A teenage killer is facing life in prison after knifing schoolgirl Elianne Andam to death in a row over a teddy bear.
Hassan Sentamu was today found guilty of murder after he exploded in “white hot anger” and launched the ferocious attack in 2023. Elianne, aged just 15, was set upon after standing up for a friend who wanted to get her bear back from ex-boyfriend Sentamu. Her family let out cries of “Jesus” as the jury delivered the guilty verdict. Elianne’s mother, Dorcas Andam, broke down in tears and said, “Elianne may you rest in peace”.
The 17-year-old chased after Elianne, cornered her and stabbed her repeatedly with a kitchen knife before running away and disposing of the weapon. After his arrest, Sentamu made excuse after excuse after excuse, claiming he could not control himself because of his autism.
He denied murder, but today a jury found the thug, who was named after turning 18, guilty after deliberating for three days.
Speaking after the verdict, Elianne’s parents, Dorcas and Michael Andam, said: “On September 27 2023 our world was shattered, and our hearts were broken by the senseless and violent loss of our beloved daughter, Elianne Andam.
“At just 15 years old she had her whole life ahead of her, filled with hopes and dreams for the future – all cruelly taken away from her and from us. Her death has left a void in our lives that can never be filled. This trial has been our fight for justice, forcing us to confront the devastating details of Elianne’s final moments, details that will remain with us forever.
“While today’s verdict acknowledges the full extent of his actions, it cannot bring Elianne back to us. The verdict today is the first step toward justice for Elianne, but also a message that violence and knife crime, especially toward young women, will not go unanswered.
“Today, we choose not to dwell on the pain of the trial but instead to honour Elianne’s memory. She was a bright, kind, and loving soul who embraced life, her faith, and her belief in standing up for what was right. We think about her every moment of every day, cherishing her love and the joy she brought to everyone around her.
“We are deeply grateful to our family, friends, Church, local community, legal team, and the countless well-wishers who have supported us with their prayers, love, and encouragement. Your kindness has been a source of strength during this unimaginable journey.
“As we begin the long process of healing, we reflect on this verdict not as an end but as a step toward change. We will continue to fight against the violence that took Elianne from us, sharing her story and working toward a world where no family has to endure such heartbreak. Thank you for standing with us in love and solidarity. We ask for privacy as we grieve and strive to find peace. Elianne’s life mattered, and her legacy will live on in our hearts forever.”
Prosecutor Alex Chalk KC told Sentamu’s Old Bailey murder trial that he admitted causing Elianne’s death but denied murder. The jury heard that Elianne had gone with her friend and a group of girls to meet the defendant in a car park near the Whitgift shopping centre in Croydon, south London, in September 2023.
Elianne’s friend and Sentamu had split up around ten days earlier and planned to exchange belongings before school. Mr Chalk said in particular the ex-girlfriend was “anxious to recover her teddy bear”. She handed over a plastic bag to Sentamu but he had turned up empty-handed.
The court heard Elianne was “aggrieved on her friend’s behalf” and took the bag back. Mr Chalk said: “It was a gesture of solidarity … that cost Elianne her life. “Because the defendant chased after her, cornered her, and used the kitchen knife to stab her repeatedly. He drove the knife into her neck, severing the carotid artery and causing injuries that were unsurvivable.”
CCTV footage captured the attack and Sentamu running from the scene and disposing of the knife. He was arrested at a bus stop near his home less than 90 minutes later. Mr Chalk said the prosecution acknowledged “with compassion” the challenges posed by autism but he told the court it did not amount to an “excuse, justification or defence” for Elianne’s murder.
He said the catalyst for the attack was “white hot anger at having been disrespected in public by girls”. Mr Chalk said Sentamu “had a short fuse” and “reached the end of it”.
In his closing speech, Mr Chalk KC told the jury the defence case is built on “flimsy evidence” and that Sentamu’s decision to stab Elianne to death was “his decision alone” and not due to his autism. “There is not a shred of evidence that autism causes explosive violence,” added Mr Chalk.
But defence counsel Pavlos Panayi KC said Sentamu, from New Addington, south London, had endured a “brutal violent upbringing”. He said he had been subjected to “nasty bullying” by Sentamu’s ex-girlfriend and her friends at the Whitgift Shopping Centre on the day before the stabbing.
Speaking after today’s verdict, Det Chief Insp Becky Woodsford said Elianne had ambitions to become a human rights lawyer and was killed standing up for her friend and “doing what she thought was right”.
DCI Woodsford praised the bravery of Elianne’s friends and family as well as members of the public who tried to save the schoolgirl. Despite reeling from shock at the killing in a busy street, the whole community pulled together and helped police bring Elianne’s killer to justice, she said.
Paying tribute to Elianne, the Metropolitan Police officer, who led the murder investigation, said: “What has really stuck with me is that Elianne always did what she thought was right and stood up for her friend. We heard from her family during the course of this investigation that Elianne wanted to be a human rights lawyer. She was very passionate about singing and dancing. She was passionate about her church as well.”
Referring to the horrific attack, DCI Woodsford said: “We have heard in court and seen on CCTV Elianne was laughing when she did this. We can see the smile on her face. This was not something that was done with malice. It was done laughing in solidarity with her friend. Standing up and doing what she thought was right.”
Only Sentamu knows why he reacted with violence at the prank, having already armed himself with a kitchen knife from home and donned a mask and gloves, she said.
However, the court had heard that Sentamu had been brooding over an incident the day before when he was splashed with water at an earlier meeting at the Whitgift centre. Ms Woodsford told the PA news agency: “What we have heard from witnesses and through phone evidence was one of the things Hassan said on the evening before this happened was: ‘I cannot let this slide.’
“We have heard about him contemplating, seething, over what happened the day before Elianne died.
“What made him put on a facemask and two pairs of gloves, take a knife from under the kitchen sink to go and meet three young 15-year-old girls to swap belongings – I don’t think we are ever going to know the answer to that question.”
Elianne was chased and repeatedly stabbed in front of horrified children and parents on their way to school that day as well as three of the teenager’s friends.
Despite being “traumatised” they were able to quickly give a description of the attacker and tell police what had happened, meaning he could be arrested within an hour and a half.
An “eagle-eyed” officer who heard the description of the suspect spotted Sentamu getting off a bus and arrested him before he reached home.
Paying tribute to the young witnesses, she said: “I cannot imagine what they have been through but the bravery they showed in assisting us with that investigation and going through the trauma, I just think shows they were trying to look after their friend and stand up for Elianne and do what was right.”
“The impact it is going to have on them for the rest of their lives, I cannot imagine. I hope the verdict today is going to give them the opportunity to step back and think about what they have done and what they have been through and start to move on with their lives.”
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