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Summary

  • Our live updates have now concluded

  • Two 13-year-olds have been sentenced to a minimum of eight years and six months in custody for the murder of Shawn Seesahai when they were 12

  • Mr Seesahai, 19, was killed in a park in Wolverhampton

  • His killers are the youngest convicted murderers since the 1993 James Bulger case

  • The prosecution said the boys were "the youngest knife murderers" in the UK

  • A judge ruled that the pair should not be named publicly

  • A statement read on behalf of Mr Seesahai's family said: "We are devastated as a family, totally heartbroken, and confused"

  1. End of live coveragepublished at 14:50 British Summer Time 27 September

    We are now ending our live coverage of today's sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court.

    You can find the full story about the hearing and the subsequent reaction here.

    Thank you for joining us.

  2. Recap: Boys sentenced for Shawn Seesahai's murderpublished at 14:47 British Summer Time 27 September

    A court sketch showing two anonymous boys sitting before a judge with short blonde hair and glassesImage source, Helen Tipper

    Here is a summary of what has taken place today, both during and after the sentencing.

    • Two boys, aged 13, were sentenced to be detained at His Majesty’s pleasure. They will both be detained for a minimum of eight years and six months but will be on licence for the rest of their lives
    • In her remarks, Mrs Justice Tipples said one of the boys bought the machete used to kill Mr Seesahai from a friend for £40. He was also described as a “victim of modern slavery” and had suffered severe disruption during his upbringing, experiencing violence from an early age
    • The judge said the second boy had a loving relationship with his family and was not known to social services, although he experienced upheaval due to the family moving several times. She said he felt remorse for what happened and was of a medium risk of reoffending
    • Following the hearing, Mr Seesahai’s parents said they were “not happy” with the sentences and believed 15 years “would have been better”
    • Ch Supt Kim Madill, of West Midlands Police, said Mr Seesahai’s murder was “horrifying” and vowed that their work to tackle knife crime “will not stop”
  3. 'This is now a social crisis'published at 14:38 British Summer Time 27 September

    Ms Hodge said children carrying knives "must be addressed by everyone" so that Mr Seesahai's life was "not taken in vain".

    "This is now a social crisis," she added.

    Referring to the close-knit community in Anguilla, Ms Hodge said it "takes a village to raise a child".

    "I think everyone here has been horrified to learn the horror of this attack," she said.

  4. 'Family disappointed in the sentence'published at 14:29 British Summer Time 27 September

    Dorothea Hodge, the UK representative for Anguilla, was representing the family during the hearing.

    She said that while the family recognised justice had been served in respect of the murder, they were "disappointed in the sentence".

    "Whilst they recognise that three young lives have been destroyed, they alone have lost their son forever," she said.

    "They do not feel that the sentence reflects the loss they have suffered daily since their son was murdered.

    "They feel that if low sentences are given, it will not deter others from carrying knives."

  5. 'We were a very close family'published at 14:21 British Summer Time 27 September

    Four people stand with their arms around each other; a car is parked behind them and a red suitcase is to their right. They are standing outside and everyone is smiling.Image source, Family
    Image caption,

    Shawn Seesahai (left) with his parents and sister Shana

    In their victim impact statement, Shawn Seesahai's family said they were a very close family and that he had been particularly close to his younger sister, 15-year-old Shana.

    "Shawn was more than a brother to her. He was her best friend. They did everything together," they said.

    "After his passing, there would be days where she would eat little or not eat at all.

    "The only thing she did was just lay in bed and cry. Cry all day about losing her only brother.

    "I wonder if she will ever be the same again."

    The family added: "We will always miss him. He will never be replaced by anyone because he is irreplaceable.

    "We will always love Shawn and he will always have a special place in our hearts."

  6. 'We have an island hurting'published at 14:12 British Summer Time 27 September

    A woman with dark hair and a dark blue top looks at the cameraImage source, 鶹Լ/Andy Alcroft

    Mr Seesahai and his family are well known in their home of Anguilla and his death has had a huge impact on the community.

    At one of the basketball courts where he used to play, his coaches said this was his happy place and he was the "jokester" on the team.

    Pamela Riley, pictured above, said: "There's so many victims and so many people hurting. We have an island hurting.

    "Everybody in The Valley, all the youths, they're very upset. It's very solemn."

  7. CPS: 'This case is particularly distressing'published at 14:01 British Summer Time 27 September

    Jonathan Roe, of the Crown Prosecution Service, has commented on the sentencing.

    Mr Roe said: "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.

    "The defendants at the age of 12 should have been enjoying their childhood rather than arming themselves with a machete and killing an innocent person.

    "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."

  8. Candlelit vigilpublished at 13:55 British Summer Time 27 September

    Two people in coats stand on a field in the dark, surrounded by tealights and flowers; tealights spell out the name 'Shawn' on the grassImage source, Family

    Twelve days after Shawn Seesahai's death, his family arrived in the UK and held a candlelit vigil at the spot on Stowlawn playing fields in Wolverhampton where he died.

    They made the journey from Anguilla in the Caribbean, and had to do so again to attend the trial of his two killers earlier this year at Nottingham Crown Court.

    They used their life savings to repatriate his body back from to Anguilla and had to take out a loan to attend the trial, to fund flights and accommodation.

  9. 'Such a loving son'published at 13:40 British Summer Time 27 September

    A man in a maroon jumper and a woman in a gold shirt with floral patterns on sit side by side in a room with white walls

    Mr Seesahai's parents said they had first been made aware their son had been murdered when a friend he had been staying with called them.

