a machete "without good reason or lawful authority", while the co-defendant denied the same offence, but was also convicted of that charge on Monday.
Mr Seesahai had travelled to the UK from the Caribbean for cataract surgery and had been staying in Birmingham while recovering from the treatment.
The teenager was able to start planning for the future and think about getting an education, prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC said.
She added: "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.”
Mr Seesahai's mother Manashwary described her son as "very loving".
She said: "He's always there for us, a very protected child. He helped his father [at work] with all the tools, he helped me [at] home with the chores, he loved to do that.
"He didn't finish school, so after he came here and finished the eye surgery, he said when he felt better he'd finish off school and have his dream.
"He'd always say 'Mom, I want to work, I want my own house, I want my own car.' He'd always say 'Mom, I will be shining'."
The teenager's father Suresh spoke of how his son would help him with his work and discussed how parents need to be more aware of their child’s activities.
He said: "You don't know what these kids have. This world is a different world. Kids are dangerous now and if we don't pay attention to our kids it will happen every day.
"He was always with me, from the time he was born and growing up. When he'd have been around 16 he started to work with me. Whatsoever he knew that I'd need help [with] he'd always be there for me."
Mr Seesahai had travelled to Wolverhampton with friends on 13 November, while the two defendants were together that afternoon and met with two girls about the same age.
Mr Seesahai and a friend went to the playing fields and sat on a bench before walking around the park and later returning to the bench where they encountered the two defendants and a girl.
The pair “came together” with the defendants, the court heard, with one boy "deliberately shoulder-brushing" Mr Seesahai.
When he questioned what they were doing, one pulled a machete from his trousers.
Mr Seesahai shouted “run” to his friend who fled and as he looked back he saw Mr Seesahai on the floor, surrounded by the boys, jurors were told.
Ms Heeley told the court: "He had slash wounds on his leg, and most significantly he had an injury from the machete that went through his body all the way from his back, through his ribs and into his heart."
A witness told police she saw one boy using the machete on Mr Seesahai's legs and the other punching and stamping on his head.
Police later found the machete under the bed of one of the boys. He said he had purchased the weapon for £40 a couple of months before the killing.
He used bleach to clean the blood-stained knife before hiding it under his bed.
The court heard one of the boys regularly carried a machete, and on the day of the murder had been passing it between him and his co-defendant.
The boys had screenshots of knives on their phones like the one they used and had searched online for news articles about the attack.
One of the defendants had also searched online for "how many criminal records can you have to leave the country” on the day following the murder.
One had posed in a mask with the murder weapon for a picture hours before the killing.
He was found to have 11 areas of bloodstaining on his clothing and was also seen with blood on his hands after the murder.
The other boy had a small area of bloodstaining on his right trainer.
Detective Inspector Damian Forrest from West Midlands Police described the incident as "shocking".
He said: "Sadly, this is not the first case that I have investigated of a young man losing his life to knife crime but it is the first that I have looked at two 12-year-olds being responsible.
"That is something that took me by surprise and will stay with me."
