A London court on Thursday sentenced a teenage boy to life in prison for stabbing to death a 15-year-old schoolgirl in a row over a teddy bear.

Hassan Sentamu, 18, was ordered to spend a minimum of 23 years in jail for knifing to death Elianne Andam in Croydon, south London, on her way to school in September 2023.

She was attacked by Sentamu, the ex-boyfriend of her friend after a dispute between the pair over returning each other’s belongings, including the soft toy.

Sentamu, who was 17 at the time of the killing, was found guilty of murder and having a knife in January following a trial.

Passing sentence, judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb told Sentamu that he was driven by his “short temper and aggressive tendencies” condemning his actions as “senseless and evil”.

“Elianne was 15 when you murdered her, she will always remain just 15, she will never realise the potential of her life,” she said.

The judge added Sentamu had carried on “mercilessly killing her on the floor as she begged for mercy. You walked away showing no remorse as if her life meant nothing”.

Sentamu, who the court heard acted in a “white hot rage” after feeling he had been teased by the two girls the day before the killing, sat with head in his hands in the dock and wiped away tears as he was sentenced.

The killing is one of a string of fatal knife attacks involving teenagers that have horrified the nation.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called rising knife crime a “national crisis”.

Elianne’s father, Michael Andam, told the court: “The thought of her final moments torments me “ wondering if she was calling out for me, hoping I would save her “ but I wasn’t there. I couldn’t protect her”.

Elianne’s mother Dorcas Andam said her daughter had dreamed of becoming a lawyer.

She described her as the “kindest, most loving daughter” who was “vibrant, creative, and purposeful”.

She loved to sing and braid hair.

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