by Two 12-year-old boys who used a machete to stab a “completely defenseless” teenager have been found guilty of murder.
On Monday, jurors unanimously convicted the youths, who are believed to be the youngest defendants convicted of murder in Britain since Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both aged 11, were found guilty in 1993 of killing James Bulger two years old.
They attacked Shawn Seesahai, 19, who was unarmed when he and his friend were made to walk through Stowlawn playing fields in Wolverhampton on November 13 last year.
Jurors heard that one of the defendants regularly carried a machete, and the pair were seen “crossing each other” before carrying out the fatal attack.
Despite the fact that he did nothing to convict his killers, Mr. Seeshai was barged shoulder and then hit so hard on the skull that a piece of bone came out. He also suffered a fatal wound 23cm deep which went almost all the way through his body.
In an interview released after the verdicts, Seesahai’s parents, Suresh and Maneshwary, said they will never get over the loss of their 19-year-old son who always told them he would “shine” and give take care of them.
Speaking for the first time since her son’s murder, Suresh Seesahai said he sympathizes with the parents of the killers and hopes his son gets “justice”.
Both defendants, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had screenshots of knives on their phones and researched articles about the killing. One of them also searched online for “how many criminal records can you have to leave the country” on November 14, a day after the attack.
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 traveled with his friends to Wolverhampton, and the two 12-year-old children were together from 4.10pm that evening, meeting two girls of the same age who are witnesses in the case.
After spending a period of time sitting with a friend on a bench and walking by the basketball courts, the court heard Mr Seesahai and his friend “Get together” with the defendants as the boys passed the machete between them, and one person said “Keep a step” .
The weapon was removed from the trousers of one of the boys and made available for use despite Mr Seesahai not offering any violence.
His friend who was with him when the attack took place told the police that one of the boys had deliberately brushed his victim, before he produced the weapon and launched the attack .
Michelle Heeley KC told the court: “The prosecution say the two boys were in a joint attack on a man who had done nothing wrong, an unarmed man, who was completely defenseless on the ground.
“We say that these two boys were acting together and that they intended to kill Mr. Seesahai, at least that they intended to cause serious harm.
“As a result of their actions, Shawn Seesahai died at the scene. He was hit so hard to the skull with the machete that a piece of bone was actually gone.
“He had slash wounds on his leg, and in particular 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.”
After the killing Mr Seesahai’s friend called the police, who attended and started CPR but the severity of his injuries made it clear he was already dead.
Both boys denied the charge and blamed each other for his death, with one of them admitting possession of the machete used in the attack.
As well as failing to call for help for Mr Seesahai, the youths showed no remorse for what they had done in the 24 hours before their arrest – the machete was cleaned with bleach and hidden under his bed.
They told the court they both played video games in the hours after the killing, claiming they did not know Mr Seesahai had died until the following day.
Jurors heard one of the defendants standing, wearing a mask, with the murder weapon for hours of pictures before the killing, and it was found that there were 11 areas of blood spillage on his clothes.
In an interview, Mr. Seesahai’s parents questioned how such a young child could have a weapon like a machete while walking the streets.
Suresh said: “This world is a different world, children are now dangerous. If we don’t pay attention to them this will continue to happen.”
Maneshwary said: “Twelve-year-olds should be at home doing schoolwork and then going to bed. I have two children and at 7.30pm they had to go to bed because they have to follow the rules of the house.
Detective Inspector Damian Forrest, who led the investigation, said: “The weapon was a large machete and there should be no reason for anyone to own one who does not need it as a tool of the trade.
“Of course, it would be a gardening tool first.
“Although the facts of this case mean that we cannot say for sure how that weapon came into the possession of the suspects, there is some evidence to suggest that one of them tried to buy knives on the internet.”
Jonathan Roe, Senior Crown Prosecutor for West Midlands PSC, said: “Shawn Seesahai was an incredibly brave young man who had a lifetime of opportunities.
“Shawn suffered traumatic injuries after being ruthlessly targeted by defendants who had a penchant for violence and were roaming the streets looking for a potential victim.
“This was a horrific and random act of brutality, committed by two 12-year-old children who should not be spending their time arming themselves with a machete and preparing to take their own lives.”
