Teenager ‘caught with blood on thumb minutes after stabbing Elianne Andam to death’
Hassan Sentamu lashed out with kitchen knife in row over teddy bear, murder trial told
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A teenager was caught with blood on his thumb less than an hour-and-a-half after he stabbed 15-year-old Elianne Andam to death in a row over a teddy bear, a court has heard.
Hassan Sentamu, 18, had lashed out with a kitchen knife after refusing to hand back belongings of Elianne’s friend, whom he had split up with 10 days before, the Old Bailey previously heard.
The 18-year-old repeatedly stabbed Elianne outside the Whitgift Centre in central Croydon, south London, then fled the scene on the morning of last 27 September, jurors were told.
Sentamu dumped the blade with Elianne’s DNA on it in nearby Cedar Road and took the number 64 bus towards his home in New Addington, the court heard on Tuesday.
Pc Peter Nolan said he was at the police station when he heard a young woman had been stabbed and a colleague relayed details of the suspect.
Sentamu, then aged 17, was described as wearing a “distinctive” multi-coloured “Trapstar” hooded top and was believed at the time to be the boyfriend or ex-boyfriend of the victim, Pc Nolan said.
Giving evidence on Tuesday, Pc Nolan jurors: “While driving along King Henry’s Drive I saw a 64 bus from Croydon so I decided to stop the bus and see if anyone matched the description on the bus.”
Pc Nolan’s body worn video captured the exchange as he detained Sentamu.
Asked his name, the defendant said he was called “John” before he handed over his Oyster card with his real identity on it.
The defendant asked why, when the officer told him to put his hands behind his back.
The officer then called for “urgent assistance”, informing the defendant: “You are under arrest on suspicion of GBH, stabbing your girlfriend. Where’s the knife? Where’s the knife?”
Pc Nolan told jurors: “All I knew is that a young girl had been stabbed and the officers were doing what they could to keep her alive.
“One of the officers that turned up said to me the female had sadly passed away and it was now murder.”
Prosecutor Alex Chalk KC asked the witness if he noticed anything about the teenager he had detained.
The officer replied: “I believed what I saw was a smear of blood on his thumb.”
He told jurors he called for evidence bags to put over the handcuffed suspect’s hands before he was put in a van and taken into custody.
In a video interview played in court, Sentamu’s ex-girlfriend told police she realised something was wrong when he turned up for an exchange of their belongings wearing gloves and a mask.
Describing the confrontation, she told officers: “I said ‘where are you going. Well, where’s my things?’ And he was like ‘look I don’t want to hurt you’.”
The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said she was annoyed and wanted to get to school so her friend Elianne had grabbed his things.
“He then lifted up his hoodie quick, pulled out something and I saw a big knife.
“And I turned around for one second then I saw her on the floor like trying to say stop basically with her hand out. He was there like over her bending.”
When she turned around again, Sentamu was gone and she ran as passengers at a nearby bus stop began “shouting and screaming”, she said.
Earlier, Pc Alex Smith described the “scene of chaos” when he arrived outside the Whitgift shopping centre on Wellesley Road.
He told jurors: “There were people screaming, shouting, people running away. I knew a serious incident had occurred.”
He grabbed a first aid kit and took over chest compressions on Elianne, who was not breathing.
Pc Ben Carter arrived soon after and used a bandage to apply pressure to Elianne’s neck wound.
He told jurors: “Next to Elianne there was a school bag. Inside was a school planner that had her name on it and that was how we were able to identify her.”
Despite the efforts of members of the public and the officers, Elianne was pronounced dead at the scene at 9.21am.
Jurors watched CCTV footage of the incident in which Elianne was fatally stabbed and images of the defendant running away.
Moments before, Elianne appeared to be caught up in the drama when she recorded a short video clip on Snapchat.
Sentamu, who was studying sports science at Croydon College, has admitted manslaughter but denied Elianne’s murder on the basis of “loss of control” because he has autism.
He denies a charge of having a blade, claiming he had a “lawful reason” for carrying it.
The Old Bailey trial before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb continues.