4 days Ago By [email protected] (Callum Cuddeford)
Elianne Andam's killer said 'Do you want to end up like her, six feet under?' during an 'angry' shouting match with another prisoner while he was on remand, jurors heard. Hassan Sentamu, 18, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murdering the 15-year-old in a knife attack after she grabbed a plastic bag from him in Croydon town centre before school on September 27, 2023. On Wednesday, December 18, prosecutor Alex Chalk KC jurors Sentamu made the comment during a verbal spat with a lag at the Oakhill Secure Training Centre on October 12 2023, two weeks after killing Elianne.
The other prisoner 'repeatedly accused him of killing girls when he responded: "I'll do it again. I'll do it to your mum..
. Do you want to end up like her, six feet under? I'll do the same again." LIVE: Elianne Andam 'murder' trial day 7 updates Jurors also heard Sentamu ingested the contents of a chemically activated ice pack at the remand centre in November 2023, and, in April this year, wrote a complaint about a staff member in which he said 'I was very angry and felt like hitting her, but I have no choice but to do nothing otherwise I would be shipped'.
Reading the agreed facts, Mr Chalk said Sentamu's foster carer said his temper would quickly escalate and when he did not get his way he would threaten to harm the cat or chop off its tail. She also said he had expressed a wish to kill himself, on one occasion drank shower gel, and attempted to get a knife from the kitchen, jurors were told. You can receive updates sent directly to your phone on the murder trial here .
For more information on signing up for updates, click here . Sentamu 'abused' at Ugandan boarding school Sentamu was born in Uganda in 2006, but moved to the UK with his mother three years later after allegations of domestic violence against his dad, the court heard. In January 2018, aged 11, he was sent to a boarding school in Uganda, but injured himself falling down the stairs while fleeing staff and returned to the UK in April the same year.
The injury required surgery and he also reported he had been 'physically abused and chastised' and 'beaten with a metal pole'. At a primary school in the UK he was referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), with the referral noting self-harm behaviours and violence against other children. After joining secondary school in late 2018, he brought a knife to school and pointed at his chest and said he wanted to kill himself.
He was cautioned by police over this incident. 'Disruptive and aggressive' behaviour Between February 2019 and December 2021 he was put in foster care. A social worker found him home alone aged 12, and his mother packed a bag the next day saying he was beyond her control.
She denied Sentamu's allegations that she 'attempted to strangle and beat him', jurors heard, but said she felt unable to manage his game console time and that he was 'often angry'. He was excluded and sent to a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) after threatening a pupil with a knife during a school trip in March 2019. He explained he felt the teacher was not helping so he 'dealt with it himself'.
At the PRU teachers reported 'disruptive and aggressive' behaviour which included slapping a teacher's hand, spitting at staff, and punching another student. After joining a mainstream school in May 2019 he reacted to perceived insults from another student by grabbing a pair of scissors and announcing he would stab them. He was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) a few months later.
At the same school in December 2019 he put a student in a headlock and dropped her to the floor, repeating this a week later with another female student. He was moved to a SEN school in September 2020 where he 'continued to struggle with his temper' and in May 2021 a care plan was undertaken to assess his difficulties. In December 2021 he returned to live with his mum and sisters, but a year later she called police to say he had become angry and locked himself in the room, covering the walls in washing up liquid.
'Every day I contemplate suicide' Mr Chalk also read extracts from Snapchat messages where Sentamu expressed suicidal ideations. "Sometimes I just think to myself am I really good enough, am I worthy enough to live or to even have people around me sometimes," he wrote, "I walk outside with a smile on my face but inside I feel as if I can't even live anymore every day I contemplate suicide it gets harder every single day to live for another day sometimes I just don't want to wake up..
." Later in the message he wrote: “One day I won’t be here anymore and not for any natural deaths either I really don’t think I will make it past 20 years old.There’s always a empty hole in stomach asking for more asking for something just to put me at ease.
I look at my kitchen knives every night wondering if I should just end my misery now or live another day to see the ones I love...
” Defence counsel Pavlos Panayi KC told jurors Sentamu will not give evidence during the trial. He denies murder on the basis his responsibility was diminished due to autism, while claiming he had 'lawful' reasons for carrying a knife. Jurors have been told they will hear psychiatric evidence to help them reach their decision in January 2025.
The trial under Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb continues. Got a tip, a court date, or some gossip? Please email callum.cuddeford@reachplc.
com or WhatsApp 07580255582. Don't miss out on the latest crime stories from across London. Sign up to MyLondon's Court & Crime newsletter HERE You don't have to suffer in silence if you're struggling with your mental health.
Here are some groups you can contact when you need help. Samaritans : Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email [email protected] in confidence Childline : Phone 0800 1111.
Calls are free and won't show up on your bill PAPYRUS : For teens and young adults. Phone 0800 068 4141 Depression Alliance : The charity offers useful resources for people struggling. Students Against Depression : For students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): Phone 0800 58 58 58. For young men who are feeling unhappy. James' Place : Offering life-saving treatment to suicidal men in London and surrounding area.
For information on your local NHS urgent mental health helpline, visit here.
