'Shawn's murder by two 12-year-olds shocked me to the core,' says Labour's Sir Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has promised an all-out war on knife crime, saying he has been 'shocked to the core' by the murder of a young man in a Wolverhampton park.
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Writing exclusively for the Express & Star, the Labour leader said he found it hard to comprehend the murder of 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai by two 12-year-old boys.
Mr Seesahai was left with horrific stab wounds following the unprovoked attack in the city's East Park in November last year.
"When I read the details of Shawn Seesahai’s murder in East Park last November, I was shocked to my core," Sir Keir said.
"I led our country's Crown Prosecution Service for five years, but I have never encountered a case like this. That a murder so brutal could be carried out by 12-year-olds is something hard to believe. How do young children have access to machetes?"
In January Sir Keir had met with the family of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was murdered in 2022 by two 17-year-olds when he visited a friend near his home in the Lanesfield area of the city.
"I was blown away by their determination to stand up for victims," he said.
"I made a promise to Ronan’s mum, Pooja, that if Labour formed the next government, we would ban the ninja swords that killed her son. And we will.
"But today I make a promise to families across the West Midlands who have seen their children maimed or killed by machetes, zombie knifes and other vicious weapons that have no purpose other than brutality – we will ban them too."
