Teenager found guilty of murdering 15-year-old girl in Croydon
Elianne Andam was killed in September 2023
A teenager from Croydon has been found guilty of the murder of a school girl in September 2023.
Hassan Sentamu, who was 17 at the time, stabbed 15-year-old Elianne Andam after Setnamu and his ex girlfriend had a disagreement following a break-up.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter through diminished responsibility due to his autism, however, the prosecution pushed for a trial for murder.
An argument over swapping possessions
The court heard how Sentamu stabbed Elianne at the Whitgift shopping centre in Croydon on the 26th of September 2023 after she grabbed a bag of items from him.
At the time, Setamu had ended his relationship with Elianne's friend and had arranged to swap items at the shopping centre that morning.
At the meet up, Sentamu said he didn't have the items to trade for his things. In a social media video shown to court in the minutes before the stabbing, Elianne can be seen saying her friend was being taken for a 'mug'.
The court was then told she grabbed a bag of Hassan Sentamu's items from him and began to run away whilst laughing.
Hassan Sentamu then chased after Elianne and, as the prosecution described, cornered, caught and stabbed Elianne a number of times before fleeing.
Witnesses told the court Elianne fell to the floor and members of the public and police officers began to give her CPR until an ambulance arrived. Elianne was then declared dead at the scene.
Hassan Sentamu was arrested within 90 minutes after the stabbing when a police officer stopped the bus he was travelling in New Addigton.
Sentamu pleaded not guilty to murder at the Old Bailey, but guilty to manslaughter through diminished responsibility due to his autism.