Britain’s youngest knife murderers could be given a longer sentence as judges today consider if eight-and-a-half years was too lenient.
The boys were both 12 when they were found guilty over a brutal machete attack that killed Shawn Seesahai, 19, in Wolverhampton in November 2023.
Mr Seesahai was slashed in his legs and skull, while the fatal blow to his back was 23cm deep and almost came out his chest.
Image: Mr Seesahai was set upon after one boy deliberately brushed into him. Pic: PA
Image: The attack happened on 13 November 2023 in a Wolverhampton park. Pic: PA
The boys are believed to be the youngest convicted of murder in the UK since James Bulger’s 11-year-old killers in 1993.
They accused each other of wielding the machete but were found to be jointly responsible for the attack, which trial judge Mrs Justice Tipples called “horrific and shocking”.
However, she said she also had to consider the boys’ “emotional maturity” and other factors based on their age and upbringing when she sentenced them to a minimum of eight and a half years in September.
The boys are now 13 but can’t legally be named due to laws protecting young offenders, with the judge saying their welfare outweighed the wider interest in open justice.
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Moment two boys convicted of knife murder
The bid to increase their sentence will be heard this morning at the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.
Relatives, victims and members of the public can use the scheme to ask the Attorney General’s Office to review sentences that seem unreasonably low.
If the three senior judges agree it was too lenient based on the evidence at the time, they can quash it and replace it with a new one. They could also leave it unchanged.
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Seesahai family ‘disappointed’ with sentence
Mr Seesahai, originally from Anguilla in the Caribbean, had been staying in Birmingham while recovering from cataract surgery and hoped to become an engineer in the UK.
The attack happened when he and a friend encountered a group of children in a Wolverhampton park.
Prosecutors said despite doing nothing to provoke them, he was attacked after one of the boys deliberately “shoulder brushed” him and pulled out a machete.
Mr Seesahai’s friend escaped but the 19-year-old ended up on the floor where he was punched, kicked and repeatedly knifed.
The boys have been held in secure accommodation since the attack.
Sir Keir Starmer will no longer accept donations in the future to pay for clothes, Sky News understands.
Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner also announced they would take the same approach moving forward.
The decision by the prime minister, chancellor and deputy prime minister follows scrutiny of Sir Keir Starmer and his wife for accepting donations.
The prime minister has accepted work clothing donations worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses, to the value of £2,485.
Ms Rayner has accepted clothing donations too, to the value of £2,230.
The chancellor has not accepted any such donations, according to the MPs’ register of interests.
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Nigel Farage has called out the Prime Minister for accepting free gifts at Reform UK’s annual conference in Birmingham.
Follow the latest on politics
Sky News revealed the scale of Sir Keir’s donations this week as part of our Westminster Accounts investigation.
Mr Starmer was found to have received substantially more gifts and freebies than any other MP as his total in gifts, benefits, and hospitality topped £100,000 since December 2019.
This had all been declared as per the rules but backbench MPs had been expressing concern that the government’s rhetoric of tough decisions on the economy jars with the image of a prime minister accepting freebies.
The row started over the weekend with controversy over Sir Keir’s wife’s clothes.
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Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said earlier today she is “satisfied with his [Mr Starmer’s] explanation” of why he has taken the freebies.
She said if he “wasn’t doing a good job in our country” and “set in train loads of things to change” – such as the railways, green investment, and tackling violence against women and girls, then she “would be more concerned”.
Ms Phillips went on to say it’s not that she doesn’t think it’s important, but added: “I haven’t had a single email about it.
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Sir Keir Starmer has insisted it would
“I have had lots of emails about people not being able to get on a housing list.”
Challenged on the fact that the optics look bad having just taken away the winter fuel allowance from pensioners, Ms Phillips said these are “completely separate things”.
“And had he never been to watch the Arsenal, there would still be a £22bn black hole that had to be paid for.”
She added: “All I can say is I’m absolutely knackered trying to make things better.”
