Days before Hassan Sentamu stabbed his ex’s friend, Elianne Andam, to death, he sent his former girlfriend a string of text messages threatening to not return her teddy bear
Hassan Sentamu broke up with his girlfriend by text just days before he stabbed her friend, Elianne Andam.
The teenager, 18, made the “calculated decision” to arm himself with a kitchen knife when he went to meet his ex-girlfriend – who cannot be named – to exchange belongings after their break-up, a murder trial heard today. When he turned up empty-handed, her friend, Elianne, challenged him and he brutally retaliated with a blade.
Elianne was “aggrieved” on her friend’s behalf after Sentamu failed to return a teddy bear his ex had asked him to give back. The schoolgirl, 15, grabbed a plastic bag Sentamu had been given, which contained his possessions, and ran. Then he “drove the 12cm knife deep into her neck”, and Elianne tragically died at the scene.
Prosecutor Alex Chalk KC told jurors at the Old Bailey today: “It was a gesture of solidarity… that cost Elianne her life. The defendant chased after her, cornered her, and used the kitchen knife to stab her repeatedly. He drove the knife 12cm deep into her neck severing the carotid artery and causing injuries that were unsurvivable.
“Despite the rapid arrival of the emergency services and intensive efforts over the course of nearly an hour, Elianne died at the scene. She was 15 years old.”
Around 10 days before the killing, Sentamu broke up with his girlfriend by text. He told her in a message: “Ur energy is dead I’m not rdy for a relationship…all the best (sic).” When she asked for her teddy bear back, he replied: “You can collect your ting on Wednesday before skl I’m gonna need my s**t tho from the clothes to the pillows and flowers (sic).”
He appeared to become increasingly impatient, telling her: “Ur wasting my time do you want your thingy or not? If everything isn’t in the bag your not gonna get your dumb little bear. (sic).” The court heard the girl had reported back to her friends, with Elianne commenting: “He’s so rude.”
Graphic CCTV footage from passing buses was shown to the jury. In a series of clips, Elianne can be seen “falling to the floor and trying to get away from Sentamu”, the court was told. Mr Chalk KC said Elianne can be seen “on her knees, with her hands towards another person. That person is Hassan”.
He said: “Elianne struggled to her feet. Hassan is seen running away from the scene and in his right hand is an object. That’s the kitchen knife.” Sentamu fled the scene around 8.30am on September 27, 2023, and disposed of the knife. He was arrested at a bus stop near his home by officers less than 90 minutes later.
Sentamu, from Croydon, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after he accepted inflicting the fatal knife wound. However, he has denied murder and possession of a blade in a public place. He claims he has a defence to murder on the basis that he has autism, diagnosed in 2020. The trial, expected to run until January 17, continues.
