Court Hears Elianne Andam’s Killer Described Himself as ‘Evil’

Information presented in court revealed that the teenager responsible for the death of schoolgirl Elianne Andam possessed a history of violent behavior, including threatening young individuals with weapons, and characterized himself as “evil” prior to the assault. Hassan Sentamu, who was 17 at the time, inflicted multiple stab wounds upon 15-year-old Elianne in September of the previous year, an incident that occurred outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, south London, after she took a bag from him. During his trial at the Old Bailey, Mr. Sentamu chose not to testify on Wednesday. He had previously confessed to manslaughter but disputes the murder charge, citing diminished responsibility attributed to his autism. The jury was informed that the assault on Elianne, carried out with a kitchen knife, occurred subsequent to multiple instances of violent and aggressive conduct by Mr. Sentamu, who is now 18 years old. Warning: This story mentions self-harm Testimony at the Old Bailey revealed that in a message dispatched to a friend several weeks prior to Elianne’s death, Mr. Sentamu conveyed suicidal ideations, stating: “Whenever you see me it’s never really me, it’s a persona I put on. The real me is evil, dark and miserable.” He further communicated: “Life is hard and tough and I can break people physically and mentally.” The jury also received information detailing an incident a few weeks following the attack, during Mr. Sentamu’s remand at Oakhill secure training centre, where another prisoner accused him of “killing girls.” Mr. Sentamu responded by shouting: “I’ll do it again, I’ll do it to your mum. “Do you want to end up like her, six feet under? I’ll do the same again.” Furthermore, the court was informed that an ambulance was summoned to the centre while Mr. Sentamu was there, responding to reports that he had consumed chemicals. Staff at Oakhill additionally discovered a notebook containing entries where he was “counting down to his own suicide,” as presented to the jurors. The court was apprised of prior occurrences involving Mr. Sentamu. Jurors learned that he was born in Uganda in 2006 and relocated to London with his mother around the age of three, following accusations of domestic abuse directed at his father. He had previously been directed to mental health support services after personnel at his primary school documented instances of self-harm and his physical aggression towards other children, including pushing and slapping them. The Old Bailey was informed that prior to enrolling in that school, Mr. Sentamu, at age 11, had been sent by his mother to a boarding school in Uganda, where he claimed to have suffered physical abuse and beatings with a metal pole. Subsequently, he was placed into foster care after a social worker discovered him unattended at home when he was 12 years old, and the court heard that his mother instructed them “to take him away.” His foster carer stated that he experienced difficulty forming friendships and, when his desires were not met, he had issued threats to sever the cat’s tail. Mr. Chalk conveyed to the jurors: “He expressed a wish to kill himself while living with her.” The court additionally heard that Mr. Sentamu had previously alleged that his mother had physically assaulted him and attempted to strangle him. She refuted these claims. At the age of 13, teachers were compelled to disarm him after he produced a knife during a class and directed it towards his own chest, declaring his intent to commit suicide. He was issued a police caution for the possession of a bladed article. The jury was further apprised of additional incidents, such as Mr. Sentamu threatening another child with a knife during a residential trip, believing he was being mocked, threatening to stab another student with scissors, and putting two girls in headlocks. In July 2019, Mr. Sentamu underwent an assessment and received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The court had previously been informed that the defendant repeatedly stabbed Elianne with a kitchen knife after she took a bag from him when he would not return her friend’s teddy bear. A police officer characterized him as “smiling and joking” following his apprehension. In addition to the murder charge, Mr. Sentamu also refutes an accusation of illegally possessing a knife, asserting he had a “lawful reason” for carrying the weapon. Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb postponed the trial proceedings until January 6.