What has Mr Starmer said in response to criticism?
Speaking to journalists this week, the prime minister said “all MPs get gifts” and he thinks the need to declare them is “a good framework”.
“Wherever there are gifts from anyone, I’m going to comply with the rules,” he said.
“It’s very important to me that the rules are followed. I’ve always said that. I said that before the election. I reinforced it after the election.”
On his acceptance of Arsenal tickets, he added: “I’m a massive Arsenal fan. I can’t go into the stands because of security reasons. Therefore, if I don’t accept a gift of hospitality, I can’t go to a game. You could say: ‘Well, bad luck.’
“That’s why gifts have to be registered. But… never going to an Arsenal game again because I can’t accept hospitality is pushing it a bit far.”
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Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Tom Jones and Bonnie Tyler are just some of the musicians to have called Wales their home.
This week, the talents of the land of song are on full display at one of Europe‘s largest music and poetry festivals, the National Eisteddfod.
But concerns have been raised about the future of the country’s arts sector due to funding cuts.
Proposals from the Welsh National Opera (WNO) would see its orchestra made part-time and musicians’ pay cut by 15 per cent.
More than 11,000 people have signed a petition calling for the proposals to be scrapped.
Image: To paraphrase Dame Shirley Bassey, should the Welsh government be more of a big spender when it comes to the arts? File pic: PA
Image: It’s Not Unusual for the arts to face cuts – but should the land of Sir Tom Jones be doing more to protect its musical reputation? Pic: ITV/Rachel Joseph/Shutterstock
‘Can we not save these jobs?’
Llinos Owen, 42, has been sub-principal bassoon at the orchestra since 2022.
Originally from Pwllheli in Gwynedd, Ms Owen was excited about returning to live in Wales.
But she told Sky News she might now have to move elsewhere to continue her career.
“I’m off to Glasgow next week to do an audition for a position up there because there’s not enough freelance work in Cardiff,” she said.
“It’s not like living in London, or the Leeds-Manchester corridor or between Glasgow and Edinburgh where there is a lot of freelance work and more full-time bands that need freelancers.
“In Cardiff, it’s not going to be sustainable for all the members of the orchestra to be able to make up that shortfall in income with more playing work locally.”
Wales’s reputation as the land of song was “hugely” at risk amid cuts to the arts sector, according to Ms Owen.
“Wales, the land of song, such a musical nation, is being left as a kind of cultural desert by a huge under-funding,” she added.
Ms Owen said she wanted the Welsh government to “unlock some emergency funding” to help retain the orchestra at its current capacity.
She added: “Can we not save these jobs until there’s a brighter future on the horizon?”
Image: Llinos Owen
Naomi Pohl, general secretary of the Musicians’ Union (MU), told Sky News the union was “very concerned” and urged the Welsh government to listen to its members and “step in”.
“The shortfall in funding isn’t enormous in the context of Wales’s overall budget for arts and culture but the impact is going to be very significant,” she said.
“When you have new governments, you have new ministers, there’s always an opportunity that somebody will see it differently and hopefully make that change.”
A Welsh government spokesperson said it had “acted to mitigate the full scale of the budget pressures” on the arts sector, but had to prioritise funding “core public services” such as the NHS.
Image: A protest was held by Musicians’ Union members in Cardiff in June. Pic: PA
Cuts seen as ‘inevitable’
Members of MU last month voted in favour of potential strike action. The WNO said it was “disappointed” at the outcome but respected the decision.
It added it had sustained funding cuts and had to make changes to ensure it remained “financially sustainable into the future”.
A spokesperson said colleagues were being supported through the process which they said was “inevitable” due to the savings the company needed to make.
“We are committed to ensuring our long-term future as Wales’s national opera company,” they added.
Sky News approached the Arts Council of Wales for its response but no one was available.
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‘We have to prove we’re the land of song’
Elsewhere, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) announced last month that its junior conservatoire provision would come to an end.
David Ingham, 18, from Swansea, has been a student at the conservatoire for several years.
