Teenager who murdered schoolgirl jailed for life

A teenager who stabbed Croydon schoolgirl Elianne Andam to death in a violent and unprovoked attack has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

18-year-old Hassan Sentamu of Rowdown Crescent, New Addington appeared at the Old Bailey on Thursday, 13 March where he was jailed for a minimum of 23 years before parole can be considered. This follows his conviction for Elianne’s murder after a trial which concluded on 16 January.

Sentamu was arrested within 90 minutes of Elianne’s murder, as he stepped off a bus after calmly making his way back home. He has remained in custody ever since.

Following his detention, detectives worked day and night to build a case against Sentamu, painstakingly trawling through hours of CCTV – eventually seizing 45 hours’ worth as part of the evidence. They used this to map his movements both in the lead up to Elianne’s murder and afterwards when he fled the scene, discarding the knife he had used to kill her along the way.

During sentencing, victim impact statements were read out on behalf of Elianne’s parents. Excerpts taken from those statements read: “Elianne was my world, my answered prayer after a long time. She was the kindest and most loving daughter I could have asked for. She was vibrant, creative, and purposeful. She loved deeply, she loved to sing, loved dance, to braid hair — always practicing new styles on herself, her friends, and even on me. Our home was full of her music, her laughter, and her energy. There was always warmth, always joy — because Elianne was there. She lived life to the fullest and always made life worth living. But now, the music has stopped. The laughter is gone. All that remains is a deafening silence — a hollow, painful silence that echoes through every part of my life.

“My daughter was more than just a victim of a horrific crime. She was a beautiful soul — full of dreams, laughter, and love. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend — a bright light in all of our lives. Her absence is a gaping wound that will never heal. Every morning, I wake up to the crushing reality that she is gone. I no longer hear her voice, feel her warm embrace, or see her radiant smile. The silence in our home is deafening.”

Detective Chief Inspector Becky Woodsford, who led the investigation, said: “Today marks the end of a very long journey for Elianne’s family and friends, and while this is the best outcome they could have hoped for, nothing will ease the immeasurable pain they continue to live with on a daily basis. Since Elianne was taken from them in the most incomprehensible way, they have been driven by a motivation to see her killer brought to justice. Getting to this point has been challenging for them, and I would like to pay testament to their continued dignity, determination and composure.

“In the moments before her death, Elianne was laughing and smiling, completely oblivious to Sentamu’s rage and the events that were about to unfold. She was simply standing up for her friend – doing what she thought was right. And this it seems, was Elianne through and through. Someone who felt very strongly about right and wrong and was always there to support her friends.

“My team worked tirelessly with our colleagues from the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure we presented the strongest possible case at court. This involved analysing hours of CCTV footage to piece together Sentamu’s movements before, during and after the incident - enabling us to establish where he had dumped the murder weapon which he was quickly forensically linked to.

“We may never know exactly what motivated Sentamu to carry out such an unspeakable act of violence in broad daylight and witnessed by horrified onlookers. But the actions he took in those split seconds robbed Elianne of her future and left a family and community grieving an unimaginable loss. It’s clear Sentamu is a dangerous and unpredictable individual and I am relieved he will remain behind bars for a significant period of time.”

Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain, responsible for policing in Croydon, said: “Elianne’s murder was met with a collective sense of shock and outrage, and I know this outcome will impact many. In the days and weeks that followed this dreadful incident, I was humbled by the response from the wider Croydon community to support Elianne’s loved ones and the police investigation. It was a real example of a community uniting in the face of awful tragedy, and we stand together now as we did then.

“Elianne was popular with a bright future ahead of her. It’s clear from the messages left at the scene and the hundreds who attended a candlelit vigil held in her honour that she was loved by many, and I know her loss remains felt by us all. So it’s particularly special that the mural unveiled in Croydon last year now stands as a permanent reminder of Elianne’s life and memory.

“This was an incident that affected even experienced officers, but I am proud of how my colleagues responded that day - from those first on scene who gave Elianne emergency first aid, to the swift action taken to urgently circulate Hassan’s details, and finally the eagle-eyed officer who spotted him getting off the bus and moved in to arrest him.”

In the hours before Elianne’s murder on 27 September 2023, her friend had arranged to meet up with Sentamu. The pair had recently come out of a relationship and agreed to meet to swap items they had exchanged during their time together, including a teddy bear. But while the friend returned Sentamu’s things, he reneged on the agreement, turning up to the meeting empty-handed.

Elianne followed her friend as she engaged with Sentamu in an effort to try and get her belongings back. As the group made their way along Wellesley Road, Elianne ran up behind Sentamu and grabbed the bag of items that had been returned to him.

Sentamu immediately gave chase, removing a knife from his waistband. In seconds, he had caught up to Elianne and stabbed her multiple times, including in her neck – a wound which proved fatal. After she collapsed to the ground, passers-by gave Elianne immediate medical attention while they awaited the arrival of emergency services who rushed to the scene, arriving within minutes.

Meanwhile Sentamu immediately ran off, making his way along George Street towards East Croydon Station and on to Cedar Road where he was seen to dump the knife in the front garden of a random property. He then took his usual route home, catching a Route 130 bus before changing to a 64. As he got off the bus at Goldcrest Way he was spotted by a local officer and immediately arrested. After witnesses had been able to quickly identify Sentamu to officers attending the murder scene, an immediate manhunt was launched. The arresting officer acted quickly when he noticed that Sentamu matched the suspect's description.

Body worn video of the arrest showed Hassan attempting to give a false name of “John” and denying any involvement in the incident. What was particularly noticeable in the footage was his calm manner considering what he had just done. During the course of their interaction, the officer was informed that Elianne had sadly passed away which he relayed to Sentamu. His demeanour did not change.

Sentamu was taken into custody where he gave a largely no comment interview, except when providing a false location for the knife and replying “no” when asked if he wished to say anything to Elianne’s family.

During a search of Sentamu’s address a matching set of knives was found in a cupboard under the kitchen sink. One of the knives was missing. Detectives were later able to confirm – both via DNA and a visual match – that this missing knife was the one used to kill Elianne.

Sentamu has never provided an explanation as to why he went out that day in possession of that knife and wearing black gloves and a mask. However, the court heard he had been anxious to know whether an incident the previous day in which he had water thrown at him by a group of girls, which included Elianne, had made him look like a “fool” – telling a friend in a text message “Bro, I can’t let this slide”.

At a hearing on 14 March 2024 Sentamu pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, citing his autism as a mitigating factor for the attack on Elianne. He continued to present this argument throughout his trial for murder.