The boy is one of two 12 year olds on trial for the murder of Shawn Seesahai on playing fields in Wolverhampton in November – Mr Seesahai, 19, suffered a 23cm-deep wound going almost entirely through his body
A 12-year-old boy accused of stabbing a man to death with a machete was seen with blood on his hand afterwards, a child witness told a court.
The boy is one of two 12 year olds on trial for the murder of Shawn Seesahai on playing fields in Wolverhampton in November. Mr Seesahai, 19, suffered a 23cm-deep wound going almost entirely through his body.
Both boys, who cannot be named because of their ages, are charged with murdering Mr Seesahai after pointing the finger at each other. The youth seen with blood on his hand admitted possession of a machete, but denied the attack, while the other denied both.
The prosecution alleged both boys acted together in murdering Mr Seesahai, originally from Anguilla but living in Birmingham, after one of them “shoulder-brushed” him and told the victim and his friend to “keep stepping”. A teenage girl who took the stand at Nottingham crown court on Thursday told how she had been sitting on a park bench with the two defendants when Mr Seesahai was approached them saying, “yo move, move” and smiled at his friend.
The youth who admitted possessing a machete asked him why and stood up, the girl aged in her early teens told the court. Answering questions from Rachel Brand KC, defending the boy alleged to have been seen with blood on his hand, the girl said she had then picked up the machete, which was still in its cover, herself.
The teenager said the weapon was grabbed from her by the boy who owned the knife, who was then put in a headlock by the victim, before the knife was passed to the other boy, who she saw hitting the man with it. She said: “The man let go (of the boy in a headlock) and then (the other defendant) hit him.”
The whole incident happened very quickly, the schoolgirl told the court, as she agreed with the suggestion that her two police interviews had contained “two completely different stories”. She gave accounts of what happened in police interviews a day after the incident, and a month afterward.
The witness said the boy she saw with blood on his hand had bought the knife, “often” carried it, and had brought it to her house around a month before the alleged murder. During cross-examination by Paul Lewis KC, the witness denied telling lies to “cover up” for the boy who owned the knife.
She said of the machete: “It was thin, and then it went into thick and obviously had a point at the end. I never took notice of it. He said something to do with that he got it so… anyone like ever attacked him, he can use that to defend himself.”
Asked by Mr Lewis if Mr Seesahai or his friend had gone behind the bench towards the boy who owned the knife, the girl replied: “Not until after telling us to move. He was getting in [the boy’s] face, saying ‘You are going to make this hard for me?’ Me and (the other 12-year-old) were just watching.”
The girl said she could remember picking up one of Mr Seesahai’s trainers, which was found on a nearby road, and that one of the defendants appeared “calm” after the fatal attack, while the other was “shell-shocked”. She also answered “no” when asked by Mr Lewis if the boy who owned the knife had phoned her after the stabbing and asked her to “say it was (the other defendant) to cover up for him”.
Questioned as to whether the boy had told her what happened to the blade afterwards, the girl said she was told it had been hidden under a bed and had been “bleached”. Mr Lewis continued: “Did he tell you there was blood on both his top and his trousers?” The girl replied: “No”. The trial will resume on Monday.
