Britain’s youngest knife murderers could be released before 21st birthdays

who butchered a stranger in a brutal machete attack while aged just 12 could walk free before their 21^st birthdays.

Shawn Seesahai, 19, was attacked for “no reason at all” by the out-of-control thugs as he and a friend walked across a Wolverhampton park.

The terrified pair tried to “run for their lives” but Shawn tragically stumbled and fell to the ground, leaving him at the mercy of the deranged duo.

He was stabbed through the heart by the mammoth 16-inch blade and suffered a fractured skull in the November 13 attack.

The cowardly pair have refused to reveal who inflicted the deadly blow, with each continuing to blame the other.

Despite his tender years, one of the boys was known for carrying the deadly blade which he kept stashed beneath his bed. He posed wielding it for a sickening picture hours before the murder.

Both each say the other was responsible for inflicting four stab wounds with the machete after the younger child shoulder-barged Shawn as they walked past.

After falling to the ground, the victim was punched, kicked and stamped on before being “chopped at” by the machete.

Shawn’s parents Suresh and Maneshwary and sister Shana reacted with horror as they watched the killers being told their life custodial sentences would mean a minimum eight and a half years behind bars.

The family had logged on via videolink from their home on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, with Shana screaming in horror as the minimum term was revealed.

Devastated mum Maneshwary said: “Every child in the UK will look at this sentence and will see that they only get eight years and they will do the same thing.”

Dad Suresh added: “They killed my son like they kill a dog. It’s brutal. They stab him through and through. They kick him. They cuff him. He was helpless.

“The police did a good job, but I’m not satisfied with the justice system. Fifteen years would have been better, because they will come out and still have a life at the age of 20.”

One of the boys admitted possession of the knife prior to the trial, while the other was found guilty of the same charge when they were both unanimously convicted of murder on June 10.

Yesterday, they were both handed life custodial sentences but there was shock that the minimum term they must spend incarcerated could mean they are both freed before they turn 21.

Nottingham Crown Court was told they are “the youngest knife murderers” and are believed to be the youngest defendants convicted of murder in the UK since both aged 11, were found guilty in 1993 of killing two-year-old James Bulger.

Shawn’s killers, both now 13, cannot be named because of a court anonymity order.

After fleeing the scene, they went to one of the boy’s homes and played the violent video game Fortnite while their victim lay dying.

After learning of the death, one of the killers said on Snapchat: “Everyone’s talking abt (sic) it, literally everyone, everyone knows.” His accomplice replied with the voice note: “It is what it is.”

They then shared more messages, saying: “I’m scared man” – before the other said “I’m not”, followed by the acronym “IDRC”, which means “I don’t really care”.

Neighbours branded the tearaway a “nasty piece of work” who carried out a reign of anti-social terror that included putting fireworks through letterboxes and stealing scooters.

On the second day of their sentencing hearing on Friday, they were allowed to leave the dock and sit in the back row of the court benches as High Court judge Mrs Justice Tipples began her sentencing by acknowledging the sentence being passed would be no comfort to the victim’s family.

The judge told the boys: “When you killed Shawn he was 19, starting out in his adult life with everything to live for.

“His parents have lost their son. His sister has lost her brother.

“What you did is horrific and shocking. You did not know Shawn, he was a stranger to you. You both killed Shawn in an attack that lasted less than a minute when he asked you to move [from a bench].

“I am sure you intended to kill him.”

The judge added that she could not be sure which of the boys had inflicted a wound that was nine inches deep and almost passed completely through Shawn’s body.

During the brief sentencing remarks, one of the boys nodded throughout with his hands held towards his face. As he was taken away, the youth was allowed to hug his mother.

The other boy was seen biting his lip as the judge spoke and appeared shocked as the sentence was handed down.

In a victim impact statement read to the sentencing hearing, Shawn’s family told how they remain haunted by thoughts of his how scared he must have been when he was killed.

The grieving relatives, who were forced to take out a loan to travel to the UK to view the 20-day trial, watched the two-day sentencing hearing via a videolink.

In their statement, they said: “Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare. It has left a huge hole in the pit of our stomach which nothing can fill, we are devastated as a family, totally heartbroken and confused.”

The statement, which came from parents Suresh and Maneshwary and sister Shana, added: “None of us have had an unbroken night’s sleep since Shawn was taken from us.

“Every time I close my eyes all I can think about are what his last moments were and how scared he must have been. It continually breaks my heart.

“The impact on us as a family is devastating, it’s hard to believe that we will ever come to terms with what has happened.”

West Midlands Police Chief Superintendent Kim Madill, speaking outside court after the sentencing, said: “Shawn was only 19 when his life was taken at the hands of two boys, then aged just 12, who had armed themselves with a machete.

“That reality has had a huge impact on us all, it is both shocking and saddening. The impact of knife crime is devastating no matter where you live in the country, this is an issue that affects us all.”

Senior Crown prosecutor Jonathan Roe said the two killers “should have been enjoying their childhood rather than arming themselves with a machete and killing an innocent person”.

He added: “As prosecutors, we often deal with harrowing cases, but this case is particularly distressing due to the complete senselessness and devastating consequences of the defendants’ actions.

“Shawn Seesahai lost his life in a horrifically cruel way.

“I hope today’s sentencing serves as a reminder of the dangers of carrying machetes.

“Shawn’s family have shown remarkable strength and dignity in the aftermath of such a tragedy and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”