Murdered Shawn Seesahai's family says they are haunted by thoughts of his final moments | UK News

The family of a man killed by Britain's youngest knife murderers said they were haunted by thoughts of his final moments and “how scared he must have been”.

Shawn Seesahai, 19, was waiting on the pitch in Wolverhampton with a friend when he was killed with a machete by two boys, then 12 years old.

The boys, now 13, were found guilty of murder after a 20-day trial in June and are scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC told the court on Thursday that the boys were “the youngest knife murderers” and there was little precedent for what sentence they should receive.

Her victim, Seesahai, was from Anguilla, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean, and had recently traveled to the UK for medical treatment before his death.

In a statement read to the court by Dorothea Hodge, the British representative for Anguilla, his family said they were “struggling in many ways” following his murder, which was “apparently without any reason.”

“We are devastated as a family, completely heartbroken and confused,” they said. “None of us have slept continuously since Shawn was taken from us. Every time I close my eyes all I can think about is what his last moments were and how scared he must have been. It keeps breaking my heart.”

The family said they also suffered financially, spending their savings to repatriate Seesahai's body to Anguilla and taking out a loan to attend the murder trial in the United Kingdom.

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

“Shawn was a very loving child to us. He was very helpful and hardworking. He loved helping his father with construction and loved helping with housework. He was a humble person and his personality was unique.”

The trial centered on how the two boys, whose identities are protected by a court order because of their age, were roaming the streets on November 13 last year when they got into a confrontation with Seesahai and his friend on a park bench.

His friend fled, but Seesahai stumbled to the ground and was punched, kicked, kicked and “hacked” with the weapon in the ensuing attack, with a stab wound piercing his heart and lung.

There was conflicting evidence as to which of the boys caused the fatal injuries with the machete, although one of the boys admitted owning the 42.5cm blade and was known to have regularly carried a weapon.

The court heard that this boy, seen by prosecutors as the initial “aggressor” in the attack, was “groomed, exploited and trafficked by older youth and young men in the wider community who encouraged him to own knives”.

Rachel Brand KC, who represented this youth, said: “He was taken advantage of by those older than him. Just think of the places he was found, sometimes late at night, with no explanation as to how he got there.”

The court found he had “experienced significant trauma in his life”, was at high risk of criminal child exploitation and came from a disadvantaged home with family members who had committed crimes.

She said he was in the care of his grandmother, who had brought his behavior to the attention of social services on several occasions but had only had “intermittent contact” with support staff.

The court heard that his co-accused had also suffered significant disruption to his private life, but there was no evidence he was carrying a knife.

Following their sentencing, Judge Tipples ruled that the media could not identify the defendants out of concern for their welfare.