A pair of 12-year-old boys became some of Britain’s youngest convicted killers this week for the brutal murder of Shawn Seesahai. The victim, 19, was stabbed to death with a machete by the two children who can not be named for legal reasons.

People under 18 are protected by law unless a judge gives permission for them to be named. This is usually only done in extreme circumstances when the crimes have been especially violent.

This includes the infamous murder of toddler James Bulger who was abducted by two 10-year-old boys in 1993. Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were named and pictured following the shocking crime, but have since received new identities.

Shawn Seesahai murderers

A 12-year-old killer has been branded ‘twisted in the head’ by neighbours who put up barbed wire at their homes out of fear. The child – who cannot be named for legal reasons because of his age – was one of two 12-year-old boys this week convicted of murdering Shawn Seesahai in Wolverhampton.

The 19-year-old victim, Shawn Seesahai, was stabbed to death in Stowlawn playing fields on November 13 last year. Both boys denied the murder but were found guilty by jurors at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, June 11.

During the trial, it was revealed that the victim had tried to run for his life but tripped and fell before being stabbed. Snapchat messages between the boys revealed how one of them said “it is what it is” following their killing.

Both boys blamed each other during trial. One boy, seen with blood on his hand after the killing, admitted possession of the machete ahead of trial but denied murder.

The second boy denied both charges. Prosecutors said the boys had acted together in the murder. Many are now pushing for Mrs Justice Tipples, who presided over the hearing, to lift a court order banning the reporting of the boys’ names.