Two boys, 12, killed man with machete, court hears

Shawn Seesahai was fatally stabbed in November last year

Two 12-year-old boys used a machete to murder an "utterly defenceless" man, inflicting injuries to his skull and heart and slashing his legs, a court heard.

Shawn Seesahai, 19, died in November last year after being set upon on Stowlawn playing fields in East Park, Wolverhampton.

Jurors were told that he had offered no violence and done nothing to offend either of the boys but was violently attacked.

The accused pair, who cannot be named due to their age, both deny murder.

Warning: Readers may find details of this case upsetting

Opening the case at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, Michelle Heeley KC said: "Shawn Seesahai was murdered by being struck with a machete to his back, legs and skull.

"He was also beaten and kicked. The Crown say that these two defendants were jointly responsible for that attack."

Mr Seesahai, who lived in Handsworth, Birmingham but was originally from Anguilla in the Caribbean, had travelled to the UK to receive treatment for cataracts.

On 13 November, he had travelled to Wolverhampton with friends, while the two defendants were together on the same afternoon, meeting two girls who were about the same age, both who are witnesses in the case.

The court heard one girl told police one of the boys had regularly carried a machete and that he and other boy "were passing it between themselves" on the day of the attack.

The prosecution said Mr Seesahai was struck with a machete to his back, legs and skull

Ms Heeley described how the boys had gone out "armed with a lethal weapon" and "had been roaming the streets" while Mr Seesahai was "just with his friends."

Holding up the machete, she told the court: "It's understandable how a weapon of this type and size could cause fatal injuries in such a short space of time."

She told the court the victim was hit so hard on the skull that a "piece of bone had actually come away."

"He had slash wounds on his leg, and most significantly he had an injury from the machete that went through his body all the way from his back, through his ribs and into his heart."

'Joint attack'

After spending time walking near basketball courts, Mr Seesahai and his friend “came together” with the defendants as the boys passed the machete between them.

Ms Heeley said that according to Mr Seesahai's friend, one of the defendants had "deliberately shoulder-brushed" the victim before pulling the knife from his trousers.

“Mr Seesahai told his friend to run and he ran,” she added, with his friend managing to escape before looking back to see Mr Seesahai on the floor.

One of the witnesses told police she saw one defendant using the machete on Mr Seesahai's legs and saw the other defendant punching and stamping on his head.

"The prosecution say the two boys were engaged in a joint attack upon a man who had done nothing wrong, a man with no weapon, who was utterly defenceless on the ground," Ms Heeley said.

"We say that these two boys were acting together and meant to kill Mr Seesahai, at the very least they intended to cause really serious harm.”

Phone evidence

The jury was told one of the defendants had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a machete "without good reason or lawful authority," while the co-defendant denied the same charge.

The court also heard the boys had screenshots of knives like the one used on their phones and had searched online for news articles about the attack.

One of the boys had also searched online for "how many criminal records can you have to leave the country” a day after the murder on 14 November.

Each of the accused claim the other was responsible for the violence used.

The trial continues.

Court sessions have been structured around the defendants' young age

Inside the court

Special arrangements have had to be put in place for the trial because of the defendants' ages.

Instead of sitting in the dock behind reinforced glass, as would normally be the case for defendants in a murder trial, the two boys are sitting in the main well of the court.

Each has a family member sitting alongside them. Specially-trained court intermediaries are also sitting with them to help explain proceedings.

During the trial, which is expected to last about three weeks, the court is sitting reduced hours. Proceedings will finish no later than 15:30 BST each day, and sessions will last no longer than 40 minutes at a time.

This is intended to allow the boys time to rest and to have matters explained to them more fully.

The judge, the barristers and court staff are not wearing wigs and gowns, to create a more informal atmosphere, and the language used in court is kept as simple as possible with little or no legal jargon.