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The family of Elianne Andam has said “our hearts are broken” after she was stabbed to death near a bus stop on her way to school.

The 15-year-old was stabbed in the neck with a foot-long knife near the Whitgift shopping centre in Croydon, south London, during the morning rush hour, a witness said.

A 17-year-old boy, who knew the victim, was arrested just over an hour after the attack which took place on busy Wellesley Road at around 8.30am on Wednesday.

Elianne’s family said in a statement: “Our hearts are broken by the senseless death of our daughter.

“Elianne was the light of our lives. She was bright and funny, with many friends who all adored her.

“She was only 15, and had her whole life ahead of her, with hopes and dreams for the future.

“All those dreams have now been shattered. Our lives have fallen apart, along with that of our wider family.

“We ask the media to please respect our privacy as we try to grieve the short life of our beautiful child.”

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Elianne Andam
Pic:Met Police
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Elianne Andam. Pic:Met Police

Elianne Andam 
Pic:Met Police
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Elianne Andam. Pic:Met Police

Detectives have recovered CCTV footage from the area and spoken to witnesses, while forensic scientists have examined the scene and a postmortem is taking place on Thursday afternoon.

Police said officers were confident Elianne, who attended the Old Palace of John Whitgift School, was attacked near the bus stop in Wellesley Road and are trying to establish her exact relationship with her alleged attacker.

Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Woodsford, who is leading the investigation, said: “My thoughts and the thoughts of my team are with Elianne’s family. This is a deeply upsetting time for them and we will do everything we can to support them.”

Elianne was pronounced dead at the scene at around 9.20am, while the suspect, who was held in nearby New Addington, remains in custody. Police have been given an extra 12 hours to question him.

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‘Every parent’s worst nightmare’

DCI Woodsford said: “We know many people were in the area at the time and would have witnessed the attack. This would have been distressing and traumatic and I would encourage anyone who needs support to contact us and we will help to arrange this.

“I know that Elianne’s death has left many people feeling upset and I would like to thank the people of Croydon for the support they have shown us as we have carried out our inquiries in the town centre. I know this work has been disruptive, however it has been vital and your patience is appreciated.”

Police officers lay flowers at the scene in Croydon where 15-year-old Elianne Andam was stabbed to death
Police officers lay flowers at the scene in Croydon where 15-year-old Elianne Andam was stabbed to death

Tributes have poured in for Elianne, with dozens of bunches of flowers, cards and candles left at the scene, while a large police cordon remains in place.

Officers who were among the first at the scene and battled to try to save her appeared visibly moved as they laid flowers on Thursday.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I have spent the morning in Croydon meeting local residents, youth workers, community leaders, police officers and others.

“That is a community shocked, traumatised and heartbroken. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say our thoughts are with her family and friends.”

Adama Dumbuya, 30, a family friend of the girl, said: “It’s just really sad. She was such a lovely little girl. I’m a parent myself.

“She was just really lovely the few times I’ve met her. She’s just a very nice girl and very polite.”

Flowers at the scene  as forensic investigators  work the scene in Croydon
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Flowers at the scene as forensic investigators work the scene in Croydon

Anthony King, chairman of My Ends – a project helping combat youth violence in Croydon – said the boy had been known to local community groups for the past couple of years.

Mr King was with the girl’s family after the incident and said they were “heartbroken”.

He added: “She had a bright future ahead of her. She was in her GCSE year.”

Mr King described the girl as an “absolutely incredible young lady” and told of how others said she was “jovial, very comedic”.

One of the cards, left near the site of the attack, read: “Sorry we live in this crazy world. This makes no sense.

“Fly high up there, my mummy will look after you. RIP beautiful, forever young, taken too soon.

“Thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends, God bless.”

A woman lays flowers near the scene in Croydon, south London, where a 15-year-old girl was stabbed to death on Wednesday morning. Picture date: Thursday September 28, 2023.
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A woman lays flowers near the scene in Croydon

‘The blood was coming like water’

A bus driver and a passer-by were seen desperately trying to save Elianne before emergency services arrived, with police at the scene within two minutes.

Victor Asare, 50, told how he saw a boy stab her in the neck with a knife which was “black, thin and about a foot long”.

“The boy wore a black blazer, the girl wore green. It looked like the girl didn’t want the boy to come closer,” said the security worker. “The blood was coming like water.”

He said the boy ran away and “everybody was crying and screaming”, adding: “The girl was on the floor.

“We tried to catch him and a lot of people tried to save the girl. I was so shocked, I was shaken. It’s somebody’s daughter.”

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Croydon stabbing: ‘Girl’s friends were screaming’

A mother of two, who wanted to be named only as Bridget, said: “I was on the bus before and came off and walked back down, I saw them resuscitating her.

“The driver was holding her, and a lady. The emergency services were already here when I walked back.”

She said two other schoolgirls, believed to be the victim’s friends, were trying to get through the police cordon but were held back.

The Old Palace of John Whitgift School has said in a statement: “We are deeply shocked by the senseless and tragic death of our much-loved and valued friend and pupil.

