Murder of Shawn Seesahai

Shawn Seesahai Seesahai was 19 years old when he was murdered on 13 November 2023. He had come to the United Kingdom from his home in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla to receive medical treatment six months before his death. He was living in Birmingham, West Midlands. Perpetrators 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". ==Murder==

On 13 November 2023, Seesahai travelled to Wolverhampton from Birmingham with two friends. Seesahai and a friend were waiting in Stowlawn Playing Fields in Stow Heath when a confrontation took place between them and the boys over a bench, or because one of the boys had shoulder-barged Seesahai unprovoked. 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. The second boy claimed he was nowhere near Seesahai when the other boy attacked him with the machete. ==Trial==

The trial took place at Nottingham Crown Court and began on 2 May 2024. 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. ==Sentencing==

Despite not determining which of the boys delivered the fatal stab wound, the judge decided that both boys were responsible for Seesahai's death. On 27 September 2024, the two boys were both sentenced to detention at His Majesty's pleasure (i.e. equivalent a life sentence) and will serve a minimum term of eight years and six months in a young offender institution. The starting point for the minimum term set by sentencing guidelines was 13 years' detention, but the sentence was adjusted downwards for both boys due to mitigating factors, including their young age and troubled upbringings. If the Parole Board is satisfied that they can be released from detention, they will remain on licence for life. Seesahai's killers are the youngest in the UK to have been convicted of a murder where the weapon used was a knife. ==References==