A troubled childhood and autism are no excuse for the “frenzied” fatal stabbing of 15-year-old Elianne Andam, jurors have heard.
Hassan Sentamu, 18, is accused of attacking Elianne and plunging a kitchen knife into her neck during a row over a teddy bear outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, south London, on September 27 2023.
The defendant, who declined to give evidence, has claimed his autism spectrum disorder caused him to lose control during the meeting to exchange belongings with his ex-girlfriend, who was Elianne’s friend.
The prosecution says he flew into a rage and had no lawful excuse for having a kitchen knife, having picked it up at home after an earlier incident of perceived disrespect.
Elianne Andam, 15, was killed in September 2023 (handout/Met Police/PA)
Prosecutor Alex Chalk KC said: “He was angry on September 27, having brooded on the insult and he took the knife to the scene to reassert dominance.
“He exacted vengeance on a young girl clearly running away from him and posing no threat.”
In his closing speech on Friday, Mr Chalk said the defence had built its case on “flimsy foundations”.
There was no evidence that autism caused Sentamu to lash out in “frenzied murderous violence”, the court was told.
Mr Chalk observed: “A claim without evidence is just that, a claim. It’s easy to make but ultimately it establishes nothing and simply repeating a claim does not by some mysterious alchemy turn it into evidence.”
Previously the court has heard Uganda-born Sentamu was aged five when he came to the UK to live with his three sisters and mother who had fled domestic abuse.
When he was 11, he reported being physically abused and beaten with a metal pole after briefly attending boarding school in Uganda.
He went on to engage in a catalogue of incidents of violent and aggressive behaviour, including taking a knife to school, putting girls in a headlock, and expressing a desire to harm a cat and chop off its tail.
A month after Elianne’s death, Sentamu got into a row with a fellow inmate in youth custody, jurors have heard.
On being accused of killing girls, he responded: “I’ll do it again. I’ll do it to your mum,” the court was told.
Referring to the troubled background heard during the trial, Mr Chalk said: “We for the prosecution acknowledge with compassion that Hassan Sentamu has on any view had a difficult and disrupted childhood.
“Some of his claims that come from his mouth alone cannot be corroborated – his mother and sisters flatly deny some of the things he has said and Hassan has shown himself more than capable of dishonesty.”
The prosecutor said the teenager’s background could not sensibly be used as an “excuse” for the murder of the “defenceless” victim, who was acting in solidarity with her friend.
He pointed out that law-abiding members of society with a similarly difficult start in life might be offended at any suggestion it was a “get out or free pass”.
Mr Chalk told jurors: “Lashing out with savage violence, taking a life and shattering those of others, cannot ever be on the menu of options.”
Concluding his address, Mr Chalk told jurors: “The only verdicts in this case consistent with your oath, the evidence and, frankly, common sense are guilty.”
Defence barrister Pavlos Panayi KC said there were “two sides of the coin” as he set out Sentamu’s case.
He told jurors: “It is said the defence is built of ‘flimsy foundations’. I do not know if that has been your impression but what counsel think and their own opinion is neither here nor there.”
It was not disputed the killing was a “grotesque overreaction” to Sentamu being splashed with water during a meeting with Elianne and her friends the day before.
Mr Panayi suggested a “central issue” in the case was Sentamu’s autism history and symptoms.
He added that Sentamu’s “brutal” early life experiences were not a “get out” pass.
Sentamu, who was studying sports science at Croydon College, has admitted manslaughter but denies Elianne’s murder and having a blade.
The Old Bailey trial continues.