Two 12-year-old boys found guilty of killing man in UK machete attack

Two 12-year-old boys have been found guilty of killing a man in a machete attack in the United Kingdom last November, police said Monday.

The boys, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, murdered 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai in a park in Wolverhampton, central England, West Midlands Police said in a statement.

Seesahai, who was from Anguilla, had only lived in the UK for about six months, the statement said.

According to the police, Seesahai and his friend were in the park when they were approached by “youngsters.”

Nottingham Crown Court heard that the victim was then shoulder-barged by one of the boys, and was punched, kicked, stamped on and “chopped” at with a 42.5cm-long machete, PA reported.

A forensics tent and police cordon in East Park, off Laburnum Road, Wolverhampton, where Shawn Seesahai, 19, died in November 2023 after being stabbed. - Stephanie Wareham/Press Association/AP
A forensics tent and police cordon in East Park, off Laburnum Road, Wolverhampton, where Shawn Seesahai, 19, died in November 2023 after being stabbed. - Stephanie Wareham/Press Association/AP

A witness told the court that one defendant used the machete on Seesahai’s legs while the other punched and stamped on his head, PA said.

The court was also told that Seesahai had an injury “that went through his body all the way from his back, through his ribs and into his heart,” PA reported.

The perpetrators were arrested two days after the attack, West Midlands Police said. A machete was found under one of the boys’ beds, blood-stained clothing was found in one of the boys’ laundry baskets, and forensic analysis of a mobile phone seized by officers found multiple images of large knives and other weapons.

Seesahai’s mother said he was “such a loving son,” adding that he was “so well-mannered, looked after us, was loving to everyone and very protective.”

His father said that “justice must be done. I want [the assailants] to have the right sentence, they don’t have to be locked up for life, I just want it to be fair.”

“We are keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll get the justice we’ve come here for,” he added.

The boys are expected to be sentenced in July, PA reported.

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