Teenager Fatally Stabbed While Intervening for Friend, Court Hears

A court proceeding revealed that a 15-year-old girl sustained fatal stab wounds while defending a friend. The friend had sought to retrieve a teddy bear from her former boyfriend. Elianne Andam was assaulted in September 2023 by Hassan Sentamu, then aged 17, as she walked to school. The incident occurred outside the Whitgift shopping centre in Croydon, south London. The Old Bailey was informed that Mr Sentamu pursued Elianne, trapped her, and repeatedly stabbed her with a kitchen knife. He then fled the scene and discarded the weapon. Although he previously admitted to manslaughter, he is currently facing a murder charge, which he disputes. According to Prosecutor Alex Chalk KC, the defendant, now 18, acknowledges using the knife and causing Elianne’s death. However, he entered a not guilty plea to murder, asserting that his culpability is reduced due to his autism. Mr Sentamu additionally denies the charge of illegal possession of a blade, stating he possessed a “lawful reason” for carrying it. During the trial’s opening, the prosecution informed the court that Elianne, accompanied by her friend and other girls, had gone to a car park on the morning of 27 September, before school, to meet the defendant. Her friend and Mr Sentamu, who had ended their relationship 10 days prior, had arranged to exchange personal items. Mr Chalk informed the jury that Mr Sentamu arrived without the items, and that Elianne felt “aggrieved on her friend’s behalf”. Mr Chalk stated that she took the plastic bag her friend had given the defendant in “a gesture of solidarity… that cost Elianne her life”. The prosecutor informed the court: “The defendant chased after her, cornered her and used the kitchen knife to stab her repeatedly.” “He drove the knife 12cm into her neck, severing the carotid artery and causing injuries that were unsurvivable.” Surveillance camera footage recorded the assault, as well as Mr Sentamu fleeing the location and discarding the knife. He was apprehended at a bus stop close to his residence less than 90 minutes subsequent to the killing. The prosecution contends that the primary cause of the attack was “white-hot anger, at having been disrespected in public”. The jurors were instructed that they must determine if the defendant’s autism constitutes a legal defense and if it accounts for his conduct. Mr Chalk stated that while the prosecution recognized “with compassion” the difficulties associated with autism, he informed the court that the condition does not serve as an “excuse, justification or defence” for Elianne’s murder. Jurors were told that Sentamu possessed a “short fuse” and that on the day of the killing, he reached its limit. Mr Chalk remarked: “His calculated decision to bring a knife to the scene meant that the consequences of that outburst for Elianne and her family were utterly devastating.” The legal proceedings are ongoing. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.