The mugshot of murderer Hassan Sentamu has been released. The 18-year-old has been found guilty of the murder of 15-year-old Elianne Andam. The girl was killed on her way to school in Croydon in September 2023, when a row broke out over a teddy bear. Sentamu had just broken up with Elianne’s friend, and the pair were due to exchange belongings when the fight broke out and escalated.
The defendant, who declined to give evidence, claimed his autism spectrum disorder caused him to lose control, and pleaded guilty to manslaughter instead. But the jury dismissed his excuse and found him guilty of murder.
READ MORE: Hassan Sentamu found GUILTY of murder after stabbing Elianne Andam to death
Two ‘equally eminent’ forensic psychiatrists, with opposing diagnoses and views on the relevance of autism, gave evidence across four days during the second half of the trial, but Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told jurors ‘one of them must be wrong’.
The teenager, also guilty of knife possession, is due to be sentenced on March 13.
Mrs Justice-Cheema Grubb told Sentamu: “I understand you must be very shocked. It will take a while to get used to what has happened. I am not going to sentence you today. In the meantime, you will have the opportunity to speak to someone independent from the probation service to tell them what’s on your mind.”