Elianne Andam: 'Croydon is full of angry boys like Hassan Sentamu'

BBC News

13-03-2025

Denzil Larbi had just got off a flight and was looking at the messages on his phone when he received a call from his sister. She had the worst kind of news. His beloved cousin Elianne had been stabbed to death."I picked up to my sister, and she told me that Elianne is dead. I remember I just froze. Me and my wife just stood there, weeping."Minutes earlier, he had seen that an unnamed 15-year-old girl had been stabbed to death on her way to school in Croydon, south London. "I remember I just paused and really felt for the family, you know, what they must be going through."But as it turned out, that family was his family.
As senior pastor at West Croydon Baptist Church, Rev Larbi knew all too well about the fear of knife crime experienced by many in the borough.But the murder of his young cousin, repeatedly stabbed outside the Westfield shopping centre in front of other children, shoppers and commuters, was nonetheless extremely difficult to try to come to terms with.Elianne was born into a large and loving family, a much longed-for "miracle baby," Rev Larbi tells me, after his aunt and uncle had struggled to have children. "I always wanted a younger sister," he smiles. "I used to babysit and take her to school, and pick her up at times when her parents were working. She was very joyful, very funny, very cheeky. She was just a bundle of joy."They bonded over their shared love of music, and through their Christian faith. Elianne loved singing and dancing, and dreamed of becoming a human rights lawyer, Rev Larbi says.
Her teachers at the Old Palace of John Whitgift School, a selective girls' school, remember Elianne as artistic and creative and devoted to her close group of friends. "They were thick as thieves," explains Harsha Evangeli, who taught the teenager art. "They could all rely on each other and they all had each other's backs."Pastoral leader Michele Smith tells me that the final time she saw Elianne was on a Tuesday afternoon, as she left her classroom. "The last words she said to me were, 'thank you Mrs Smith'."
The following morning, on Wednesday 27 September 2023, Elianne was repeatedly stabbed with a kitchen knife by 17-year-old Hassan Sentamu, who was the ex-boyfriend of one of her friends.Sentamu, who admitted killing Elianne, has been ordered to spend at least 23 years in prison for her murder, after his defence - that his autism meant he had diminished responsibility - was rejected by an Old Bailey jury.
Jurors had heard how Elianne agreed to go along with her friend, and two other friends, to meet him ahead of school, so the former couple could exchange their belongings, among them a teddy bear.But when Sentamu turned up empty-handed, Elianne - anxious that they would be late for school and eager to stand up for her friend - snatched back the bag that had been handed to Sentamu.
'Sense of comfort'
CCTV footage shows her running and laughing as she seized the bag."One of the last moments that we see Elianne alive, she's smiling as she grabs the bag," says Det Ch Insp Becky Woodsford, who led the investigation for the Metropolitan Police."This was no malice, this was her trying to do what's right, and get to school on time."Sentamu took out a kitchen knife, chased after Elianne, and repeatedly stabbed her.
"Hearing that it was pretty much over a teddy bear, it was like, 'wow'," Rev Larbi tells me. "This amazing young beautiful girl, who had a bright future, parents have invested so much into her, gone in seconds, for this reason."During the weeks of painful evidence at the Old Bailey murder trial, the court heard from a bus driver who explained how he had tried to give first aid to Elianne, promising that he would not leave her side.Rev Larbi says the family have been able to meet him to express their thanks."I remember that bringing me a great sense of sadness, but also comfort, to know that someone from the community of Croydon really comforted her in her last breath."
The family found strength in the outpouring of support. Roads were closed to allow crowds to gather for a vigil to Elianne, while cards and flowers were sent from all over the world."To see the the community really support us in our most difficult time was so beautiful to see," says Rev Larbi."We had over 800 people at the funeral, and people standing outside, and like, wow, this is really honouring to her."
'He was looking for revenge'
The Old Bailey heard that on the morning Sentamu killed Elianne, she and her group had teased him and thrown water over him in an attempt to get him to apologise to his ex-girlfriend.Jurors were also told that the day before, the teenager had told a friend he felt there had been disrespect shown to him by Elianne and her group.The court heard that Sentamu had called the friend and told him: "I can't let this slide.""We knew exactly what that meant," Rev Larbi tells me. "We knew it meant he's going to bring some sort of harm."I honestly believe if it wasn't Elianne it would have been someone else, and so yeah, he was looking to bring some sort of revenge that day."
In an impact statement read out to the Old Bailey at Sentamu's sentencing, Elianne's mother Dorcas Andam said: "I feel the wait of her absence in every corner of my life. No 16th birthday, no prom, I will never see her walk down the aisle."My world almost stopped. She'd a beautiful mind, heart and soul... He killed my identity as a mother of two, killed me financially, socially, killed my future."The trial had heard that Sentamu, who had spent time in foster care, had a history of aggression towards other children, and had brought a knife into class at the age of 12, threatening to harm himself.
'I wonder if she could still be here'
Although Rev Larbi tells me he is angry with Sentamu, he has also been questioning whether more could have been done to prevent Elianne's murder. "What would have happened if maybe another male took him by the hand and maybe invested in him and mentored him?"Or if other organisations really took him by the reins and said: 'Yes, we recognise you're struggling here, we're here to listen.'"I really wonder if maybe my cousin would still be here."
Croydon Council has said there are no plans for a serious case review.Rev Larbi says Elianne's family hope to work with schools to talk to young people about the dangers of carrying a knife."There are many Hassans just walking around Croydon. Young boys who are angry, young boys who are lost, young boys that want to be listened to."But I do believe there are great people in our community, great organisations who are in place who can really help and support these young people."
'I hope people stop and think'
On the first anniversary of Elianne's murder, her family unveiled a mural at the spot where she died.Decorated with personal messages from those who loved her, it shows a beaming Elianne, her hair worn in her favourite pom-pom style."That mural is beautiful, because it really does reflect Elianne," Rev Larbi says. "And hopefully it's a reminder, as people walk and drive through one of the most busy parts of Croydon, to just stop and think about the impact knife crime has on this community."