Court Hears Attacker Showed “No Mercy” Towards Elianne Andam

The Old Bailey heard that a teenage boy, who fatally stabbed schoolgirl Elianne Andam a minimum of 10 times, displayed “no mercy.” Hassan Sentamu, aged 17 at the time, assaulted the 15-year-old victim outside a retail complex in Croydon, south London. This occurred after he declined to return a teddy bear owned by Elianne’s friend, from whom he had separated 10 days earlier. The court was informed that when Elianne took a bag containing his clothes in support of her friend, Mr Sentamu pursued her, drew a knife, and inflicted multiple stab wounds. Mr Sentamu, currently 18 years old, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but refutes the charge of murder, asserting that his culpability was reduced because of his autism. During a police interview presented in court, another friend of Elianne testified that Mr Sentamu had appeared on the morning of 27 September 2023 to rendezvous with the girls, equipped with gloves and a disposable black mask. This friend stated that Elianne was laughing and smiling as she seized the bag from him, prior to the assault. She recounted, “I saw him punching her, and then I realised he’s stabbing her.” Elianne’s friend reported shouting: “Oh my God, he’s got a knife.” In her description of the incident, the friend remarked that Mr Sentamu “had no mercy.” The identities of the young witnesses cannot be disclosed due to their age. Previously, the jury viewed video evidence of Mr Sentamu’s former girlfriend undergoing cross-examination by Pavlos Panayi KC, representing the defence. She conceded that Mr Sentamu had been “loving” and “kind” in his role as a boyfriend, but acknowledged that he had lost his temper and used expletives towards her in messages, causing her to feel “hurt” and “very mad.” He had communicated with his former girlfriend via Skype, informing her, “ur energy is dead I’m not ready for a relationship.” She recalled Elianne and her friends advising her that she was “too nice” and that she “shouldn’t let him speak to her like that.” The court was presented with CCTV footage and a Snapchat video depicting a group of girls, among them Elianne and Mr Sentamu’s ex-girlfriend, encountering him and a friend at the Whitgift Centre in Croydon on the day preceding the assault. Mr Sentamu’s former girlfriend stated her desire for an apology from him, adding that the atmosphere between her friends and the defendant was “agitated,” and they had mocked his appearance before dousing him with water. However, she denied overhearing anyone issue threats against him. When questioned about whether she had overheard her friends threatening to throw acid on him or visit his residence, she responded negatively. She testified that in the instant before Elianne seized the bag, Mr Sentamu did not appear frightened; instead, he seemed “very unbothered.” Mr Sentamu, a sports science student at Croydon College, also contests a charge of unlawful knife possession, asserting he possessed a “lawful reason” for carrying the weapon. The proceedings are ongoing.