He said the musical education on offer was something “you can’t get in a school”.
Image: David Ingham
“Going to a junior conservatoire, it makes it so much easier for [young people] to go to a conservatoire for further study because it’s the same sort of education,” he said.
“We might be the land of song, but we have to prove it. We have to have those opportunities.
“Music should be a really important part of our society, and it has been for so many years traditionally. But I think it possibly isn’t so much anymore.
“And it’s just deeply unfair that if you live in London, you have five options for where you’d like to go to study music as a teen or as a child, and in Wales you will now have none.”
Image: Campaigners have been calling on the RWCMD to retain its junior conservatoire provision. Pic: David Ingham
‘The arts scene is on life support’
Bryony Black, 46, is a parent of one of the children who attended the junior conservatoire.
Her 15-year-old son, Solomon, who had a bursary to attend, was working towards grade eight on the violin.
“Unfortunately, the impact on the future of where he is going to go with this is quite dramatic. We don’t really know quite what we’re going to do yet,” she said.
“As far as alternative conservatoire provision, we’re really looking at Birmingham or London and then even with a possible bursary, we’re still looking at hugely increased travel costs. Plus, the additional time that it takes when you’re considering that he was already doing a six-hour day.”
While not being felt for a few years, Ms Black, who lives in Blaenau Gwent, said the impact on emerging professional musicians in Wales would be “drastic”.
“The arts is always the one that takes the first hit but it’s gone from tightening the belt to putting new notches in it and it’s just going to die,” she said.
“There needs to be not just a revival, but it’s like the whole arts scene is on life support at the moment.”
Image: Bryony Black with her son Solomon
Ms Black said there had been “no fight” from within the college to negotiate with the government and to try to secure the provision’s future.
The RWCMD said in a statement that it had not taken the decision to end its weekend youth provision “lightly”.
A spokesperson for the college said a statutory staff consultation was held due to the “challenging financial context currently affecting higher education institutions”.
They added that the current model of weekly activity was “financially unsustainable” but that they would “continue to deliver sustainable project work” for under 18s and have kept the Welsh government “fully briefed” as new proposals are developed.
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The Welsh government said the country’s culture, arts and sports institutions were “an integral part of our society and wellbeing”.
“With an investment totalling £13m between 2022 to 2025, our National Music Service ensures that all young people aged 3-16 are able to access music activities, including instrument and vocal tuition,” the government added.
Anyone seeking to join the Royal Navy will no longer need to prove they can swim in what one defence source called a “desperate” relaxing of standards to tackle a recruitment crisis.
But a Royal Navy spokesperson pushed back on the criticism, saying standards were not being lowered because all recruits would still be required to pass a swim test during training.
It just means that non-swimmers or weak swimmers no longer need to take lessons in their own time before signing up – something that could have turned prospective candidates off.
The source, however, said there was concern about the change to entry requirements, which meant there would no longer be a 30-minute swim test prior to being recruited.
“In a sign of true desperation to increase recruitment numbers, being able to swim will no longer be an entry requirement to join the Royal Navy,” the source said, requesting anonymity.
Navy chiefs have been under pressure to improve recruitment figures after a serious drop last year, as revealed by Sky News.
Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, said in February the situation was improving, with applications to join the navy at an eight-year high.
But the source said there were worries internally about standards being lowered.
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On swimming, the source said applicants in future will be able to “self-declare” they can swim.
If it transpires they are not able to pass the Royal Navy Swim Test they will remain in Phase 1 basic training while they receive swimming lessons.
The source said this meant such individuals would be on the payroll – funded by the taxpayer – and boosting recruitment numbers but without moving quickly on to the next phase of becoming deployable sailors.
The navy may also need to find more swimming instructors as a result of the change.
Read more: Nuclear sub whistleblower speaks Support sailors vote to strike
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‘It’s quite literally a race to the bottom’
The source said: “I absolutely get that there is a growing issue around young people being able to swim and therefore, maintaining the swim test could be seen as reducing the ‘pool of eligible candidates’, but at what point do we say enough is enough?”
