Britain's youngest killers in 30 years sentenced for machete attack

London: Two boys who were aged 12 when they killed a 19-year-old man in a "horrific" machete attack in central England last year were sentenced on Friday to a minimum of eight years and six months in custody.

The boys, now 13, are the youngest people to be convicted for murder in Britain since two 10-year-olds killed toddler James Bulger in 1993, one of the most infamous murders in the country's recent history.

The victim in last year's attack, Shawn Seesahai, was stabbed in the back, legs and skull in a park in Wolverhampton in November. The court heard the wound to his back was 23 centimetres (9 inches) deep, penetrating his lungs and heart.

"The facts of this case are horrific and shocking," Judge Amanda Tipples said.

"I'm sure from the nature of these injuries that the defendants intended to kill Shawn, they acted together to do so although I cannot be sure which one inflicted the fatal stab wound. It was an attack which happened on the spur of the moment and was not premeditated."

The boys, neither of whom can be named for legal reasons, were found guilty of murder in June after a 20-day trial.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former chief prosecutor, said he had been shocked to his core by the case.

"That a murder so brutal could be carried out by 12-year-olds is hard to believe," he said on X. "Young children should not have access to knives. We need to tackle this crisis head on."

Seesahai, who was from Anguilla in the Caribbean, had been in Britain for around six months, visiting for eye surgery and to study. He was described by his mother as "generous and compassionate".

His father said the murder "left a huge hole in the pit of our stomach which nothing can fill, we are devastated as a family, totally heartbroken and confused".

One of the boys bought the machete from a friend for 40 pounds ($54) and kept it under his bed. On the day of the attack he came home from school, got changed out of his uniform, and took the knife with him to meet up with the second boy.

After the attack on Seesahai, who had asked them to move from a bench, the boys fled. One cleaned the machete with bleach and put it back under his bed.