The family of a 15-year-old girl who was stabbed to death in a row over a teddy bear have told her killer all that remains since her death is “deafening silence”.
Hassan Sentamu, 18, had a history of attacking girls and carrying knives before he killed Elianne Andam outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, south-east London on September 27, 2023. He had admitted manslaughter but was found guilty of murder and having a blade after a jury rejected his claim that autism affected his ability to exercise self-control. He faces life behind bars for the attack on the young girl.
On Thursday, Sentamu, from New Addington, near Croydon, appeared in the dock of the Old Bailey to be sentenced by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb. Sentamu sat in the dock of the Old Bailey with his head bowed as victim impact statements from Elianne’s family were read out by prosecutor Ben Lloyd.
Elianne’s mother Dorcas Andam said she was the “kindest, most loving daughter” who was “vibrant, creative, and purposeful” and loved to sing and braid hair. Addressing Sentamu, Dorcas told the court in a moving victim impact statement: “I relive that day as I saw the lifeless, bloodied body of my daughter. I held her in my arms, weeping, and she was gone.”
She added: “She loved to sing and dance and make prayers. Our home was full of her music, laughter, and her energy. There was warmth and joy when Elianne was there. She loved life to the fullest and made life worth living. Now the music has stopped, the laughter gone. All that remains is silence, an echoing silence.”
Elianne had a “beautiful heart, mind, and soul”. Mrs Andam addressed Sentamu directly, telling him: “You brutally and mercilessly murdered her in the most humiliating way.” She said it was motivated by “greed, selfishness, and a complete disregard” for her daughter’s life.
“Your actions were senseless, monstrous, and evil. You left the scene without any remorse. Instead you tried to make excuses and cover your act with evil lies,” she said. “The most painful part, one day you will finish your sentence, walk free, and get to see your family.” She added she is serving a life sentence “haunted” by the sight of her daughter’s “lifeless bloody body”. I urge you to impose the strongest possible sentence. Not just for the life ended but a future destroyed,” she said.
Elianne’s counsin Denzil Larbi said in his statement that they had shared a love of rap music and her murder was a “living nightmare”. Addressing the defendant, he said: “What you did is the most monstrous, evil act imaginable” and Sentamu would forever be the “villain in our story”.
Mr Larbi said the defendant should understand the “unimaginable loss” his actions had caused, saying: “You did not just take a life, you shattered so many others.” He said: “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.” He concluded his remarks by saying: “She was only 15. She should still be here.”
In a statement on behalf of the wider family, Elianne’s aunt Marian Addow described her as the ‘heart and soul of the family’. “The brutal act of your actions will forever be a nightmare. How could you do what you did? Why did you do what you did?” she said. Having to watch our younger sister lose a child has been the most atrocious thing we could have to watch.
“We have all suffered in health, mentally and physically. There is fear if you will be let out you will repeat your actions. Elianne stood up for wrong. Stood up for a friend. And you retaliated with murder.”
And Elianne’s father Michael Andam called on the judge to hand down the strongest sentence which reflects the “true horror” of what happened. He described her as a “bright light” whose absence had left a “gaping wound”.
He said: “No parent should ever have to bury their child let alone in such a violent manner. I could not protect her, that guilt will weigh on my heart for the rest of my life.” Addressing the court, he said: “I stand before you today not only to speak for myself but speak for my daughter whose voice was cruelly silenced. I implore you to hand down the strongest sentence.”
In a statement read by prosecutor Ben Lloyd, her father said the murder was “an act so violent and inhumane, it shattered our world in an instant”. No parent should ever have to bury their child, especially not in such a violent and cruel manner,” he said. “We are not the same people we were before. We move through each day like shadows, drowning in grief and anger,” he said.
He said there was an “unrelenting ache” knowing Elianne will never come home. “She taught me so much about being a dad. About being a friend. She gave me an opportunity to learn how to love,” he said. “I want Elianne’s memory to be that. Kindness.”
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