Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Hassan Sentamu, 18-years-old, sentenced for life imprisonment with a 23-year term for stabbing Croydon girl, Elianne Andam, delivering justice for the family.
This comes after he was found guilty of Elianne’s murder following a trial that ended on January 16.
Within ninety minutes following Elianne’s murder, Sentamu was taken into custody after he peacefully returned home on a bus. Since then, he has stayed in detention.
Detectives labored day and night after Sentamu’s arrest to develop a case against him, meticulously going over hours of CCTV footage before obtaining 45 hours of it as evidence.
This allowed them to chart his activities before Elianne was killed and after he left the scene, throwing away the knife he had used to murder her.
Victim impact statements were read out on Elianne’s parents’ behalf at the sentencing. The following quotes are derived from those statements: “Elianne was my world, my long-awaited prayer answered.” I couldn’t have hoped for a more lovely and kind daughter than her.
She was energetic, imaginative, and driven. She had a strong love for singing, dancing, and braiding hair. She was constantly trying out new looks on me, her friends, and herself. Her energy, laughter, and music filled our house.
Because Elianne was there, there was always warmth and happiness. She always made life worthwhile and lived it to the fullest. The music has stopped now, though. There is no longer any laughter.
There is nothing left but a deafening stillness, a horrible, hollow emptiness that permeates every aspect of my life.
“My daughter was more than just a victim of a horrific crime. She was a beautiful soul — full of dreams, laughter, and love. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend — a bright light in all of our lives. Her absence is a gaping wound that will never heal.
Every morning, I wake up to the crushing reality that she is gone. I no longer hear her voice, feel her warm embrace, or see her radiant smile. The silence in our home is deafening.”
Detective Chief Inspector Becky Woodsford, who led the investigation, said:
“Today marks the end of a very long journey for Elianne’s family and friends, and while this is the best outcome they could have hoped for, nothing will ease the immeasurable pain they continue to live with on a daily basis.
Since Elianne was taken from them in the most incomprehensible way, they have been driven by a motivation to see her killer brought to justice.
Getting to this point has been challenging for them, and I would like to pay testament to their continued dignity, determination and composure.”
He added that in the moments before her death, Elianne was laughing and smiling, completely oblivious to Sentamu’s rage and the events that were about to unfold.
She was simply standing up for her friend – doing what she thought was right. And this, it seems, was Elianne through and through. Someone who felt very strongly about right and wrong and was always there to support her friends.
His team worked tirelessly with our colleagues from the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure we presented the strongest possible case at court.
This involved analysing hours of CCTV footage to piece together Sentamu’s movements before, during and after the incident – enabling us to establish where he had dumped the murder weapon which he was quickly forensically linked to.
They may never know exactly what motivated Sentamu to carry out such an unspeakable act of violence in broad daylight and witnessed by horrified onlookers.
But the actions he took in those split seconds robbed Elianne of her future and left a family and community grieving an unimaginable loss. It’s clear Sentamu is a dangerous and unpredictable individual and he is relieved he will remain behind bars for a significant period of time.
Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain, responsible for policing in Croydon, said:
“Elianne’s murder was met with a collective sense of shock and outrage, and I know this outcome will impact many.
In the days and weeks that followed this dreadful incident, I was humbled by the response from the wider Croydon community to support Elianne’s loved ones and the police investigation.
It was a real example of a community uniting in the face of awful tragedy, and we stand together now as we did then.”
Elianne was popular with a bright future ahead of her. It’s clear from the messages left at the scene and the hundreds who attended a candlelit vigil held in her honour that she was loved by many, and he knows her loss remains felt by us all.
So it’s particularly special that the mural unveiled in Croydon last year now stands as a permanent reminder of Elianne’s life and memory.
This was an incident that affected even experienced officers, but he is proud of how my colleagues responded that day – from those first on scene who gave Elianne emergency first aid, to the swift action taken to urgently circulate Hassan’s details, and finally the eagle-eyed officer who spotted him getting off the bus and moved in to arrest him.
Elianne’s acquaintance had made plans to visit Sentamu just hours before Elianne was murdered on September 27, 2023. The two had just ended a romance and decided to get together to trade things, including a teddy bear, that they had traded while dating.
Although the friend gave Sentamu back his belongings, he broke the deal and showed up to the meeting with nothing.
Elianne tried to retrieve her belongings by following her companion while she interacted with Sentamu. Elianne hurried up behind Sentamu and retrieved the bag of things that had been given back to him as the party headed along Wellesley Road.
Sentamu grabbed a knife from his waistband and started chasing.
He quickly caught up to Elianne and stabbed her several times, including once in her neck, which was the final wound. When Elianne fell to the ground, onlookers provided her with emergency care while they waited for emergency personnel to arrive, who did so in a matter of minutes.
Sentamu, meantime, took off right away, running along George Street toward East Croydon Station and then onto Cedar Road, where he was observed throwing the knife into the front yard of an unidentified house.
He then caught a Route 130 bus and changed to a 64, following his customary route home.
A local police saw him when he got off the bus at Goldcrest Way and took him into custody right away. Officers at the crime scene were able to rapidly identify Sentamu due to witnesses, and a manhunt was immediately started.
When the arresting officer saw that Sentamu fit the suspect’s description, he took prompt action.
Hassan was seen trying to give a bogus identity of “John” and denying any involvement in the event on body-worn video taken during the arrest.
His composed demeanor in the face of what he had just done stood out on the video. During their conversation, the officer learned of Elianne’s tragic death, which he shared with Sentamu. His manner remained unchanged.
After being arrested, Sentamu conducted a mostly silent interview, with the exception of giving a fictitious address for the knife and saying “no” when asked if he wanted to speak to Elianne’s family.
A matching set of knives was discovered in a cupboard beneath the kitchen sink during a search of Sentamu’s residence.
There was one knife missing. Later, detectives were able to verify that Elianne was killed with this missing knife using both a visual match and DNA evidence.
Sentamu has never given an explanation for why he walked out that day with a mask, black gloves, and that knife. But the court heard that he had been concerned with whether an incident the day before, in which a group of ladies, including Elianne, threw water at him, had made him appear like a “fool”—texting a buddy, “Bro, I can’t let this slide.”
Citing his autism as a mitigating factor for the attack on Elianne, Sentamu entered a guilty plea to manslaughter on the grounds of reduced responsibility during a hearing on March 14, 2024. Throughout his murder trial, he persisted in making this claim.
What measures are in place to prevent similar incidents in the future?
To find possible risks and analyze their impact and possibility, do comprehensive risk assessments. This aids in setting priorities for resource allocation and improvement areas.
Create and put into place efficient control methods to lessen hazards that have been identified. This can involve administrative controls, equipment upkeep, and safety procedures.
Employees should receive thorough instruction on incident response, risk assessment, and safety protocols. Staff members are kept up to date on the most recent safety regulations through regular retraining courses.
Investigate situations thoroughly in order to find the underlying reasons as opposed to only the symptoms at the time. This aids in creating focused remedial measures to stop recurrence.