Teenager who stabbed schoolgirl Elianne Andam to death in 'frenzied' attack jailed for at least 23 years
A teenager who stabbed 15-year-old schoolgirl Elianne Andam to death in a row over a teddy bear has been jailed for life and must serve at least 23 years.
Hassan Sentamu, 18, had a history of attacking girls and carrying knives before he killed the popular schoolgirl near the Whitgift Centre in central Croydon in September 2023.
Elianne had stood up for his ex-girlfriend who was her friend.
The schoolgirl was repeatedly stabbed in what police described as a "frenzied" attack that was caught on CCTV.
Sentamu, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was arrested less than 90 minutes later after getting off a bus.
The boy, of Rowdown Crescent, New Addington, admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the basis of "loss of control" because he has autism.
He was found guilty of murder and possession of a knife in January following a trial at the Old Bailey.
Sentamu had recently broken up with a friend of Elianne's, whom he had agreed to meet up with to return items, including a teddy bear, that they exchanged while they were going out together, the court heard.
But he instead came armed with a knife, wearing two pairs of gloves and a facemask.
When the ex-girlfriend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, asked for her belongings she says he refused to hand them over and replied: "I don't want to hurt you."
The girl says she then started asking him for her teddy bear before Elianne ran up behind him and grabbed a bag of items that had been returned to him.
She added that Elianne then started "running and laughing as a joke" before Adman chased her and stabbed her multiple times.
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In a televised sentencing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Elianne, an aspiring lawyer, was a "hard-working, happy girl" with a "radiant smile".
She told the defendant: "Elianne was 15 when you murdered her, she will always remain just 15, she will never realise the potential of her life."
The driver for his actions was his "short temper and aggressive tendencies" which combined with his "deliberate decision to carry a knife," she said.
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