Asked how the change had gone down internally, the source said: “Outrage, unadulterated utter outrage… It’s a race to the bottom – literally the bottom.”
The source said: “Are they [the navy] really thinking about what’s best for the recruit? Recruits who can’t swim will need additional training and therefore their ‘working days’ in training will be longer. Surely avoiding this by learning to swim before joining is the best for everyone – including the taxpayer?
“Also, what’s the use of ‘speeding-up’ recruitment for the very few, to just slow them down in training?
“What we need is ‘gains to the trained’ strength – that means passing out training quickly, fully prepared for the frontline.
“This is just spin, a distraction – they’re desperate.”
‘The swimming ability required has not changed’
The Royal Navy spokesperson said: “All Royal Navy and Royal Marine candidates are required to successfully pass the swim test to be able to pass out of Phase 1 training and the level of swimming ability required has not changed.
“Recruitment and retention are absolute priorities, which is why we are introducing a range of measures to speed up recruitment.
“These changes are to reduce the delay for candidates that are eligible to join, while retaining the same level of swimming ability.”
The Wembley Stadium arch will no longer be lit to show solidarity with countries in the wake of terror attacks and natural disasters.
It follows criticism for not illuminating the landmark in the colours of the Israeli flag after the Hamas atrocities.
The arch will now only light in colours directly linked to the stadium’s use as a sport and entertainment venue, Sky News understands.
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FA branded ‘spineless’ after not lighting arch in Israeli colours
It is understood the arch will also no longer be used to highlight inclusion and diversity campaigns – in recent years, it has been lit in rainbow colours to support LGBTQ+ rights.
This removes the expectation the arch will be lit – and the need for the Football Association to assess sometimes complex geopolitical situations.
The arch could still be lit to mark the deaths of national figures such as a former England player or a monarch, as it was following the death of the Queen last year.
Over the years, the Wembley arch has adopted the colours of the flags of countries including France, Turkey and Ukraine within days of attacks.
But the FA decided not to light it in the blue and white of Israel after the Hamas massacres on a string of kibbutzim close to the Gaza border and a large outdoor music festival on 7 October.
The wave of attacks in southern Israel killed about 1,200 – the deadliest day of attacks against Jewish people since the Holocaust – and approximately 240 hostages were taken into Gaza.
But the unprecedented attack prompted Israel to launch a war to eradicate Hamas – killing thousands in Gaza with concerns about the high number of civilian fatalities.
Read more from Sky News: Israel and Hamas agree to pause fighting Actress fired from new Scream movie over Israel-Gaza posts
Image: The Wembley Stadium arch illuminated in support of France after the 2015 Paris attacks Pic: AP
Against that backdrop – and an outpouring of pro-Palestinian activism within England and among footballers – the FA opted against a show of solidarity with Israel at Wembley.
Instead, the FA decided on a silence to “remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine” ahead of a men’s international last month between England and Australia at Wembley.
The lack of “specific tribute” to Israel led to the resignation of the chair of the FA’s Faith in Football network, Rabbi Alex Goldberg.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “I recognise that our decision caused hurt to the Jewish community who felt that we should have lit the arch and that we should have shown stronger support for them.
“This was one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make, and the last thing we ever wanted to do in this situation was to add to the hurt.
“We aren’t asking for everyone to agree with our decision, but to understand how we reached it.”
The Daily Telegraph first reported that the FA board ratified the new policy, which means the FA cannot be accused of taking sides on conflicts by no longer lighting the arc in relation to geopolitical issues or national tragedies.
The FA will still back causes such as Rainbow Laces even if the arch will not be part of the activism.
Longer lorries are now allowed on Britain’s roads to enable more goods to be carried on fewer journeys.
This is despite fears about the risks for pedestrians and cyclists as the vehicles have a larger tail swing – meaning their rear end covers a greater area when turning – and extended blind spots.
