A teenager on trial for murder told a fellow inmate he would “do it again” after being accused of killing girls, a court has heard.
Hassan Sentamu, 18, allegedly murdered 15-year-old Elianne Andam, who was fatally stabbed in the neck during a row over a teddy bear outside a shopping centre in south London in September 2023.
A month after Elianne’s knife death, Sentamu got into a row with a fellow inmate in youth custody, jurors were told.
When he was accused of killing girls, Sentamu responded by saying: “I’ll do it again. I’ll do it to your mum,” the Old Bailey heard.
Sentamu, who was 17 at the time of the attack outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon on 27 September 2023, 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 told the court on Friday that his case was built on “flimsy foundations”.
There was no evidence that autism caused Sentamu to lash out in “frenzied murderous violence”, prosecutor Alex Chalk KC said, but instead, he was annoyed over “an earlier incident of perceived disrespect”.
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Mr Chalk said: “He was angry on 27 September, 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.”
Defence barrister Pavlos Panayi KC said there were “two sides of the coin” as he set out Sentamu’s case.
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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.
Sentamu, who was studying sports science at Croydon College, has admitted manslaughter but denies Elianne’s murder and having a blade.
The trial continues.
