| Murder of Elianne Andam | |
|---|---|
| Location | Croydon, London |
| Date | 27 September 2023 |
Attack type | Stabbing, |
| Weapons | Knife |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Victims | Elianne Andam |
| Convicted | Hassan Sentamu |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Convictions | Murder |
| Charges | Murder (initially pleaded guilty to manslaughter) |
Elianne Andam was a 15-year-old British girl who was stabbed to death in London in September 2023. Her 17-year-old killer, Hassan Sentamu, was convicted of murder, and given a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years in prison.
Elianne Andam was stabbed near the Whitgift Centre in Croydon in the morning of 27 September 2023. Hassan Sentamu had gone there to meet an ex-girlfriend, having promised to return personal items to her, but had armed himself with a knife in advance of the meeting. [1] Andam was there to support her friend, and helped her grab a bag of clothes from Sentamu, at which point he stabbed Andam to death. [2] The murder was recorded on CCTV, and Sentamu was arrested shortly afterwards. [1]
Sentamu pleaded guilty to manslaughter, with his lawyers claiming he had diminished responsibility on the grounds that he had reduced decision-making capacity because of autism, but this argument was rejected by the jury, who convicted him of murder rather than manslaughter. [2] [3] [4]
Andam was a pupil at the Old Palace of John Whitgift School. [5] She was described as much-loved and talented, and had aspired to be a human rights lawyer. [6]
A memorial mural to honour her life was created near the location of her death. [7] [8] [9]
Andam's killing has been cited as an example of an epidemic of violence against women and girls. [10] [11] Death statistics have been cited that show femicide, including Andam's case, is disproportionately affecting Black women. [12] [13]
Her murder was mentioned as one of several killings that inspired Stephen Graham to create the Netflix TV drama series Adolescence , which explores the motivations behind extreme acts of violence against girls by young boys. However, the story is not based on any particular incident, according to co-creator Jack Thorne. [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
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