Two boys (12) found guilty of murdering 'defenseless' teenager with machete

Shawn Seesahai (19) was unarmed when he and his friend were attacked while walking on Stowlawn Playing Fields in Wolverhampton on November 13 last year.

Jurors heard that one of the defendants regularly carried a machete, and both men were seen “passing it around” before carrying out the deadly attack.

Although he did nothing to offend his killers, Mr. Seeshai was shoulder-bumped and then punched so hard in the head that a piece of bone fell off. He also suffered a fatal 23 cm deep stab wound that ran through most of his body.

Both defendants, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had screenshots of knives on their phones and had searched for articles about the murder. One of them had also searched on the Internet “how many criminal records can you have to leave the country” on November 14, the day after the attack.

Jurors yesterday unanimously convicted the youths, who would be the youngest defendants convicted of murder in Britain since Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both aged 11, were convicted in 1993 of the murder of James Bulger , two years.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Mr Seesahai, who lived in Handsworth in Birmingham but was originally from Anguilla in the Caribbean, had traveled to the UK to receive treatment for cataracts.

On November 13, he had traveled with friends to Wolverhampton, when the two 12-year-olds were together from 4.10pm that afternoon.

After spending some time sitting with a friend on a bench, the court heard Mr Seesahai and his friend “hunkered down” with the defendants as the boys passed the machetes between them, with one commenting “ keep walking.”

Mr Seesahai's friend, who was with him at the time of the attack, told police that one of the boys deliberately grazed his victim's shoulder, before pulling out the gun and throwing his gun. attack.

Michelle Heeley KC told the court: “The prosecution alleges that the two boys were engaged in a joint attack on a man who had done nothing wrong, an unarmed man, who was completely defenseless on the ground.

“We say these two boys were acting together and intended to kill Mr Seesahai, at the very least they intended to cause him very serious harm. As a result of their actions, Shawn Seesahai died instantly. He had been hit on the head so hard with the machete that a piece of bone had actually broken off.

“He had cuts on his leg and, more importantly, a wound from the machete that passed through his body from his back, ribs and heart. »

Both boys denied the accusations and blamed each other for his death, while one of them admitted to being in possession of the machete used in the attack.

Detective Inspector Damian Forrest, who led the investigation, said: “The weapon was a large machete which no person who does not need it as a tool of their trade should have reason to possess. » (© The Independent)