Teenager jailed for life for Elianne Andam murder

Hassan Sentamu attacked Elianne while she was on her way to school

A teenager who repeatedly stabbed 15-year-old Elianne Andam in a row over a teddy bear has been ordered to spend at least 23 years in prison for her murder.

Hassan Sentamu, then 17, attacked her with a kitchen knife outside a shopping centre in Croydon, south London, in September 2023.

Giving him a life term at the Old Bailey, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: "The pain of her loss to her parents and younger brother is indescribable. She will always remain just 15 - she will never realise the potential of her life."

The court heard that Sentamu, who had a history of attacking girls and carrying knives, killed the popular schoolgirl in front of other children, shoppers and commuters.

He had admitted manslaughter but was found guilty of murder after a jury rejected his claim that his autism affected his ability to exercise self-control.

The trigger for his actions was his "short temper and aggressive tendencies", while he had also made a "deliberate decision to carry a knife", the judge said at the sentencing hearing, which was televised.

As Sentamu was sent down, there were angry shouts from the public gallery.

Elianne Andam was repeatedly stabbed while trying to stand up for her friend

Earlier, Elianne's family described their "living nightmare" in a series of statements read to the court.

Mother Dorcas Andam said: "Elianne was my world, she was the kindest most loving daughter I could have asked for; she was vibrant, creative and purposeful.

"She loved deeply, loved to sing, to braid hair always practising new style. Our home was full of her music, laughter and energy. There was always warmth and joy when Elianne was there.

"Now the music has stopped, the laughter has gone - all that is left is a deafening silence that echoes through my life."

Addressing 18-year-old Sentamu, Mrs Andam said: "You brutally murdered her in the most humiliating way in broad daylight; mercilessly killing her on the floor as she begged for mercy.

"You walked away showing no remorse as if her life meant nothing.

"You did not only kill Elianne, you killed me mentally and emotionally. Your actions were senseless and evil."

A mural of Elianne was painted near the Whitgift Centre

The court had heard that Sentamu lashed out in a "white-hot" rage and stabbed Elianne on the morning of 27 September 2023.

Sentamu had recently split up with one of Elianne's friends, and the day before the killing he had seen the girls at the Whitgift shopping centre where they "teased" 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 knife before a planned meeting at the shopping centre 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, which led to him chasing Elianne in a fury and stabbing her repeatedly as she lay on the ground.

'I couldn't protect her'

Elianne's father Michael Andam said in his statement to the Old Bailey: "I close my eyes and see the horror of what she must have endured – the fear, the pain – and it breaks me over and over again.

"The thought of her final moments torments me – wondering if she was calling out for me, hoping I would save her – but I wasn't there.

"I couldn't protect her. That guilt will weigh on my heart for the rest of my life."

Sentamu - who was given a one-year concurrent sentence by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb for illegal possession of a knife - had declined to give evidence in his defence, but the court was told of his troubled childhood.

It emerged during the trial that 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.

'Living nightmare'

The month after Elianne's death, Sentamu got into a row after a fellow detainee 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?"

In mitigation, Pavlos Panayi KC said there were no words that could "minimise, justify or excuse" such a "horrific" crime.

Denzil Larbi described Elianne as an amazing girl with a bright future

Elianne's counsin Denzil Larbi said they had shared a love of rap music, and her murder was a "living nightmare".

He described the killing as "the most monstrous evil act imaginable".

"To see a 15-year-old lying in a mortuary is something no family should have to endure. People say time is the greatest healer. I cannot see how time will ever heal this kind of wound. Time will never bring her back.

"She was only 15. She should still be here."

'Lenient sentence'

Outside court after the sentencing, pastor Mark Rossell issued a statement on behalf of the family.

"Our daughter Elianne Andam was a vibrant, bright and loving innocent 15-year-old with her entire future ahead of her, until it was stolen in the most horrific way.

"Brutally killed in broad daylight by a 17-year-old who showed no mercy."

Mr Rossell said the justice system had "failed to reflect the sheer brutality" of Elianne's killing and that the Andam family were critical of Sentamu's minimum term, saying it had left them feeling "abandoned and unheard".

Mr Rossell added: "We cannot accept such lenient sentences are appropriate for violent, calculated crimes like this."