Britain's youngest machete murderers at 12 years old are jailed for life after killing Shawn Seesahai

Shawn Seesahai was shoulder-barged by the smaller of the two defendants, who “often” carried a machete with a 42.5cm-long blade, before being punched, kicked, stamped on and “chopped” at with the weapon

Two boys who were just 12 years old when they murdered a teenager have today been jailed for life.

Shawn Seesahai was shoulder-barged by the smaller of the two defendants, who “often” carried a machete with a 42.5cm-long blade, before being punched, kicked, stamped on and “chopped” at with the weapon, a month-long trial was told. The victim’s friend told the trial he was forced to run for his life but Mr Seesahai stumbled as he tried to flee from the boys.

His killers are believed to be the youngest defendants convicted of murder in Britain since Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both then aged 11, were found guilty in 1993 of killing two-year-old James Bulger. Today they were jailed for a minimum of eight years and six months each.

Yesterday, MrSeesahai's family who were forced to take out a loan to travel to the UK from Anguilla to view the 20-day trial, are watching the sentencing hearing via a videolink, as they couldn't afford to return. A statement read to the court said: “As a family we are struggling in so many ways since Shawn was taken from us, especially in the horrific way in which he was taken.

“Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare. To put it all down in a statement on how it has impacted our lives would take more than a day to read. It has left a huge hole in the pit of our stomach which nothing can fill, we are devastated as a family, totally heartbroken and confused.”

The statement added that Shawn was incredibly close to his younger sister, who had always dreamed of being there for his wedding and him being there for hers. The family members, including parents Suresh and Maneshwary and sister Shana, added: “Mentally it has been hard for any of us to function normally. 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, its hard to believe that we will ever come to terms with what has happened. We will never get to see Shawn get married or have a family of his own. These things have been taken from us for what appears to be no reason at all.”

The trial at Nottingham crown court heard Shawn, of Handsworth, Birmingham, was "chopped" with the 16in blade and stabbed in the heart. Mrs Justice Tipples told the court there was “little precedent” for the case and the boys are thought to be the country’s youngest knife murderers. She ruled following the trial that the defendants cannot be identified by the media because of concerns surrounding their welfare. The boys were allowed to leave the dock and sit beside relatives on the back row of the court.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC submitted that the case was aggravated by the fact that one of the defendants had admitted he “regularly” carried the machete, and that fact that two offenders had jointly attacked one victim. One of the boys admitted possession of the knife prior to the trial, while the other was found guilty of the same charge when they were both unanimously convicted of murder on June 10.

Both boys claimed the other had inflicted four wounds with the machete, after a dispute about sitting on a park bench.

Rachel Brand KC, defending the boy who admitted buying and owning the machete, told the court during mitigation: “He lacked, as a child, foresight of the consequences of his actions, and lacked, as a child, the ability to regulate his behaviour in the same way adults do.”

Urging the court to take into account the fact the boy had been “groomed” and exploited by older youths and young men in the wider community, Ms Brand added: “We say the evidence shows that his involvement was with his fists and feet and the co-defendant wielded the machete. He knows that he bears the responsibility for taking that machete to the scene.

“All he can do as a child struggling to express himself about what has happened is to say to the Youth Offending Team that he wishes he hadn’t taken the machete out with him. He wishes they hadn’t gone to the park. He wishes that this hadn’t happened.”

Paul Lewis KC, defending the other boy, said: “The prospects of rehabilitation in his case, we submit, are excellent. He had never been involved in any sort of criminality before. This was a one-off incident that was not premeditated – over in seconds – with admittedly tragic results.”