    His father, Suresh Seesahai, said: "We could not eat for a week straight. It was like we were in shock and did not know what we were doing."

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

    "He always said he wanted to work, he wanted his own house, his own car.

    "After his eye surgery he told me he would finish school. He always said: 'Mum, I'll be shining, I'll be shining, don't worry I will help you'."

  10. Family's anger at lack of financial supportpublished at 13:31 British Summer Time 27 September

    Shawn's family had to use their life savings to repatriate his body back home to Anguilla and had to take out a loan to attend the trial earlier this year.

    It meant they were not able to travel again to see their son's murderers sentenced. Instead they had to watch via a videolink in the early hours of Friday in Anguilla.

    Angry at the lack of financial support offered by the UK authorities, his father Suresh said: "I think the government is supposed to contribute because my son didn't do nothing. He died innocent.

    "I don't care much about the money. But what I lost I can't get back."

  11. Shawn's parents think sentence too lenientpublished at 13:23 British Summer Time 27 September

    Phil Mackie

    Shawn Seesahai's parents are not happy with the sentence and believe the judge has been too lenient.

    Shawn's father, Suresh, told the 鶹Լ: "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."

    Addressing the boys' families, he added: "They never sympathised to me so I can’t sympathise to them."

    Shawn's mother Maneshwary spoke of her anger: "I'm not happy. All the children in the UK will see that they only get eight years [and six months] and they will do the same thing.

    "We can’t even talk to [Shawn's sister]. She's mad, she’s very mad.”

  12. Learning of Shawn's deathpublished at 13:19 British Summer Time 27 September

    Shawn's sister Shana, Shawn and Maneshwary. Shawn has his arms around his sister and mother's shouldersImage source, Family
    Image caption,

    Shawn Seesahai with his sister Shana and mother Maneshwary

    Shawn's family learned of his murder from a friend who had been with him that night.

    The friend rang Shawn's parents in Anguilla as police arrived at the scene in Wolverhampton.

    It was his mother Maneshwary who answered the phone.

    "I just dropped," she said, describing her shock. "I don't know what happened after.”

  13. Police vow work on knife crime 'will not stop'published at 13:15 British Summer Time 27 September

    Turning to the wider issue of knife crime, Ch Supt Madill said a lot of work had been done but that it was "clearly not enough".

    She said West Midlands Police had been listening to families and acting on their feedback in a bid to stop the "devastation" it caused.

    “Our responsibility is to work together with partners to understand why children and young people think it is OK to carry weapons and take further action to stop this extremely dangerous behaviour," she said.

    “Our work will not stop and any death or injury as a result of knife crime will never be acceptable.”

  14. 'Shocking and saddening'published at 13:12 British Summer Time 27 September

    Ch Supt Madill said Mr Seesahai's life was taken when he was only 19 and at the hands of two 12-year-old boys who had "armed themselves with a machete".

    “That reality has had a huge impact on us all – it is both shocking and saddening," she added.

  15. Statement from West Midlands Policepublished at 13:06 British Summer Time 27 September

    West Midlands Police has released a statement following the sentencing of the two boys.

    Ch Supt Kim Madill, the force's lead on serious youth violence, said Mr Seesahai's murder was "horrifying" and left his family "heartbroken".

    "Today's sentence can never make up for Shawn's life being taken but we hope it can bring some comfort to all those who loved him," she added.

  16. How minimum term was decidedpublished at 12:58 British Summer Time 27 September

    Mrs Justice Tipples explained to the court how the minimum term was decided for the two boys.

    She said the starting minimum term for the offence was 13 years, but that this was reduced due to their ages.

    At the time of the murder, one of the boys had recently turned 12 and the other was closer to 12 than 13 in age.

    For the first boy, who was the owner of the machete, she said he was not as emotionally mature as a typical 12-year-old.

  17. Second boy not known to police or social servicespublished at 12:46 British Summer Time 27 September

    Mrs Justice Tipples said the second boy had a loving relationship with his family and was not known to the police or social services.

    She said he had experienced upheaval in his childhood due to the family moving several times and that he had spent some time in a refuge.

    The judge referenced a pre-sentencing report, which said the boy felt remorse for what happened and that he felt sorry for Mr Seesahai's family.

    However, the report assessed him as of a medium risk of reoffending and a high risk of serious harm to others.

  18. 'They killed my son like a dog'published at 12:40 British Summer Time 27 September

    A woman and a man stare at the camera with serious faces; they are on a beach with palm trees and the sea is visible

    The 鶹Լ spoke to Shawn's parents, Maneshwary and Suresh Seesahai, in Anguilla.

    Shawn's father said: "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."

    "Shawn didn't deserve to die like that,” his mother said.

    Read more here.

  19. Hearing concludespublished at 12:36 British Summer Time 27 September

    Mrs Justice Tipples has concluded her remarks and brought the hearing to a close.

  20. One of the boys was 'victim of modern slavery'published at 12:33 British Summer Time 27 September

    Mrs Justice Tipples said the boy who owned the knife had been the victim of criminal exploitation.

    She said he had complex needs, which included a diagnosis of ADHD, and had "experienced violence" from an early age.

    Children's services were also heavily involved in his upbringing, she added.

    Mrs Justice Tipples said he was also "a victim of modern slavery" and had been groomed.

    "He has been affected by multiple traumas throughout his childhood, for which he cannot be held responsible," she added.

    She also said that he felt bad that he took the knife out with him and "wished things had gone differently".