UK's youngest knife killers' sentences increased

Shawn Seesahai, 19, was fatally stabbed with a machete in Wolverhampton on 13 November 2023

The UK's youngest knife murderers have had the minimum terms of their life sentences increased for the killing of Shawn Seesahai.

The ruling at the Court of Appeal increased the minimum terms of the two 13-year-old boys from eight-and-a-half years to 10 years.

The children, known only as BGI and CMB, were 12 when they murdered the 19-year-old on November 13 last year on Stowlawn playing fields, Wolverhampton.

Mr Seesahai's family welcomed the court's decision and said it "better reflects the gravity of the actions that took him from us".

He was stabbed through the heart and lungs with a machete and died at the scene.

The Solicitor General had referred the boys' sentences to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme (ULS), which allows sentences to be reconsidered if government law officers consider them too short.

At a hearing on Thursday, lawyers said the sentences should be increased, stating it was a "particularly serious type of case".

The ruling, by three senior judges, means the boys will spend nine years and 60 days behind bars because of time already served.

Lord Justice William Davis, sitting with Mr Justice Bennathan and Judge Nicholas Dean KC, said: "We have, with some reluctance and sadness, come to the conclusion that the minimum terms imposed by Mrs Justice Tipples were unduly lenient."

The judge added full written reasons for the decision would be given later on Thursday.

The boys are believed to be the youngest defendants convicted of murder in the UK since 11-year-olds Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were found guilty of killing two-year-old James Bulger in 1993.

Mr Seesahai, originally from Anguilla, was living in Birmingham at the time of his killing

Anguilla-born Mr Seesahai had been living in Birmingham at the time of his killing.

His skull was fractured during the attack and one of his wounds was 23cm (9 inches) deep, nearly passing through his body.

In a victim impact statement, read at the killers' sentencing hearing, his family said they were haunted by thoughts of how scared he must have been.

They described his murder as tragic, unexpected and senseless, and committed "for no reason at all".

The two boys were convicted at Nottingham Crown Court in September.

Both blamed the other for inflicting four wounds with the machete, but were unanimously convicted of murder.

The judge at their trial, Mrs Justice Tipples, ruled the defendants should be protected by anonymity orders, saying their welfare outweighed the wider public interest in open justice and unrestricted reporting.

In her sentencing remarks, she said Mr Seeshai had "everything to live for" and described his killing as "horrific and shocking".

She described BGI as "extremely vulnerable" and said he had admitted buying the murder weapon from a friend for £40 about a month before the attack.

She continued he had been "groomed and exploited" by others and had "very many adverse childhood experiences".

The second defendant, CMB, had a supportive and loving relationship with his parents and was not previously known to police.

Explaining her reasons for the length of the minimum terms, the judge said mitigating factors included the fact the attack was not premeditated, and the defendants' age.

However, in written submissions to Thursday's hearing, the Solicitor General told the Court of Appeal the sentences were "significantly too short".

Paul Jarvis, representing the Solicitor General in court, said the judge "made significantly too much allowance" for the mitigation.

Both boys attended the hearing by video link from separate facilities.

'Brutal and senseless'

Speaking after the hearing, a spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office described the case as "deeply distressing".

"Knife crime is a scourge, and we welcome the Court of Appeal's decision to increase the sentences of Shawn's murderers, following the referral by the Solicitor General," they added.

In a statement, the Seesahai family said Shawn's life was taken "in a brutal and senseless act of violence".

"While no sentence can ever bring Shawn back, we feel that today's decision better reflects the gravity of the actions that took him from us and acknowledges the immense loss we live with every day," they said.

"We hope this outcome sends a strong and clear message that carrying and using knives will not be tolerated."

The family thanked those who supported the review and said they remained committed to raising awareness about the dangers of knife crime.