An "evil" teenager has been jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Elianne Andam in Croydon, southeast London.
Uganda-born Hassan Sentamu, 18, will serve a minimum of 23 years for stabbing the schoolgirl to death in a row over a teddy bear outside Croydon's Whitgift Centre on September 27, 2023.
Sentamu had admitted manslaughter - but was found guilty of murder after a jury rejected his claim that autism affected his ability to exercise self-control.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb described Elianne, an aspiring lawyer, as a "hard-working, happy girl" with a "radiant smile".
A handout image of Elianne Andam from the Metropolitan PoliceMETROPOLITAN POLICEThe court heard that Sentamu lashed out in "white hot" rage after a planned meeting to exchange his ex-girlfriend's teddy bear for his clothes.
Elianne had stood up for her friend when Sentamu arrived without the bear, grabbed his bag of belongings and ran off "laughing as a joke".
The enraged Sentamu chased her and repeatedly stabbed her as she lay on the ground, despite her pleas to stop.
He had prepared for the confrontation by arming himself with a kitchen knife and wearing a mask and gloves.
Elianne suffered a fatal 12cm deep stab to the neck.
'EVIL' HASSAN SENTAMU JAILED - READ THE FULL STORY:
Hassan Sentamu was found guilty of murder after a jury rejected his claim that autism affected his ability to exercise self-control
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A passing bus driver held her hand as she lay dying in the street.
Her mother Dorcas Andam told the court: "Elianne was my world, she was the kindest most loving daughter I could have asked for."
"You brutally murdered her in the most humiliating way in broad daylight," she said directly to Sentamu.
Her father Michael Andam spoke of being tormented by thoughts of his daughter's final moments.
"I close my eyes and see the horror of what she must have endured - the fear, the pain - and it breaks me over and over again," he said.
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PICTURED: The scene outside Croydon's Whitgift Centre after Andam's murder
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While a cousin, Denzil Larbi, told the murderer: "What you did was the most monstrous and evil act that is imaginable."
The court heard Sentamu had a history of violence before killing Elianne - aged just 12, he received a police caution for producing a knife in school.
His violent behaviour included putting girls in headlocks and threatening to harm a foster carer's cat.
A month after Elianne's death, Sentamu threatened a fellow inmate who accused him of killing girls.
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?"
In mitigation, his defence counsel Pavlos Panayi KC said Sentamu's "violent streak" stemmed from "his lived experiences from when he was a little boy."