Lorry trailers up to 61ft (18.55m) long – some 6ft 9in (2.05m) longer than the standard size – are allowed to be used from 31 May.
The DfT has previously said the newlorries will be able to move the same volume of goods as current trailers in 8% fewer journeys.
Read more: New laws to allow longer lorries on UK roads ‘could cost lives’ of pedestrians and cyclists
The policy is expected to generate £1.4n in economic benefits and take one standard-size trailer off the road for every 12 trips.
An 11-year trial of longer lorries has demonstrated they are safe for use on public roads, according to the DfT.
The study found they were involved in “around 61% fewer personal injury collisions than conventional lorries”, the department said.
A Government-commissioned report published in July 2021 revealed that 58 people were injured in incidents involving longer lorries between 2012 and 2020.
Roads minister Richard Holden said: “A strong, resilient supply chain is key to the Government’s efforts to grow the economy.
“That’s why we’re introducing longer semi-trailers to carry more goods in fewer journeys and ensure our shops, supermarkets and hospitals are always well stocked.”
Read more: Road deaths rise to more than 1,500 Lorry left hanging off bridge after M1 crash
However, some organisations are concerned at the move – including Cycling UK.
Its campaigns manager Keir Gallagher said at the time of the government’s decision: “At a time when funding for infrastructure to keep people cycling and walking safer has been cut, it’s alarming that longer and more hazardous lorries could now be allowed to share the road with people cycling and walking.
“Before opening the floodgates to longer lorries rolling into our busy town centres and narrow rural lanes, further testing in real life scenarios should have been done to assess and address the risks.”
Making homes better insulated and using renewable energy to power them could mean people live longer.
That’s the conclusion of a new study that found net zero policies like home insulation, if successfully introduced, would “significantly” cut mortality in England and Wales by 2050.
The government’s net zero strategy, published in 2021, sets out a pathway to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of this century.
An extra two million years of life lived would be added across the population by 2050, if the balanced pathway plan – a 60% reduction in emissions by 2035 – was implemented, said researchers.
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National Grid: Cash to reduce energy
The study looked at six net zero policies – it argued that retrofitting homes with insulation would be the most effective, resulting in an additional 836,000 life years for the population by the middle of the century.
Switching to renewable energy to power homes was the second most-effective policy, resulting in an extra 657,000 years over the same period, the modelling suggested.
Researchers said retrofitting homes, to make them more energy efficient and reduce consumption and emissions, would mean properties get warmer in the winter.
They argued that as long as there was adequate ventilation, then people would be exposed to less pollution generated indoors, like from particles and radon.
Radon is a natural radioactive gas which comes from the decay of uranium in rocks and soil, and can seep from the ground and get into homes through the floor.
The researchers stressed that without additional ventilation, the indoor generated pollution could build up inside properties, which is bad for people’s overall health.
Retrofitting can include insulating roofs, walls and floors; replacement windows; improved ventilation design; airtightness works and more efficient heating and hot water systems.
Moving forward, those behind the study claimed it may even underestimate the health benefits of net zero policies, as they did not model all the potential health benefits of the policies’ implementation.
The peer-reviewed study was published in the journal, The Lancet Planetary Health.
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Pubs, clubs and bars in England and Wales could be allowed to open for longer to celebrate the King’s coronation.
The government has said it will consult on extending licensing hours from 11pm until 1am on 5, 6, and 7 May across the Bank Holiday weekend.
The Home Office said the move will provide “an opportunity for our communities to come together and celebrate this historic moment, and support our hospitality industry”.
Laws allow the hours to be extended to mark occasions of “exceptional national significance”.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “His Majesty the King’s coronation will be a historic moment that will see our great nation and the entire Commonwealth joined together in celebration.
“Our country, and in particular our hospitality industry, has faced many challenges in recent years and the King’s coronation is an opportunity to give a boost to our local businesses, and celebrate with our local communities.
“Over the Bank Holiday weekend we can raise a glass to our new monarch, and with our friends and families wish him a long and successful reign.”
