Shawn Seesahai: Murdered by Britain’s youngest knife killers
What drives children to kill? Some experts believe these children are born evil, while others argue that environmental factors, like abuse and exposure to violence, are to blame. Most likely, it's a combination of the two.
These questions became painfully relevant in November 2023 when two 12-year-old boys murdered 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai on a Wolverhampton playing field. In this article, the Crime+Investigation team unpacks the shocking details of the case.
Shawn Seesahai: Helpful, hardworking and humble
'Shawn was a very loving child to us. He was very helpful and hardworking. He loved to help out with Dad in construction and loved to help with the household chores. He was a humble person and his personality was unique.'
This touching tribute from Shawn's family provides an insight into his character. The 19-year-old Anguilla national cared deeply for others, with close friendships and aspirations of becoming an engineer. He had only been in the UK for six months at the time of his murder, waiting for medical treatment.
'After his eye surgery, he told me he would finish school,' Shawn's mother told reporters. 'He always said he wanted to work, he wanted his own house, his own car.' Tragically, these dreams would never be realised.
The murder
On 13th November 2023, Shawn and two friends travelled from Birmingham to Wolverhampton to meet one of the friends’ girlfriends. While she and her boyfriend hung out, the other two teens waited at Stowlawn Playing Fields in Stow Heath - a popular hangout for local kids.
What happened next was so sudden and senseless, it’s hard to comprehend. According to Shawn's friend, they were minding their own business, drinking Red Bull and chatting about their Christmas plans, when two younger boys approached them.
Without warning, one of the boys shoulder-barged Shawn, drew a machete from its sheath and shouted, 'Run bro.' The teens scrambled to escape, but Shawn tripped. Left vulnerable and defenceless, he was brutally attacked. One of the stab wounds was so deep it almost passed through his body.
Later, during a police interview, Shawn's friend recounted the horror: 'The dude took [the machete] out of its sheath. We started to run, but Shawn tripped. I was running for my life. I couldn't stay there and watch.'
The trial
It didn't take long for the police to catch those responsible — and the arrests shocked the country. Two 12-year-old boys were apprehended for murder, making them the youngest defendants in the UK since Robert Thompson and Jon Venables abducted, tortured and killed James Bulger in 1993.
Due to their age, the courts granted the children anonymity, referring to them only as BGI and CMB throughout the trial. Both denied murder, blamed each other and showed no remorse.
Despite this, the defence sought to humanise the boys by highlighting their troubled home lives. The court heard how BGI, in particular, was extremely vulnerable. 'He was being exploited by those older than him,' argued Rachel Brand KC, 'One only has to think of the places he was found sometimes late at night with no explanation.'
By contrast, CMB had loving, supportive parents and wasn’t known to police.
The aftermath
The trial began 2nd May 2024 and lasted nearly five weeks. However, the jury needed just five days to reach a verdict. On 10th June, both boys were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of eight years and six months.
This was later extended by the Court of Appeal, which determined that the initial sentences were 'unduly lenient'. The pair must now serve a minimum of 10 years for their roles in the murder.
For Shawn’s family, no sentence will ever be enough - but they hope the verdict will help prevent more young lives from being lost: '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. We hope this outcome sends a strong and clear message that carrying and using knives will not be tolerated.'
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