Murder of Shawn Seesahai
| Date | 13 November 2023 |
|---|---|
| Location | Wolverhampton, England |
| Coordinates | 52°34′33″N 2°05′28″W / 52.57583°N 2.09111°W |
| Convicted | 2 |
| Trial | 2 May – 10 June 2024 |
| Convictions |
|
| Sentence | Life imprisonment with a minimum of 8.5 years |
On 13 November 2023, 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai was attacked and killed by two 12-year-old boys during a confrontation in a park in Wolverhampton, England. The perpetrators were the youngest people to be convicted of murder in the United Kingdom since the murder of James Bulger in 1993, and the youngest to have been convicted of murder using a knife. The two boys, whose names the media were not permitted to publish due to their young age, were both sentenced, on 27 September 2024, to detention in a young offender institution at His Majesty's pleasure for a minimum term of eight years and six months.
Background
[edit]Shawn Seesahai
[edit]Seesahai was 19 years old when he was murdered on 13 November 2023. He had come to the United Kingdom from his home in Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory, to receive medical treatment six months before his death.[1][2] He was living in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.[1]
His family spent their whole life savings to repatriate his body back to Anguilla and had to take out a loan to attend the trial, earlier in 2024.[2] His parents could not afford to attend the sentencing in September 2024.[3]
Perpetrators
[edit]One of the boys was described as having been groomed and exploited by "older youths and young men in the wider community who encouraged him towards the possession of knives".[4] He had purchased the machete used in the killing for £40 two months before the incident.[5]
The two boys were aged 12 at the time of the murder and 13 when sentenced. Under section 45 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, media covering the case were prohibited from publishing the boys' names;[6][3] the trial judge, Mrs Justice Tipples, refused to waive this, ruling that their welfare outweighed the public interest.[7][8]
Murder
[edit]On 13 November 2023, Seesahai travelled to Wolverhampton from Birmingham with two friends.[1][9] Seesahai and a friend were waiting in Stowlawn Playing Fields[10] in Stow Heath—just northwest of Bilston—when a confrontation took place between them and the boys over a bench,[4] or because one of the boys had shoulder-barged Seesahai unprovoked.[11]
One of the boys claimed during the trial that Seesahai and another man had approached the two boys and a female friend while they were sitting on a park bench, and that Seesahai had attacked them, put one of the boys in a headlock, and attempted to run away but tripped; one of the boys then proceeded to stab Seesahai to death with the other's machete.[5] The second boy claimed he was nowhere near Seesahai when the other boy attacked him with the machete.[5]
Seesahai's friend stated that they were in the park drinking Red Bull and discussing their Christmas plans when they were attacked, unprovoked, by the two boys.[9] Seesahai was shoulder-barged by one boy.[11] They both then attempted to run away when one of the boys unsheathed a machete, but Seesahai tripped and was stabbed repeatedly; his friend stated during the trial "I was running for my life – I couldn't stay there and watch".[12]
Trial
[edit]The trial took place at Nottingham Crown Court and began on 2 May 2024.[13] Jurors heard that Seesahai had been stabbed in the back, legs, and skull, and was also beaten; he was attacked with such ferocity that one wound almost passed through his body, and his skull was struck so hard that a "piece of bone had actually come away". During the trial, the defendants sought to blame each other, but the jury convicted them both of murder on 10 June 2024.[14]
Sentencing
[edit]Despite not determining which of the boys delivered the fatal stab wound, the judge decided that both boys were responsible for Seesahai's death.[15] On 27 September 2024, the two boys were both sentenced to detention at His Majesty's pleasure (i.e. equivalent a life sentence[16]) and will serve a minimum term of eight years and six months in a young offender institution.[6][11][8] The starting point set by sentencing guidelines was 13 years' detention,[17] but the sentence was adjusted downwards for both boys due to mitigating factors, including their young age and troubled upbringings.[4][18] If the Parole Board is satisfied that they can be released from detention, they will remain on licence for life.[15]
The perpetrators are the youngest people to be convicted of murder in the United Kingdom since the killing of James Bulger in 1993.[7] Given that Sharon Carr, who was the same age as Seesahai's killers when she stabbed Katie Rackliff to death in 1992, was not convicted until age 17,[19] Seesahai's killers are the youngest in the UK to have been convicted of a murder where the weapon used was a knife.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Two 12-year-olds found guilty of the murder of Shawn Seesahai". westmidlands.police.uk. West Midlands Police. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Wolverhampton murder of Shawn Seesahai was family's 'worst nightmare'". BBC News. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Caribbean island Anguilla grieving Shawn Seesahai machete murder". BBC News. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Murray, Jessica (26 September 2024). "Family of murdered Shawn Seesahai say they are haunted by thoughts of his last moments". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Cotterill, Becky (11 June 2024). "Shawn Seesahai: Boys, 12, found guilty of murdering 19-year-old in machete attack". Sky News. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b "13-year-old boys sentenced for murder of Shawn Seesahai". www.cps.gov.uk. The Crown Prosecution Service. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Murray, Jessica (27 September 2024). "Two boys, 13, receive eight-year minimum terms for Wolverhampton machete murder". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Sentencing remarks of Mrs Justice Tipples DBE Between: R -v- BGI and CMB" (PDF). judiciary.uk. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b Johnston, Neil (10 June 2024). "Judge to consider whether 12-year-old machete killers should be named". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "Caribbean island Anguilla grieving Shawn Seesahai machete murder". BBC News. 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
- ^ a b c "Two boys believed to be UK's youngest knife murderers detained for minimum of eight years and six months". Sky News. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Murray, Jessica (10 June 2024). "Murder of Shawn Seesahai by 12-year-olds in park shocked police". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "Shawn Seesahai: Boys, 12, killed 'defenceless' man with machete, court hears". BBC News. May 2, 2024.
- ^ "Shawn Seesahai: Boys, 12, found guilty of Wolverhampton murder". BBC News. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Boys, 13, sentenced for murder of Shawn Seesahai in Wolverhampton". BBC News. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "Types of sentences for children and young people". sentencingcouncil.org.uk. Sentencing Council for England and Wales. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
Detention during His Majesty's Pleasure is a mandatory life sentence and will be imposed when a child or young person is convicted or pleads guilty to murder.
- ^ "Family of Shawn Seesahai describe their pain at his 'senseless' machete murder". Yahoo News. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Stringer, Connor (27 September 2024). "Britain's youngest knife killers could be freed by age of 20". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Edwards, Paul (25 March 1997). "Lust drove girl of 12 to murder for kicks". Manchester Evening News. p. 10.