Elianne's friends joked teen would kill - court

The day before a teenage boy fatally stabbed 15-year-old Elianne Andam, her friends had joked that he would kill them all, the Old Bailey has heard.

Hassan Sentamu, then 17, attacked the schoolgirl in Croydon on 27 September 2023 after refusing to hand back her friend's teddy bear following their recent breakup.

When Elianne grabbed a bag of his clothes in solidarity with her friend, Mr Sentamu chased after her, produced a knife and repeatedly stabbed her, the Old Bailey heard.

Mr Sentamu, now 18, admits manslaughter but denies murder on the basis his responsibility was diminished due to his autism.

Prosecutor Alex Chalk KC previously told the jury that the defendant had stabbed Elianne "in a fit of white hot anger" because he saw her actions, and the behaviour of the girls the day before the attack, as disrespectful towards him.

In a police interview that was played to the court, another girl, who was friends with Elianne, explained that the group had met Mr Sentamu, and one of his friends, at the Whitgift shopping centre in Croydon the previous afternoon.

None of the young witnesses can be named for legal reasons because of their age.

She said that the girls had wanted Mr Sentamu to apologise to his ex-girlfriend, after she told them about how he had shouted and sworn at her.

The court heard that the girls had teased Mr Sentamu over his appearance, and thrown water over him, but he did not react, which she found "scary".

She said that Mr Sentamu's friend had kept on saying that he was "crazy".

"He said multiple times that Hassan's an odd character, like he does, he acts irrationally, he's got anger issues, all of that," she said.

She told police that the girls had felt scared about the meeting that was arranged for the following morning for Mr Sentamu and his ex-girlfriend to exchange belongings, and had shared messages that evening over Snapchat.

"We were just coming up with a different conspiracies, what if he's building up his anger, but then tomorrow he's just gonna come and kill us all? Like we were making jokes out of it," she said.

The court was then played a later police interview with the girl, where she was asked about a Snapchat video she had recorded on a phone of the incident at the Whitgift Centre.

The footage was played to the jury, where the girls can be heard encouraging each other to throw the water over Mr Sentamu, and demanding he apologise to their friend.

Elianne was heard saying: "What if it was acid? It's not acid, but what if it was, you'd just accept it because you can't say a simple word."

Elianne's friend told police she could not remember if Mr Sentamu had threatened the girls.

She said no-one had made threats of violence or to throw acid over him.

Mr Sentamu, who was studying sports science at Croydon College, also denies a charge of illegal possession of a knife, claiming he had a "lawful reason" to be carrying it.

The trial continues.

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