The family of 15-year-old Elianne Andam finally saw justice yesterday after a man was found guilty of murdering the schoolgirl after a row over a teddy bear. 

Hassan Sentamu, 18, flew into a fit of ‘white-hot anger’ and stabbed Elianne in the neck with a kitchen knife outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, south London, on September 27, 2023.

While the incident shocked the nation, it was by no means unique – with the capital’s knife crime epidemic going on to claim many more young victims since. 

London has seen a total of 11 teenage homicides over the last 12 months, prompting one community leader to warn that stabbings ‘can happen to a child anywhere, at any time’.

The first brutal killing of a teenager in London this year took place last week when a 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa, an aspiring drill rapper going by the name Grippa, was stabbed to death on a London bus. 

The ‘horrendous’ attack saw the teenager knifed more than 25 times while on his way home from school. A 16-year-old boy from Plumstead and a 15-year-old boy from Woolwich have been charged with murder. 

Elianne Andam (pictured) was stabbed to death in a fit of ‘white-hot anger’ on September 27 2023

Hassan Sentamu (pictured) was today convicted of murder by a jury following Elianne’s death

There was a 20 per cent rise in knife offences in the year ending December 2023 compared to the previous year, with 14,577 knife-related crimes in total. 

It was against this backdrop that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was handed a knighthood, a decision one campaigner described as ‘insulting, degrading and disrespectful to families’.  

Elianne Andam, who had ambitions to become a human rights lawyer, was killed in a senseless act of violence provoked by a minor row. 

The fatal attack took place after Hassan Sentamu planned to meet up with his ex-girlfriend, who he had split up with about 10 days before, and her group of friends, including Elianne, in order to carry out a belongings swap. 

The trial heard how Sentamu’s ex had kept her side of the bargain by bringing a plastic bag of his belongings. But when he turned up without the teddy bear, Elianne showed her loyalty to her friend by snatching the bag back and running away. 

It was a move that would ultimately cost Elianne her life. Moments later, she was chased down by the furious older boy who stabbed her repeatedly before plunging the knife 12cm into her neck and severing her carotid artery.

The first brutal killing of a teenager in London this year took place last week when a 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa, an aspiring drill rapper, was stabbed to death on a London bus

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Teenager is found guilty of murdering schoolgirl, 15, in row over teddy bear

Detective Chief Inspector Becky Woodsford praised the bravery of Elianne’s friends and family as well as members of the public who tried to save the teenager and praised her for standing up for her friend and ‘doing what she thought was right’. 

While London is particularly plagued by stabbings, the rest of the country is not immune. 

There were 50,510 ‘knife-enabled crimes’ in England and Wales in the year to March, which was up 4 per cent on the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

A notable increase was seen in the number of robberies involving a knife or sharp instrument, which were up 13 per cent in a year.

Labour has vowed to get 13,000 police officers back on the streets and previously announced a five-step plan to tackle the issue, including guaranteed sanctions for young people carrying knives.

One anti-knife crime measure was the ban on zombie knives and machetes, which came into force on September 24.   

Daniel Anjorin was killed in a sword rampage in Hainault 

Rene Graham, aged 15, was gunned down in Ladbroke Grove during a pre-Notting Hill carnival ‘family day’ 

However, an investigation carried out a month later found the fearsome weapons remained available online for less than £20.

Journalists were able to buy four knives from retailers with websites in the UK, two of which shipped the deadly weapons from overseas.

Police chiefs responded to the shocking finding but suggested the law might need to be toughened in the future, as the Home Office vowed a ‘rapid review’ of the selling of knives online. 

The terrifying blades, which boast chilling names including First Blood, Fantasy Hunting Knife and Predator, can be more than 18in long – and have become the weapon of choice for gang murders and stabbings.