Boys, 12, are youngest convicted killers since the murder of James Bulger

Knife-crazed pair butchered stranger

- Paul Jeeves

TWO 12-year-old boys yesterday became the youngest people to be convicted of murder in Britain since the killing of James Bulger.

The pair, who cannot be named, were found guilty of murdering stranger Shawn Seesahai, 19, who was stabbed in the back through to his heart with a 16in machete blade.

At the time, last November, his killers were just months older than Robert Thompson and Jon Venables who were 11 when they were found guilty of torturing and killing two-year-old James in 1993 on Merseyside.

Shawn's devastated family cried and hugged in the gallery at Nottingham Crown Court after jurors yesterday found the knife-obsessed pair guilty.

Weapon

His father Suresh and mother Manashwary said that they would never be able to get over their lossand questioned how such young children could stalk the streets unchecked with a deadly weapon.

Suresh said: "This world is a different world. Kids are dangerous now. If we don't pay attention to them this will keep happening."