Elianne Andam tragically lost her life at the age of 15 after she bravely stuck up for her friend.
The aspiring lawyer was brutally stabbed to death by evil Hassan Sentamu, then 17, outside a shopping centre in Croydon, south London, on September 27, 2023. Today, Sentamu was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 23 years after being found guilty of her murder. The twisted teen had pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but the jury did not accept his defence.
Elianne’s heartbroken mother, Dorcas Andam, said in a victim impact statement that she was the “kindest, most loving daughter” who was “vibrant, creative, and purposeful”. She said: “Now the music has stopped, the laughter is gone. All that remains is a deafening silence.” Addressing the killer, she said he had ruined her life when he killed her daughter in the most “senseless” way.
Elianne had stood up for her friend, Sentamu’s ex-girlfriend, in the aftermath of her break-up when a row erupted at a bus stop. Sentamu had refused to hand back items belonging to her pal, including a teddy bear, and Elianne grabbed a bag of his clothes and ran. He sprinted after her, pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed her. Elianne begged her killer to stop as he knifed her in the neck.
Sentamu’s ex described the events leading up to the attack to police, and said she realised something was wrong when he turned up for a planned exchange of their belongings wearing gloves and a mask. After she handed back his hoodies and tracksuit bottoms in a plastic bag, he revealed he was empty-handed and seemed “unbothered” as she pleaded for her teddy to be returned.
She said: “I was saying, ‘Can I have my stuff back?’ like outside the Whitgift Centre where the bus stop is. He looked at me… and rolled his eyes a bit… and said, ‘I don’t want to hurt you’… not like in an emotional way… like he’s warning me.” Some of the final words Elianne would have heard next is her friend saying, “Where’s my teddy? Where’s my teddy? Where’s my teddy?”.
The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, went on: “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 ‘cos it was a joke and then I got scared ‘cos then Hassan got mad.”
Little did Elianne know that Sentamu, who had a history of violent outbursts, was hiding a large kitchen knife, which he plunged into her neck. During the trial, prosecutor Alex Chalk KC told jurors: “It was a gesture of solidarity… that cost Elianne her life. The defendant chased after her, cornered her, and used the kitchen knife to stab her repeatedly.
“He drove the knife 12cm deep into her neck severing the carotid artery and causing injuries that were unsurvivable. Despite the rapid arrival of the emergency services and intensive efforts over the course of nearly an hour, Elianne died at the scene. She was 15 years old.”
Around 10 days before the killing, Sentamu broke up with his girlfriend by text. He told her in a message: “Ur energy is dead I’m not rdy for a relationship…all the best (sic).” When she asked for her teddy bear back, he replied: “You can collect your ting on Wednesday before skl I’m gonna need my s**t tho from the clothes to the pillows and flowers (sic).”
He appeared to become increasingly impatient, telling her: “Ur wasting my time do you want your thingy or not? If everything isn’t in the bag your not gonna get your dumb little bear. (sic).” The court heard the girl had reported back to her friends, with Elianne commenting: “He’s so rude.”
In January, Sentamu was found guilty of murder. Speaking outside court, Elianne’s father, Dr Michael Andam 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.”
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