By GB News (World News) | Created at 2024-10-29 18:23:44 | Updated at 2024-10-30 17:30:41
1 day ago
Britain's youngest murderers since the death of James Bulger could have their prison sentences increased.
The Attorney General has referred the case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
The move comes after widespread criticism of the 8.5-year minimum sentences given to two 13-year-old boys for the murder of Shawn Seesahai.
The teenagers, who were just 12 at the time of the attack, were convicted of killing 19-year-old Seesahai in a Wolverhampton park last November.
They were sentenced to a minimum of eight years and six months in detention.
Shawn Seesahai, originally from Anguilla, had come to the UK for cataract surgery and to study engineering. The attack occurred when Seesahai was chatting with a friend in the park.
Shawn Seesahai was killed in a Wolverhampton park last November
PA
CCTV footage shows one attacker "deliberately shoulder-brushed" Seesahai before pulling out a 16-inch machete. The victim shouted a warning to his friend before being savagely attacked.
The court heard that the assault was so violent that a "piece of bone had actually come away" from Seesahai's skull.
He was struck on his back, legs, and head, despite having done nothing to provoke the attack.
After the assault, the two boys left Seesahai for dead and went to play the video game Fortnite.
They are the youngest convicted murderers in Britain since Jon Venables and Robert Thompson in 1993.
The sentences handed to the young killers have faced strong criticism from Shawn's family and anti-knife campaigners. Seesahai's father, Suresh, said: "I'm not satisfied with the justice system."
Speaking from Anguilla, where he scattered his son's ashes, Suresh added: "They did a monstrous job to him."
Seesahai's mother, Maneshwary, voiced concerns about the potential impact on youth crime, saying: "Children in the UK will see they only get eight years and do the same thing."
Anti-knife campaigner Laura Hughes, whose brother was also a victim of knife crime, described the minimum tariff as a "joke".
The Court of Appeal's decision could have significant implications for the UK justice system and youth crime deterrence. If the sentences are lengthened, it may set a precedent for harsher punishments for young offenders in serious cases.
The current sentences would see the boys free by the age of 20, given time spent on remand.
A longer sentence could keep them in detention well into adulthood.
