Two 12-year-old boys have become the youngest since James Bulger's killers to be convicted of murder after stabbing a teenager to death.
Shawn Seesahai, 19, was brutally attacked with a machete in Bilston, Wolverhampton, on grassland near a primary school on November 13, last year. The teen had been with friends when he had his legs slashed before the blade was plunged through his heart on Stowlawn playing fields in East Park.
Despite the efforts of medics, Shawn, who had only been in the UK for six months after coming over Anguilla for eye surgery, was pronounced dead at the scene at 9.11pm. A court heard he suffered a 23cm (9in) deep wound which went through almost his entire body as well as a fractured skull.
READ MORE: Police thought he was a burglar but what they found inside house was more sinister
READ MORE: Michael Mosley post-mortem 'confirms exact time of death'
On Monday the boys, who cannot be named due to their age, became two of the youngest killers in British legal history. The pair had blamed each other for the attack but were found guilty following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
Jurors were told how Shaun, who was living in Birmingham, and two friends travelled into Wolverhampton on the tram so one of the friends could visit his girlfriend. Shawn and the other friend bought energy drinks from a petrol station shop and went to the playing field to wait for their friend.
While they were sitting on a bench in the dark some youngsters, who had been on a nearby baseball court, came over. Following the exchange that followed, Shawn was punched, kicked and savagely knifed by the two boys before being left for dead.
Detectives trawled CCTV and spoke to witnesses before arresting the 12-year-old boys the following evening (November 14). Officers searched a storage space under one of the youngsters' beds and recovered a machete.
A tracksuit with apparent blood stains on it was also seized from the laundry basket at one of the schoolboys' homes. Mobile phone images also revealed multiple pictures of large knives and weapons.
One recent searched asked: "How many criminal records can you have to leave the country". Both boys, who denied murder, refused to answer any further questions during police interviews.
As well as being convicted of murder, one of the lads admitted possessing a bladed article while the second was found guilty of the same charge on Monday. They are believed to be the youngest convicted of murder since Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were found guilty of killing two-year-old James Bulger in 1993.
The defendants will be sentenced at a later date.
Detective Inspector Damian Forrest, of West Midlands Police's Homicide Unit, said: "Throughout this case our thoughts have always been with Shawn's family who have been devastated by his death. Today we can only hope that they do feel some degree of peace knowing those who took Shawn's life have been convicted.
"It became apparent early on in the investigation that those responsible for Shawn’s murder were 12 years old, and that was deeply shocking. But it did nothing to reduce our dedication and fervour to ensure Shawn's killers were brought to justice.
"We worked tirelessly to establish what happened that evening and to leave a jury in no doubt that both boys were responsible for Shawn's death. Our teams worked carefully and respectfully with all those involved, some of them also very young, to build the case which has brought Shawn’s killers to justice.
"Sadly Shawn’s death is yet another reminder of how carrying weapons can have life-changing consequences for all those involved, and their loved ones, forever.”
Shawn’s parents and sister travelled from Anguilla to see justice done for their son and revealed how they had been left heartbroken by his death. His mother, Maneshwary, said: “Shawn was such a loving son, he was so well-mannered, looked after us, was loving to everyone and very protective.
"He always said he wanted to work, he wanted his own house, his own car. He liked basketball and cricket, he loved those sports. He was always listening to music.
"He spent most of his time at home and didn't want to go out much."
His dad, Suresh, said: "I will remember him every day, when I get home I see his pictures, his clothes, his sneakers, I will always remember him. Even at work, I work for myself and he works for me on weekends, when I would pack up my stuff he always helped me.
"Whenever I put anything in my truck now, he will be there with me helping me do it. I never had a problem with Shawn, he was such a loving son. He would be up at 5am to work, and whenever I paid him he always saved it.
"We are a very close family, we'll never forget him. Justice must be done. I want them 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."
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiXWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmxpdmVycG9vbGVjaG8uY28udWsvbmV3cy91ay13b3JsZC1uZXdzL2JveXMtMTItYmVjb21lLXlvdW5nZXN0LWNvbnZpY3RlZC0yOTMzMDc3MNIBAA?oc=5
2024-06-11 06:37:00Z
CBMiXWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmxpdmVycG9vbGVjaG8uY28udWsvbmV3cy91ay13b3JsZC1uZXdzL2JveXMtMTItYmVjb21lLXlvdW5nZXN0LWNvbnZpY3RlZC0yOTMzMDc3MNIBAA
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar