Murder of Elianne Andam
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 period of 23 years in prison.
The event and outcome
[edit]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]
Victim
[edit]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]
Reactions
[edit]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][2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Teenager who stabbed schoolgirl Elianne Andam to death in 'frenzied' attack in Croydon jailed for at least 23 years". Sky News. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ a b c Writer, Staff (14 March 2025). "'Her legacy will live on': Elianne Andam's family reacts to killer's 23-year minimum sentence". Voice Online. Retrieved 20 March 2025. Cite error: The named reference ":0" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Updated with sentence: Teenager found guilty of the murder of 15-year-old schoolgirl". The Crown Prosecution Service. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "Elianne Andam murder: Hassan Sentamu jailed for life". BBC News. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "One year since 'beautiful and kind' Elianne Andam was stabbed to death in Croydon". Your Local Guardian. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "'She was a miracle baby': Elianne Andam had dreams of law career, aunt tells BBC". BBC News. 16 January 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "MEMORIAL MURAL UNVEILED FOR ELIANNE ANDAM AMID CALLS TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST BLACK WOMEN | The Shade Borough". www.theshadeborough.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "Croydon: Elianne Andam mural unveiled one year on from stabbing". BBC News. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "Croydon Community Unite to Honour the Legacy of Elianne Andam". John Whitgift Foundation. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ^ Finnan, Sarah. "The horrific murder of Elianne Andam proves the patriarchy is only getting worse | IMAGE.ie". www.image.ie. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Pantony, Ali (28 September 2023). "What will it take for online incel culture to be taken seriously?". Glamour UK. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Fleary, Sinai (6 August 2024). "Black women need Black men to help stop femicide 'crisis' say campaigners". Voice Online. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "Elianne Andam: 'Sense of emotional illiteracy among men and boys'". BBC News. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Donnelly, Luke (14 March 2025). "Netflix's Adolescence inspired by true story of Croydon girl's murder". My London. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "Is 'Adolescence,' Netflix's latest hit, based on a true story? What the creator has said". TODAY.com. 17 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Hogan, Michael (17 March 2025). "'Unnervingly on-the-nose': why Adolescence is such powerful TV that it could save lives". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Perry, Kevin E G (31 March 2025). "Adolescence writer reacts to 'absurd' race-swapping theory spread by Elon Musk". The Independent. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (31 March 2025). "'Adolescence' Co-Creator Responds to Theory About Show Being "Anti-White Propaganda"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
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