Michelle Agbim
Thursday, November 10, 2023.
Introduction
This chilling case highlights the harsh societal ramifications of knife crime in England, United Kingdom.
Background and Context
September 27th 2023 is a day the Andam family will never forget. On that horrific morning, Elianne Andam, a fifteen year old girl from Croydon, South London, England, was fatally stabbed on her way to school. (Jessup 2023) The defendant was arrested at 9.45am the same day. (Tingle 2023) His name has not been released because of his age, in accordance with British law.
On one account, the attack was said to have taken place because the victim rejected romantic gestures from the suspect, but it was confirmed that it was Andam’s friend, the suspect's ex-girlfriend, who rejected the suspect’s romantic gestures. In a bid to defend her friend, Elianne lost her life. (Pierre 2023)
Another official case summary by prosecutor Alison Morgan KC, tells a different tale. According to Ms Morgan, the defendant is charged with murdering Elianne Andam as well as possessing a bladed article. (Tingle 2023)
She also states some key facts relating to the case: on the morning of September 27, Elianne and two friends planned to meet before leaving for school. They met with the defendant, who was a former boyfriend of one of the girls. They needed to meet him to exchange possessions between the defendant and his former girlfriend. So, the girls met the defendant and his friend met up at the Whitgift Centre car park, with the girls arriving first. The ex-girlfriend had a carrier bag which contained the defendant's properties. The defendant wore black gloves and a face mask which alarmed the girls. Due to the eventual murder he committed, he was also certainly armed with a large knife. (Tingle 2023)
His ex-girlfriend handed the bag to the defendant but he did not return her own possessions, and started walking away. Elianne challenged the defendant, asking for her friend's property, and ran past him, grabbing the Tesco carrier bag. It is believed that this angered the defendant, who chased her as he removed a knife from his waistband and stabbed her repeatedly. Elianne’s friends, as well as people on the bus witnessed the fatal attack. (Tingle 2023)
There were a number of witnesses – not least the two girls with Elianne, [the defendant's friend] but also witnesses on the bus who saw what had happened. (Tingle 2023)
Court Decision
The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court (the old Bailey), London, England. The recorder of London is the senior circuit judge at the Central Criminal Court, who hears trials of criminal offences. (Wikipedia 2)
‘The recorder is appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the City of London Corporation with the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor. The recorder's deputy is the Common Serjeant of London, appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor. The recorder of London is, since 14 April 2020, Mark Lucraft.’ (Wikipedia 2)
According to the Daily Mail, “His Honour Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, the Recorder of London, told the young defendant he was remanding him into youth custody until a plea and trial preparation hearing on December 19 – which the defendant can attend via video link – and set a provisional trial date for April 29 next year.” (Tingle 2023)
Jaysen Seeboruth, who represented the young defendant, did not apply for bail. (Tingle 2023)
Judge Lucraft said the case would be heard at the Old Bailey most likely before Judge Richard Marks KC. Judge Richard Marks is “the second most senior permanent judge of the Central Criminal Court after the Recorder of London, acting as deputy to that office, and sitting as a judge in the trial of criminal offences.” (Wikipedia 1)
Evaluation and Critique
I wholeheartedly agree with the decision of the court presiding over this case. Knife crime is a serious crime which has plagued England for decades. Remanding the defendant in youth custody is a fair decision; I believe that his age has been considered and an appropriate measure has been administered. I also believe that providing the defendant with an option to attend the trial preparation online is very considerate of the judge.
Practical Implications
In the real world, this case could potentially create widespread fear in the UK, and several other parts of the world. For businesses, schools, or even random streets, violence could erupt which could end fatal. Hence, it is likely that many people are terrified because of this incident. However, it is up to parents, teachers, the media and the government to continue to create awareness, especially among youths, on the dangers of knife crime.
Broader Societal Impact
This disturbing case draws light to the long lasting impacts of knife crime in the United Kingdom, and it is even more horrifying because it involves minors.
In addition, this case highlights a direct threat to human life, especially through an essential item which can not be banned, which makes it all the more complex. Indeed, this terrifying incident highlights the need for youth sensitization against knife crime and violence in general, in order to create a safe society.
Personal Perspective and Conclusion
In summary, I have found that when violent crimes are committed in the West, sometimes, we pay attention to the weapon used to wield the damage rather than the deeper root of the issue. For instance, gun violence in the USA is heart wrenching, and there certainly needs to be gun law reform. However, the roots of the gun violence, which are murderous intent, disregard for human life and unbridled anger, are hardly discussed.
On a surface glance, many people might say that this case is an issue of knives, right? Just like the US has a gun problem, then the UK certainly has a knife problem! However, a knife is an object that can not be banned because it is used to perform essential tasks such as cooking, and so on. And truly, even if knives were to be banned, certain humans would find other violent measures to hurt their enemies or even themselves. Why should a person kill another because they are angry? For instance, if the defendant was upset with the deceased (which according to the account by the prosecutor, he had no valid reason to be) , why could he not have settled his scores with her amicably? Why did he lack self control?
Could this case also have something with the violent tendencies of certain men in society? According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine (National Center for Biotechnology Information), between January 2011 and December 2021, out of 692 knife crime reports from the United Kingdom, especially England, 66.2 % of the perpetrators were male (Vinnakota and co., 2022). The study further proved that most of these male perpetrators are those suffering from drug addiction, harsh family dynamics, unemployment, gang involvement, and several other societal issues. (Vinnakota and co., 2022)
In light of these, we must focus on a larger issue, which is murderous intent itself, nurtured and fostered by the societal ill in the previous paragraph. At schools, workplaces, or even community forums, people, especially young men, must be taught the significance of respecting everyone’s fundamental right to life. The media also has a role to play in this. Anti-crime bodies in the UK should make movies or other video productions highlighting the negative effects that gang violence, drug addiction, which further contribute to knife crime, have caused in the United Kingdom, such as life threatening injuries, or even in some other cases, the loss of precious lives.
These measures will certainly create a society where no more precious lives, such as Elianne Andam’s, are senselessly wasted.
SOURCES
Jessup, Sonja. “Elianne ANDAM DEATH: Thousands Gather at Vigil to Remember 15-Year-Old.” BBC News, October 4, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-67013111.
Pierre, Kathy. “When Will Violence against Girls End?” Parents, September 29, 2023. https://www.parents.com/ellianne-andam-killed-news-8285908.
Tingle, Rory. “Teenager, 17, Accused of Stabbing Elianne Andam, 15, to Death ‘Refused to Hand over His Ex-Girlfriend’s Possessions after She Returned His’, Court Hears - as His Murder Trial Is Set for next Year.” Daily Mail Online, October 3, 2023. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12589139/Teenager-17-accused-stabbing-Elianne-Andam-15-death-refused-hand-ex-girlfriends-possessions-returned-court-hears-murder-trial-set-year.html.
Vinnakota, Divya, Q M Rahman, Brijesh Sathian, Ancy Chandrababu Mercy Bai, Nikulin Deividas, Maneesha-Varghese Pellissery, Sajna Kizhackanaly Abdul Kareem, Md Rakibul Hasan, Ali Davod Parsa, and Russell Kabir. “Exploring UK Knife Crime and Its Associated Factors: A Content Analysis of Online Newspapers.” Nepal journal of epidemiology, December 31, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9886559/.
Wikipedia 1. “Common Serjeant of London.” Wikipedia , August 22, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Serjeant_of_London.
Wikipedia 2. “Recorder of London.” Wikipedia, September 13, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recorder_of_London.
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