Boys, 13, convicted of murdering Shawn Seesahai in Wolverhampton

Two 13-year-old boys who murdered 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai with a machete must serve at least eight years and six months in custody.

The pair were 12 at the time of the murder in Wolverhampton and were the youngest convicted murderers since Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993.

The boys, who cannot be named, will remain in possession of the license for the rest of their lives.

Mr Seesahai's family expressed their anger and told the BBC they believed the sentences given to the boys were too lenient.

His mother, Maneshwary Seesahai, said: “I am not happy. All children in the UK will see that they only live to be eight years old.” [and six months] and they will do the same.

His father, Suresh Seesahai, told the BBC: “The police have done a good job but I am not happy with the justice system.”

“Fifteen years would have been better because they will come out and still have a life when they are 20.”

Mr. Seesahai spoke about his son's murder: “They killed my son like they kill a dog. It’s brutal.”

“They stab him through and through. They kick him. They handcuff him. He was helpless.”

The boys were imprisoned at His Majesty's Pleasure, which is legally equivalent to a life sentence for a juvenile. They will be held in youth detention centers, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

In theory, if the boys are deemed a danger to the public, they may never be released from prison.

However, if they make good progress, do not pose a risk and behave well, they will be released when they turn 20, subject to the parole board's approval.

In court, prosecutors said the boys were “the youngest knife murderers.”

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“In my five years as head of the public prosecutor’s office, I have never seen a case like this. It’s hard to believe that such a brutal murder could be committed by 12-year-olds.”

“Young children should not have access to knives. We must address the crisis head on.”

The judge, Mrs Justice Tipples, told Nottingham Crown Court the facts of the case were horrific and shocking.

Mr Seesahai was hit with a machete in the back, legs and skull and was also beaten.

He was killed by a machete stab in the back that penetrated his lungs and heart.

The fatal wound was 23 cm (9.05 inches) deep and went through almost his entire body.

The judge told the boys in their sentencing: “I can't be sure which of you stabbed Shawn through the body, only you know.”

However, she said the pair “acted together to kill him”, adding: “They are both responsible for his death.”

“What you two have done is terrible and shocking. “You didn’t know Shawn, he was a stranger to you,” the judge said.

Ms Tipples told the court the first boy bought the machete for £40 from a friend and kept it under his bed.

He came home from school on the day of the murder and took off his school uniform before taking the machete and going out to meet the other boy and some friends.

She said Mr Seesahai sat on a bench at Stowlawn pitch in Wolverhampton, left the bench for a few minutes and walked past the defendants, who then sat on the bench.

After a few minutes, Mr Seesahai then returned to the bench and asked the boys to move.

“A few moments later he was dead,” the judge said.

During the sentencing, the court heard about the boys' origins and psychological state.

Defense lawyer Rachel Brand KC told the judge the first boy was a vulnerable child who had been groomed, exploited and trafficked by men in the wider community, encouraging him to commit crime and own knives.

In her sentencing, Judge Tipples said this “indirectly contributed to his involvement in Shawn's murder” and described him as a “victim of modern slavery”.

The court heard that social services had been part of his life since childhood and that he had experienced violence at home from a young age.

However, Ms Brand said he was making “very positive progress” in a secure unit and was building trusting relationships with staff.

The second boy was not known to social services or police. Ms Tipples said he had a supportive and loving relationship with his family.

She said he experienced upheaval throughout his childhood and spent time in a sanctuary.

The report assessed him as having a medium risk of reoffending and a high risk of causing serious harm to others.

Mr Seesahai was from Anguilla in the Caribbean and had only been in the UK for six months before he was murdered.

He had traveled to the UK for eye surgery after injuring himself while playing basketball.

The 19-year-old settled in Handsworth, Birmingham, hoping to study engineering.

His mother said: “Shawn was such a loving son, he was so well mannered, looked after us, loving to everyone and very protective.”

“After his eye surgery, he told me he was finishing school. He always said, 'Mom, I'll shine, I'll shine, don't worry, I'll help you'.”

His family said they had used up all their savings to repatriate his body to Anguilla and had to take out a loan earlier this year to attend the trial.

“Nobody expects to have to bury their own child. We were not prepared for this,” they said.

Dorothea Hodge, the British representative for Anguilla, represented the family during the hearing.

She said that while the family acknowledged that justice had been done in relation to the murder, they were “disappointed with the verdict”.

“Although they recognize that three young lives have been destroyed, they are the only ones who have lost their son forever,” she said.

“They do not feel that the sentence reflects the loss they have suffered every day since their son was murdered.”

“They believe that low penalties will not deter others from carrying knives.”