South London schoolgirl Elianne Andam was just 15 years old when her killer stabbed her repeatedly in the neck with a 12-inch kitchen knife, leaving her with “unsurvivable” injuries.
And when the time came for evil Hassan Sentamu to face justice in court, he presented a vile excuse that risked villainising countless innocent individuals. The events that led to “vibrant, creative, and purposeful” Elianne’s death on September 27, 2023, were shocking and nonsensical.
Just ten days before the tragedy, Sentamu had broken up with one of Elianne’s friends, and the former couple had arranged to meet to exchange possessions. Standing up for her pal during a row at a Croydon bus stop, aspiring lawyer Elianne, remembered by loved ones as a “bright, kind and loving soul”, had bravely tried to get back her teddy bear.
It was then that Sentamu responded with “white-hot anger”, plunging the blade into Elianne’s neck. CCTV footage captured at Wellesley Road, Croydon, shows Elianne begging Sentamu, then 17, to stop as he knifed her again and again. The cowardly killer then fled the scene and discarded the blade.
By the time the police arrived at the “scene of chaos”, Elianne was no longer breathing. Sentamu admitted to manslaughter but denied murder on the basis of diminished responsibility, claiming his autism had caused him to “lose control” during the vicious attack. Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world.
During his trial, Prosecutor Alex Chalk KC stated that the prosecution acknowledged “with compassion” the challenges faced by those with autism while asserting that this did not amount to an “excuse, justification or defence” for the murder of Elianne. Mr Chalk KC argued that the real catalyst for the attack was “white hot anger at having been disrespected in public by girls”, adding that Sentamu “had a short fuse” and had “reached the end of it”. Delivering his closing speech, Mr Chalk KC told jurors the defence case had been built on “flimsy evidence” and that Sentamu’s decision to fatally stab Elianne had been “his decision alone”, stating: “There is not a shred of evidence that autism causes explosive violence.”
Jurors eventually dismissed Sentamu’s plea and returned guilty verdicts after three days of deliberation. Yesterday (March 13), Sentamu was jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years. Mr Justice Cheema-Grubb said that because he was only 17 at the time of the murder, the starting point for the crime was 14 years. It was increased by nine years to “mark society’s abhorrence of knife crime and mark it as a deterrent”.
Experts are keen to dispel the notion that the violent behaviour of one individual reflects poorly on all people with autism, whose life experiences and temperaments are just as varied as those of allistic people. Tim Nicholls, Assistant Director of Policy, Research and Strategy at the National Autistic Society, told the Mirror: “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Elianne Andam’s family. We can’t begin to imagine what they are going through.
“It was stated in court proceedings and during sentencing that Hassan Sentamu has a diagnosis of autism. We know that many autistic people and their families will be worried this could lead to general judgements about autistic people and the impact it could have on public understanding of autism. We are concerned too.
“The vast majority of the more than 700,000 autistic people in the UK are law-abiding. It is important that the public does not develop a view of autistic people that is shaped by the actions of one person.”
This follows the recent appeal of one of Brianna Ghey’s killers, Eddie Ratcliffe, who has autism and selective mutism. Ratcliffe, was sentenced to life after being found guilty of Brianna’s murder and must serve at least 20 years behind bars before being considered eligible for parole.
At a hearing held in December, Richard Littler KC, for Ratcliffe, told the Court of Appeal: “It is culpability and maturity which are at the heart of this application. Mr Littler continued: “It is right to say that on any analysis of the applicant’s maturity, he is closer to the starting point of a 14-year-old rather than a 17-year-old boy.”
He added: “The point we make is age and maturity were very important issues in this case, and could very much affect the end result for this particular applicant.”
Emphasising that Ratcliffe was found to have “poor social skills” and “immaturity”, as well as “a lower-than-expected ability to express what he thinks or articulate his ideas”, Mr Ratcliffe argued that the sentence was “far too high”. He continued: “There is no doubt they were taken into account, but they were not taken into account fully.”
Ultimately, Ratcliffe lost his appeal, with Deanna Heer KC, for the CPS, asserting that Ratcliffe’s autism diagnosis “did not prevent him from understanding what he was doing”. She concluded: “The overwhelming evidence is that Eddie is a highly intelligent young man. It was apparent from the evidence that Eddie was neither suggestible nor biddable. Eddie demonstrated himself throughout to be just as enthusiastic about what they were going to do as Scarlett.”
As with any member of society, autistic people can become involved in the criminal justice system as victims, witnesses or perpetrators of a crime. However autistic people are more likely to be victims and witnesses of crime than offenders, according to the National Autistic Society.
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
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