Teen jailed for 23 years for killing Elianne Andam, 15, over teddy bear at bus stop

A teenager who stabbed 15-year-old Elianne Andam to death has been jailed for a minimum term of 23 years.

Elianne was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife at a bus stop in Croydon, south London, on September 27, 2023, over an innocent ‘joke.’

Now, the agonising wait for her loved ones to see her killer Hassan Sentamu behind bars has concluded after the 18-year-old was sentenced.

Elianne’s mother paid tribute to the ‘kindest, most loving daughter’ who had dreamt of becoming a human rights lawyer.

Elianne, 15, who loved singing and dancing, was killed when she accompanied a friend to pick up her things after a split (Picture: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)

Elianne’s father, Michael Andam, said the ‘violent’ loss of their ‘bright light’ left a ‘gaping wound.’

Dorcas Andam said Elianne was ‘vibrant, creative, and purposeful’ and that she would have gone to do ‘the greatest things’ in life.

She said: ‘Now the music has stopped, the laughter is gone. All that remains is a deafening silence.’

Turning to address Sentamu, she said he had ruined her life when he murdered Elianne in the most ‘deliberate,’ ‘senseless’ and ‘evil’ way.

Elianne’s dad said: ‘I could not protect her, that guilt will weigh on my heart for the rest of my life.’ (Picture: Central News/Web Collect)

The girl’s heartbroken cousin, Denzil Larbi, said at the sentencing today that the pair shared a love of rap music and that her murder was a ‘living nightmare.’

Larbi said: ‘What you did is the most monstrous, evil act imaginable.

‘You did not just take a life, you shattered so many others.

‘To see a 15-year-old lying in a mortuary is something no family should have to endure. People say time is the greatest healer. I cannot see how time will ever heal this kind of wound. Time will never bring her back.

‘She was only 15. She should still be here.’

How Elianne was attacked at the Croydon bus stop

Sentamu, from New Addington near Croydon, attacked Elianne when she had joined a friend to support her as she and Sentamu swapped their belongings following a break-up.

But Elianne’s life ended prematurely when Sentamu – who has a history of violence against women and girls – attacked her with the knife in front of schoolchildren in ‘white hot’ rage, the court heard previously.

In the days leading up to the attack, Sentamu had initiated the break-up with Elianne’s friend. The pair met him the day before at the Whitgift Centre where they ‘teased’ him and his ex-girlfriend splashed water on him.

Hassan Sentamu was seen running away from the murder scene holding a large kitchen knife (Picture: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)

Sentamu, then 17, had then armed himself with a kitchen knife, a mask and gloves after telling a friend he can’t ‘let this slide.’

Elianne’s friend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court: ‘Elianne ran behind him, grabbed the bag and started running and laughing as a joke. It was the type of thing that Elianne would have done.

‘At first I was laughing a bit because it was a joke and then I got scared because then Hassan got mad.’

The friend revealed that Sentamu had an ‘anger issue’ and the man behaved like he was a character on Netflix hit London crime drama Top Boy.

Hassan Sentamu was found guilty of Elianne’s murder in January by a majority verdict of 10 to two (Picture: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)

Sentamu chased the girl and stabbed her repeatedly while Elianne pleaded with him to stop. She suffered a more than four-inch wound to her neck.

Elianne died on the street holding the hand of a passing bus driver who stayed with her.

Sentamu was caught before he got home thanks to the children and their parents who were able to describe him despite being ‘traumatised’ of witnessing the attack.

Elianne’s uncle Kwame Boakye, 55, told Metro previously of the family’s traumatic loss: ‘At last justice has been done but it’s been a long road and the family have paid a heavy price with illness and stress.

‘The murder conviction is the correct decision. Autism can not be used as an excuse for this level of violence. Nothing will bring Elianne back and we are all still grieving.’

Bodycam footage shows the moment Sentamu was arrested an hour-and-a-half after the vicious attack on Elianne (Picture: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire)

Rapper Stormzy joined the community in remembering Elianne earlier at a candle vigil.

Elianne was commended on standing up for her friend and ‘doing what she thought was right,’ the detective leading the murder investigation said.

Sentamu was sentenced today at the Old Bailey, where he had previously admitted manslaughter, but he was found guilty of murder and carrying a blade.

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