Court Hears Accused in Elianne Andam Killing Had Anger Issues

The Old Bailey was informed that the teenager responsible for the death of schoolgirl Elianne Andam exhibited “anger issues” and “could get triggered easily.” Hassan Sentamu, who was 17 at the time, is accused of repeatedly stabbing 15-year-old Elianne in Croydon, south London, in September of the previous year. This occurred after she retrieved a bag from him, following his refusal to return his former girlfriend’s teddy bear. Mr. Sentamu, now 18, has admitted to manslaughter but denies the charge of murder, citing diminished responsibility due to his autism. During the proceedings at the Old Bailey, a police interview with one of Mr. Sentamu’s friends was presented. The friend described him as being “misguided and misled” and stated that he had spent time in foster care. The friend, whose identity is protected by law due to his age, recounted taking Mr. Sentamu to his church to “give him a better understanding of things.” He also mentioned an occasion when he had to escort Mr. Sentamu home after an argument with other church members. The court had previously heard that the boys, along with a group of girls including Elianne, had arranged to meet on the morning of the attack. The purpose was for Mr. Sentamu and his ex-girlfriend to exchange their belongings, but the defendant arrived without any items to exchange. His friend informed police that Mr. Sentamu had been wearing black cotton gloves, with blue latex gloves underneath, but the friend had initially thought it might just be “a fashion sense.” He explained to officers, “It’s a look that guys want to portray sometimes, like wear the blue gloves just to act, just to look hard or something.” The friend stated that he had witnessed Mr. Sentamu in a fist fight previously, but had no prior knowledge of him carrying a knife. “Hassan always had like issues, like anger issues,” he remarked. “When he got triggered, he could get triggered easily.” The friend further commented: “He would have this type of look in his eyes, like some type of angry look like he’s targeting someone or something, as in like he wants to go and punch them up but he doesn’t do nothing.” Earlier, the jury viewed video footage of one of Elianne’s friends, who also cannot be identified, undergoing cross-examination by Pavlos Panayi KC, representing the defence. She was questioned regarding an incident at the Whitgift shopping centre the day prior to Elianne’s attack, specifically whether she and her companions had bullied Hassan. She acknowledged that individuals had uttered “mean things,” mocked him, and thrown water at him, but she refuted claims that anyone had bullied or threatened him. Mr. Sentamu denies both the murder charge and the accusation of illegal possession of a knife, asserting he had a “lawful reason” for carrying the weapon. The judicial proceedings are ongoing.