Murder of Elianne Andam

Elianne Princess Nana Andam was born on 28 June 2008 to Michael and Dorcas Andam (née Dorcow). At the time of her death she was 15 years old and a Year 11 pupil at Old Palace of John Whitgift School. She was described as much-loved and talented, and had aspired to become a human rights lawyer.

On the morning of 27 September 2023, Andam was stabbed near the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, London. Earlier that day, a meeting had been arranged between Hassan Sentamu and his ex-girlfriend to exchange personal belongings, including a teddy bear. Sentamu attended the meeting without the teddy bear, having instead armed himself with a knife in advance. Andam accompanied her friend to the meeting to provide support. During the encounter, Andam took a bag of clothes that had been handed to Sentamu and ran away. Sentamu chased her and stabbed her multiple times. Andam collapsed at the scene and died from her injuries approximately 50 minutes later, at 9:21 a.m. The attack was captured on CCTV, and Sentamu was arrested later that same day.

Sentamu pleaded guilty to manslaughter, with his legal team arguing diminished responsibility due to reduced decision-making capacity associated with autism. A jury rejected this argument and convicted him of murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of twenty-three years.

Andam's death prompted significant public reaction. A candle-lit vigil was held on 4 October 2023 outside the Whitgift Shopping Centre, a week after her death, drawing thousands of attendees, many dressed in white, to pay their respects. Rapper and Croydon native Stormzy attended the vigil, standing alongside Andam's family during prayers.

Her killing has been cited as an example of violence against women and girls, with death statistics referenced showing that femicide, including cases like Andam's, disproportionately affects black women. Her death was also mentioned as one of several killings that inspired writer Stephen Graham to create the Netflix drama series Adolescence, which explores the motivations behind extreme acts of violence committed by young boys against girls. However, according to co-creator Jack Thorne, the series is not based on any particular incident.