“It will take some time for the Old Palace community to come to terms with this terrible news, and we will offer support to our pupils as we try to do so.

“Above all, we send our love and deepest sympathies to the girl’s family at this unimaginably distressing time.”

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Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

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Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

A body has been found in the search for 23-year-old runner Jenny Hall. 

She was last seen leaving her home in Barracks Farm, County Durham, in her car just after 3pm on Tuesday.

Police said there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances after a body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale on Sunday morning, five days after she went missing.

Jenny Hall. Pic: Durham Constabulary
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Jenny Hall went missing on Tuesday. Pic: Durham Constabulary

“We’re sorry to report that officers searching for missing woman Jenny Hall, have sadly found a body,” Durham Constabulary said in a statement.

“Officers carried out an extensive search alongside specialist partners and have been working around-the-clock to locate Jenny after she went missing on February 18.

“The body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale just after 9.30am today.

“Formal identification has yet to take place. Jenny’s family have been notified and are currently being supported by specialist officers. They have asked for privacy at this devasting time.

“It is not believed there are any suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

A major police search was launched after Ms Hall’s disappearance.

Her car, a red Ford Focus, was found on Wednesday parked on the B6278, near remote moorland between Eggleston and Stanhope.

Mountain rescue teams, specialist drones and sniffer dogs had been combing the Hamsterley Forest and the surrounding areas, where there are a number of running trails, this week.

Digital intelligence officers also carried out extensive inquiries into Ms Hall’s mobile phone, smart watch and running apps.

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Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

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Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

A fresh amber weather warning for heavy rain has been issued by the Met Office – with much of the UK already on alert for high winds and showers.

Northern Ireland, Scotland and the UK’s west coast and the Midlands have yellow warnings for wind on Sunday – meaning the possibility of transport delays and short-term power cuts.

There are also rain warnings in place for several parts of western UK.

The new amber warning has been issued for rain in south and central Wales and is in force from 3pm on Sunday to 6am on Monday.

An amber warning means danger to life from floodwater, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, and there is a chance some communities will be cut off.

Winds across the west of the UK will increase throughout the morning with gusts up to 70mph in exposed areas, the Met Office said.

Zoe Hutin, a meteorologist at the forecaster, said Sunday is expected to be the “worst day” before conditions improve.

“The wind warning itself for the mainland UK ends at 6pm, but we can expect to continue to see quite blustery conditions even into the evening as the mainland rain itself pushes through.”

She added: “By the time people get up on Monday, we’ll still have some of the residual rain from that front in the far south-east of the country, and quite cloudy across England as well.

“But actually elsewhere, it could be a decent start.”

The Met Office’s yellow weather warnings for much of England and Scotland came into force at 6am and are expected to run until 6pm on Sunday.

A separate yellow warning for Northern Ireland came into force at 3am and runs until 3pm.

Rain and high winds are expected across the west of the UK
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Rain and high winds are expected across the west of the UK

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People who have noticed some slightly higher temperatures the last couple of days may be dismayed at the latest predictions.

“Through the week, those temperatures are trending back down,” Ms Hutin said.

“And so it will be getting cooler each day, but they will actually just be recovering to around average for the time of year. So it won’t be cold.

“It will just be returning back to where we would expect to be for this time of February.”

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Starmer says ‘US is right’ about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

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Starmer says 'US is right' about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

Sir Keir Starmer has said the United States “is right” about the UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence and security.

The prime minister, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday, said he is clear Britain “will take a leading responsibility” in protecting the continent.

“Instability in Europe always washes up on our shores,” he said.

“And this is a generational moment. I’ve been saying for some time that we Europeans – including the United Kingdom – have to do more for our defence and security. The US is right about that.”

He added “we can’t cling to the comforts of the past” as it is “time to take responsibility for our security”.

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Donald Trump sparked an emergency meeting of European leaders this week after he said European NATO members should spend more on defence, while the US should spend less.

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Sir Keir has said he will set out a path for the UK to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, up from the current 2.3%, but has not indicated when that will be.

It is believed he may announce the details when he visits Mr Trump in Washington DC on Thursday, bringing forward the announcement that was expected in the spring when a defence spending review is published.

The prime minister reiterated the UK will “play our role” if required in Ukraine following a peace agreement after he earlier this week said the UK would send troops to be part of a peacekeeping force.

Pic: AP
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Sir Keir will meet Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday. Pic: AP

However, his comments caused a row with Germany and Italy who said it was premature to commit to boots on the ground, although France agreed with the UK.

Sir Keir said: “As we enter a new phase in this conflict, we must now deepen our solidarity even further.”

He added: “There can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine.

“And the people of Ukraine must have long-term security.”

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This week has seen US officials meet their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia to discuss Ukraine – which has been met with indignation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as none of his team were invited.

No Europeans were invited either, sparking concern the US is pandering to Vladimir Putin.

Sir Keir has promised Mr Zelenskyy he will make the case for safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty when he meets with Mr Trump, who has called the Ukrainian president a dictator.

Mr Trump also said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, who will visit the White House too this week, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.

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