Parents make knife crime vow as teenager convicted of Elianne Andam murder
Hassan Sentamu had admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the basis that his autism affected his self-control.
Elianne Andam’s parents have vowed knife crime will “not go unanswered” as a teenager was found guilty of murdering their 15-year-old daughter in a row over a teddy bear.
Hassan Sentamu, 18, had a history of attacking girls and carrying knives before he stabbed the popular schoolgirl in the neck outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, south-east London.
He had admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the basis that his autism affected his ability to exercise self-control.
On Thursday, an Old Bailey jury found Sentamu, from New Addington, near Croydon, guilty of murder by a majority of 10 to two and unanimously guilty of possession of a blade.
There were shouts of “yes” and “murderer” from the public gallery as the jury gave its verdicts after deliberating for 11 hours and 42 minutes.
As Sentamu stood shaking and wiping away tears in the dock, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb adjourned sentencing until March 13.
The senior judge told him: “I understand you must be very shocked and take time to get used to what has happened.”
Outside the Old Bailey, Elianne’s father Michael Andam described his daughter as a “bright, kind and loving soul” with hopes and dreams for the future before she was “cruelly taken away”.
In a joint statement with Elianne’s mother Dorcas, he said: “The verdict today is the first step towards justice for Elianne, but also a message that violence and knife crime, especially towards young women, will not go unanswered.
“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.”
The court had heard that Sentamu lashed out in “white hot” rage and stabbed Elianne with a kitchen knife before school on September 27 2023.
About 10 days before, Sentamu had split up with Elianne’s friend by text, telling her: “Ur energy is dead I’m not rdy for a relationship…all the best.”
The day before the killing, he had seen the girls at the Whitgift Centre where they “teased” him and his ex-girlfriend threw water on him.
Seething at the perceived disrespect, he told a friend he could not “let this slide”.
The next day, he donned a mask and gloves and armed himself with a kitchen knife before a planned meeting to hand over his ex-girlfriend’s teddy bear in exchange for some of his clothes.
Elianne stood up for her friend when Sentamu turned up without the bear and walked off with a bag of his belongings.
Sentamu’s ex-girlfriend told the court: “Elianne ran behind him, grabbed the bag and started running and laughing as a joke. It was the type of thing that Elianne would have done.
“At first I was laughing a bit because it was a joke and then I got scared because then Hassan got mad.”
Sentamu chased Elianne and repeatedly stabbed her on the ground despite her pleas for him to stop, the court was told.
She suffered a fatal 12cm deep stab to the neck and a passing bus driver held her hand and stayed with her as she lay dying in the street.
The stabbing was caught on CCTV and in the ensuing chaos, Elianne’s traumatised friends told police what happened and described the killer who had fled and dumped the bloody knife.
A police officer spotted him on a bus heading towards New Addington and arrested him within an hour and a half of the killing.
Rap star Stormzy joined members of the community at a candlit vigil for Elianne who had hoped to become a human rights lawyer.
Uganda-born Sentamu declined to give evidence in his defence but the court was told of his troubled childhood.
He was given a police caution at the age of 12 after producing a knife in school.
Other abusive and violent behaviour included putting girls in a headlock, and threatening to harm a foster carer’s cat and chop off its tail.
The month after Elianne’s death, Sentamu got into a row after a fellow inmate at Oakhill Secure Training Centre in Milton Keynes accused him of killing girls.
Sentamu responded: “I’ll do it again. I’ll do it to your mum. Do you want to end up like her, six feet under?”
After the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Becky Woodsford, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, praised Elianne’s family and friends for their “dignity, determination and composure”.
She said: “Elianne’s family and friends have waited a long time for this day. Nothing will ease the immeasurable pain they continue to live with, but I know they will be immensely relieved by this outcome.”
