Connect with us

Published

on

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.”

Read more:
The teenagers killed in London in 2023

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

Elianne Andam 
Pic:Met Police
Image:
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.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘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
Image:
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.
Image:
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.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

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.”

Continue Reading

UK

Kids ‘sleep with vapes under pillows’ – but will sales ban on disposables have any effect?

Published

on

By

Kids 'sleep with vapes under pillows' - but will sales ban on disposables have any effect?

As a ban on the sale of disposable vapes comes into force on Sunday, a doctor who set up the first-ever clinic to help children stop vaping has said she has seen patients so addicted they couldn’t sleep through the night without them.

Professor Rachel Isba established the clinic at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool in January and has now seen several patients as young as 11 years old who are nicotine dependent.

“Some of the young people vape before they get out of bed. They are sleeping with them under their pillow,” she told Sky News.

Professor Rachel Isba set up the first-ever stop vaping clinic for children
Image:
Professor Rachel Isba set up the first-ever stop vaping clinic for children

“I’m hearing stories of some children waking up at three o’clock in the morning, thinking they can’t sleep, thinking the vape will help them get back to sleep. Whereas, actually, that’s the complete opposite of how nicotine works.”

Ms Isba said most of her patients use disposable vapes, and while some young people may use the chance to give up, others will simply move to refillable devices after the ban.

“To me, vaping feels quite a lot like the beginning of smoking. I’m not surprised, but disappointed on behalf of the children that history has repeated itself.”

A government ban on single-use vapes comes into effect from Sunday, prohibiting the sale of disposable vaping products across the UK, both online and in-store, whether or not they contain nicotine.

More on Children

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said usage among young vapers remained too high, and the ban would “put an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation’s streets”.

A sign for customers at a Tesco store in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, advising customers that the sale of disposable vapes will end on 30 May 2025. Picture date: Wednesday May 14, 2025. Pic: PA
Image:
Pic: PA

Circular economy minister Mary Creagh said: “For too long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine. That ends today. The government calls time on these nasty devices.”

At nearby Shrewsbury House Youth Club in Everton, a group of 11 and 12-year-old girls said vape addiction is already rife among their friends.

Yasmin Dumbell said: “Every day we go out, and at least someone has a vape. I know people who started in year five. It’s constantly in their hand.”

Yasmin Dumbell says she knows students who started vaping in year five
Image:
Yasmin Dumbell says she knows students who started vaping in year five

Her friend Una Quayle said metal detectors were installed at her school to try to stop pupils bringing in vapes, and they are having special assemblies about the dangers of the devices.

But, she said, students “find ways to get around the scanners though – they hide them in their shorts and go to the bathroom and do it”.

Una Quayle says metal detectors installed at her school won't stop students using vapes
Image:
Una Quayle says metal detectors installed at her school won’t stop students using vapes

The girls said the ban on disposables is unlikely to make a difference for their friends who are already addicted.

According to Una, they’ll “find a way to get nicotine into their system”.

As well as trying to address the rise in young people vaping, the government hopes banning single-use vapes will reduce some of the environmental impact the devices have.

Read more:
Disposable vape ban explained
Why vapes are environmentally bad
School support worker struck off over vapes boasts

Although all vapes can be recycled, only a tiny proportion are – with around eight million a week ending up in the bin or on the floor.

Pulled apart by hand

Even those that are recycled have to be pulled apart by hand, as there is currently no way to automate the process.

Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, a recycling non-profit group, said vapes were “some of the most environmentally wasteful, damaging, dangerous consumer products ever sold”.

His organisation worries that with new, legal models being designed to almost exactly mimic disposables in look and feel – and being sold for a similar price – people will just keep throwing them away.

He said the behaviour “is too ingrained. The general public have been told ‘vapes are disposable’. They’ve even been marketed this way. But they never were disposable”.

Continue Reading

UK

Why stockpiling vapes could be dangerous – as ban on disposables nears

Published

on

By

Why stockpiling vapes could be dangerous - as ban on disposables nears

A ban on disposable vapes comes into force on Sunday, with a warning issued about the “life-threatening dangers” of stockpiling.

From Sunday it will be illegal for any business to sell or supply, or have in their possession for sale, all single-use or disposable vapes.