Like his mother, the King will be crowned at Westminster Abbey, in the presence of faith leaders, peers, MPs, and foreign heads of state.
Read more: What will King Charles’s coronation involve – and will there be a bank holiday? Why will Camilla be crowned – and what may happen during ‘simpler ceremony’?
Timings for the coronation have not been revealed, but it is likely King Charles will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey with Queen Consort Camilla in the gold state coach, which is reserved for coronations and jubilees.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on television, but the number of guests attending in person is expected to be cut from 8,000 to 2,000 and the ceremony is likely to last just over an hour
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Buckingham Palace has previously said: “The coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and .look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.”
Experts have speculated that the current cost of living crisis and the King’s desire for a slimmed down monarchy are behind the decision for a more muted ceremony.
Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to tell the United Nations that Britain will no longer be “strategically dependent on those who seek to weaponise the global economy” as she calls for the free world to “push back against authoritarian aggression”.
Ms Truss will address the UN General Assembly later on Wednesday as it gathers for the first time under the shadow of a large-scale war in Europe.
She will tell the representatives how she plans to make sure the British economy is free from malign interference, including increasing energy independence and safeguarding the security of supply chains.
In her speech, the prime minister is expected to say: “We are reforming our economy to get Britain moving forward once again.
“The free world needs this economic strength and resilience to push back against authoritarian aggression and win this new era of strategic competition.
“We will no longer be strategically dependent on those who seek to weaponise the global economy.”
Mr Truss will also tell the General Assembly that the G7 and other like-minded partners must act as an “economic NATO”, collectively defending our prosperity and coming to the aid of any partner targeted by an aggressive regime.
She will reiterate a commitment to protecting the UK and its allies, including increasing defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030.
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The prime minister is expected to say: “Just as we are building a plan for growth at home, we are also developing a new blueprint for our engagement with the world.
“We will build resilience and collective security – because they are vital for freedom and democracy. We will be a reliable, trustworthy and dynamic partner.”
She will add: “This is a decisive moment in British history, in the history of this organisation, and in the history of freedom.
“The story of 2022 could have been that of an authoritarian state rolling its tanks over the border of a peaceful neighbour and subjugating its people.
“Instead, it is the story of freedom fighting back… But this must not be a one off….
“…Britain’s commitment to this is total.
“Together with our friends and allies around the world, we will continue to champion freedom, sovereign and democracy.
“And we will define this new era as one of hope and progress.”
On Tuesday, Ms Truss told Sky News she was prepared to be unpopular over her plan to cut taxes while also promising billions of pounds to help consumers pay rising energy bills.
She insisted that the tax cut plan would ultimately benefit the British economy.
People seeking medical help via the NHS 111 service are being warned there could be delays after a cyberattack led to a “major” computer system outage.
The security issue was identified at 7am on Thursday morning, and it has affected the system used to dispatch ambulances, book out-of-hours appointments and issue emergency prescriptions.
There are fears that these technical difficulties may not be fully resolved until next week.
The Welsh Ambulance Service says the outage is significant and far-reaching – and affects all four nations in the UK.
Although it has “developed and deployed plans so services can continue to operate”, this weekend is set to be busier than usual for 111 in Wales – and it may take longer for calls to be answered.
NHS England says 111 services are still available and there is “currently minimal disruption”, with “tried-and-tested contingency plans in place”.
A Scottish government spokesman said it is aware of reported disruption to a system used by one of NHS Scotland’s suppliers – adding that it’s working with other health boards and the National Cyber Security Centre “to fully understand potential impact”.
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health is also working to keep disruption to a minimum, and steps have been taken to avoid a risk of other critical systems and services being hit.
Advanced, the software and services provider affected by the cyberattack, said the issue was contained to “a small number of servers” representing 2% of its health and care infrastructure.
Chief operating officer Simon Short added: “We continue to work with the NHS and health and care bodies as well as our technology and security partners, focused on recovery of all systems over the weekend and during the early part of next week.”
