2 Youngest Killers In England In 30 Years Sentenced To 8.5 Years In Prison

JAKARTA - Two boys who were only 12 years old when they killed a 19-year-old man in a stabbing in England last year, were sentenced to 8, 5 years in prison.

The two children who are now 13 years old are the youngest people to be convicted of murder in England since two 10-year-old children killed a toddler James Bulger in 1993, one of the country's most famous murders.

Their victim, Shawn Seesahai, was stabbed in the back to to the leg during an attack on a park in Wolverhampton in November. The victim suffered a 23 centimeter back injury, penetrating his lungs and heart.

"The facts in this case are terrible and shocking," Judge Amanda Tipples said.

"I believe from the nature of these injuries that the defendants intended to kill Shawn, they acted together to do so although I am not sure who caused the fatal stab wound. It was a sudden and unplanned attack before," the judge said.

One of the boys, who could not be named for legal reasons, bought a sharp weapon from a friend for 40 pounds (54 US dollars) and kept it under his bed.

On the day of the attack, he came home from school, changed his uniform, and brought a knife to meet other perpetrators.

After the attack on Seesawai, the perpetrator fled. One of them cleaned the sharp weapon with bleach and put it back under his bed.

They were found guilty of murder after a 20-day trial. Jonathan Roe, from the Attorney General's Office, said the attack made no sense.

"The defendants, who are still 12 years old, should enjoy their childhood rather than arming themselves with machetes and killing innocent people," he said.