Online nicotine retailer Haypp said 82% of the 369 customers they surveyed plan to bulk purchase the vapes before they are no longer available.

But the vapes contain lithium batteries and could catch fire if not stored correctly.

A sign for customers at a Tesco store in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, advising customers that the sale of disposable vapes will end on 30 May 2025. Picture date: Wednesday May 14, 2025. Pic: PA
Image:
A sign for customers at a Tesco store in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. Pic: PA

While more than a third (34%) of people surveyed by Haypp said they would consider buying an illegal vape after the ban, the overall number of people using disposable products has fallen from 30% to to 24% of vapers, according to Action on Smoking and Health.

Shops selling vapes are required to offer a “take back” service, where they accept vapes and vape parts that customers return for recycling – including single use products.

Read more: Everything you need to know about the ban

More from UK

The Local Government Association (LGA) led the call for a ban two years ago, due to environmental and wellbeing concerns, and is warning people not to stockpile.

Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Failing to store disposable vapes correctly could cost lives, given the significant fire risk they pose.”

How disposable vapes catch fire – or even explode

Figures obtained by the Electric Tobacconist, via Freedom of Information requests, found an increase in vape related fires – from 89 in 2020 to 399 in 2024.

Many disposable vapes use cheap, or even unregulated lithium-ion batteries, to keep the costs down. These batteries often lack proper safety features, like thermal cut offs, making them more prone to overheating and catching fire.

If the battery is damaged, or overheats in any way it can cause thermal runaway – a chain reaction where the battery’s temperature rapidly increases, causing it to overheat uncontrollably.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

2019: Vape product starts fire on US passenger plane

Read more:
Ban may not curb e-cig use
Toddler filmed vaping
Illegal vapes found in WW2 bunker

Then, once these fires start start, they are very hard to stop. Water alone can make things worse if the battery is still generating heat, so they require specialised fire suppressants to put them out.

Batteries can then re-ignite hours, or even days later, making them a persistent hazard.

Disposable vapes are a hazard for waste and litter collection and cause fires in bin lorries, even though customers have been warned not to throw them away in household waste. They are almost impossible to recycle because they are designed as one unit so the batteries cannot be separated from plastic.

Some 8.2 million units were thrown away, or recycled incorrectly, every week prior to the ban.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said usage among young vapers remained too high, and the ban would “put an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation’s streets”.

Circular economy minister Mary Creagh said: “For too long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine. That ends today.

“The government calls time on these nasty devices.”

‘One in five say they will return to cigarettes’

Separate research by life insurance experts at Confused.com found two in five people (37%) planned to stop vaping when the ban starts.

Nearly one in five (19%) said they would return to cigarettes once the ban comes into force.

The research was based on the answers of 500 UK adults who currently vape.

Vaping and smoking also appears to be on the rise, with Confused.com saying there was a 44% increase in the number of people declaring they smoke or vape on their life insurance policy since 2019.

Continue Reading

UK

Russell Brand: Comedian and actor pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges

Published

on

By

Russell Brand: Comedian and actor pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges

Russell Brand has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges as he appeared in court in London.

The British comedian and actor, from Hambleden in Buckinghamshire, was charged by post last month with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape as well as two counts of sexual assault.

The charges relate to alleged incidents involving four separate women between 1999 and 2005.

The 49-year-old, who has been living in the US, was flanked by two officers as he pleaded not guilty to all the charges at Southwark Crown Court today.

Russell Brand appears at Southwark Crown Court.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Russell Brand appears at Southwark Crown Court. Pic: Reuters

Brand stood completely still and looked straight ahead as he delivered his pleas.

The comedian, who has consistently denied having non-consensual sex since allegations were first aired two years ago, is due to stand trial in June 2026.

Read more from Sky News
Man who sold poisonous diet pills jailed
Fraudster who sold fake Scottish tea jailed
Tom Daley on LGBT rights

More from UK

Russell Brand arrives in court
Image:
Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court on Friday

He previously told his 11.2 million followers on X that he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.

The allegations were first made in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches in September 2023.

As Friday’s hearing finished, Brand replaced his sunglasses before exiting the dock and calmly walking past reporters.

Continue Reading

Trending