Hassan Sentamu: Teenager jailed for life after killing Elianne Andam, 15, over teddy bear row

Hassan Sentamu, 18, had a history of attacking girls and carrying knives before he killed popular schoolgirl Elianne Andam outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, south-east London.

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. Today (March 13), Sentamu, from New Addington, near Croydon, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years.

In a televised sentencing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Elianne, an aspiring lawyer, was a “hard-working, happy girl” with a “radiant smile”. She said: “Elianne was 15 when you murdered her, she will always remain just 15, she will never realise the potential of her life.”

As he was sent down, there were angry shouts from the public gallery rejecting his earlier apology, saying: “You deserve to be spat on.” Sentamu sat with head in his hands in the dock and wiped away tears as he was sentenced.

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.

“You [Sentamu] 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.”

Father Michael Andam added: “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.

“No parents should ever have to bury their child, let alone in such a violent and cruel manner. 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.”

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.

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 stabbed her repeatedly as she lay 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.

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.

In mitigation, Pavlos Panayi KC said there were no words that could “minimise, justify or excuse” such a “horrific” crime. Referring to Sentamu’s troubled background, he said: “Hassan’s violent streak, his anger, his outbursts, did not come out of nowhere. He was not born with them. They come from his lived experiences from when he was a little boy.”