Hassan Sentamu jailed for at least 23 years for fatal stabbing of Elianne A teenager has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering a 15-year-old girl after a row over a teddy bear in south London Hassan Sentamu was 17 when he killed Elianne Andam by stabbing her in the neck outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon Sentamu admitted manslaughter but denied murder claiming his autism spectrum disorder had caused him to lose control during a meeting with Elianne sentenced Sentamu to life in prison with a minimum term of 23 years as he had taken a knife to the scene Elianne Andam Photograph: Metropolitan police/PAAddressing Sentamu she said: “Elianne was 15 when you murdered her she will never realise the potential of her life The pain of her loss to her parents and younger brother is indescribable.” Cheema-Grubb noted that a mural had been painted for Elianne near where she was killed She said: “Its presence marks the determination of the community as forcefully as they can – put the knives down.” Sentamu had a history of attacking girls and had been cautioned about taking a knife to school He had been the boyfriend of Elianne’s friend Elianne accompanied her friend to meet Sentamu to swap personal possessions When he failed to hand over the possessions that he held in a bag a row broke out that ended in Sentamu fatally attacking Elianne as she tried to run away Sentamu’s ex-girlfriend told the court that during the row Elianne had grabbed the bag as a joke Sentamu then chased her and stabbed her on the ground despite her pleas for him to stop At this sentencing hearing it was also revealed that he attacked a child at Oakhill secure training centre while on remand The prosecutor Ben Lloyd said Sentamu punched the victim in the face the defence barrister Pavlos Panayi KC said: “A crime as horrific as this leaves no real room for advocacy There are no words that can possibly minimise justify or excuse anything Hassan Sentamu did.” They come from his lived experiences from when he was a little boy.” Panayi added: “He has enough good in himself to recognise and hate himself for it.” He cited suicide notes at the time of the murder urged the judge to impose the “strongest possible sentence” In a victim impact statement read to the court by Lloyd Elianne’s mother said Sentamu was motivated by “greed and selfishness” and showed disregard for her daughter’s life Instead you tried to make excuses and cover your act with evil lies said his daughter taught him “how to love” and “how to be a dad” His statement added: “No parent should ever have to bury their child let alone [one who has died] in such a violent manner.” He added: “I could not protect her; that guilt will weigh on my heart for the rest of my life.” Don’t forget to hang out your bunting this weekend for VE Day 80 celebrations VE (Victory in Europe) Day is on Thursday 8 May but many street parties and events are taking place this weekend We are proud to join the nation in remembering this historic turning point in World War II We waived the fees for street party road closures and hope the weather holds for these community events across the borough We will be marking the day on Thursday with the raising of the VE Day Flag at 9am outside Croydon Town Hall in Katharine Street Croydon will be taking part in the nationwide Beacon Lighting Ceremony at 9.30pm The flames represent ‘the ‘light of peace’ that emerges from the dreadful darkness of war It is a priority for me to improve housing standards and services and provide better-quality homes that residents can be proud to call home I am pleased to confirm that the regulatory notice placed on Croydon’s housing services by the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) has now been lifted This is owing to improvements we have made to the quality of Council homes and housing services for our residents and reflects the ongoing transformation of the service I was proud to see Croydon’s schools and leaders nominated for the Tes Schools Awards 2025 Bensham Manor School in Thornton Heath has been shortlisted for two awards – a testament to its commitment for student achievement and inclusion for pupils with special needs I recently visited Bensham Manor School and was hugely impressed by their teachers’ dedication to helping every young person thrive The Old Palace School of John Whitgift and The Harris Federation You are making a real difference for our children and young people to see Crystal Palace triumph in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend The atmosphere was electric – a true tribute to the fans – and there’s a real sense of pride in our club across the borough All eyes are now on the final against Manchester City on 17 May – come on you Eagles Wishing everyone an enjoyable bank holiday weekend and VE Day 80 celebrations The Metropolitan Police is planning to install the UK’s first permanent live facial recognition (LFR) cameras in Croydon continuing its pattern of deploying the technology in areas where the Black population is much higher than the London average Local councillors have also complained that the decision to set up facial recognition cameras permanently has taken place without any community engagement from the force with local residents the force will deploy two fixed LFR cameras on buildings and lampposts in the area which they claim will only be turned on when officers are in the area and ready to respond LFR has only been used by the force in an overt manner with specially equipped cameras atop a visibly marked police van being used to scan public spaces and crowds to identify people in real time by matching their faces against a database of images compiled by police “The end result will see cameras covering a defined area and will give us much more flexibility around the days and times we can run the operations,” he said which will ensure even more wanted criminals get caught” He added: “Those few people opposing this technology need to explain why they don’t want those wanted criminals to be arrested There are no legitimate privacy concerns given that the images of those people not on the wanted list are immediately and automatically deleted.” Responding to the announcement, local councillors and human rights groups have voiced concerns that the Met’s decision to place permanent LFR cameras in Croydon – as well as its use of the technology generally – is disproportionate and contributing to the ongoing over-policing of certain communities According to data gathered by Green Party London Assembly member Zoë Garbett who is actively campaigning against the pilot LFR has been used on more than 30 occasions in Croydon since the start of 2024 figures show that while more than 128,000 people’s faces were scanned Garbett said that over half of the 180 deployments that took place during 2024 were in areas where the proportion of Black residents is higher than the city’s average While Black people comprise 13.5% of London’s total population the proportion is much higher in the Met’s deployment areas with Black people making up 36% of the Haringey population “The Met’s decision to roll out facial recognition in areas of London with higher Black populations reinforces the troubling assumption that certain communities … are more likely to be criminals,” she said adding while nearly two million people in total had their faces scanned across the Met’s 2024 deployments only 804 arrests were made – a rate of just 0.04% “Facial recognition subjects everyone to constant surveillance which goes against the democratic principle that you shouldn’t be monitored unless there’s a suspicion of wrongdoing,” she said “The Met claims live facial recognition has been a success in London but how is treating millions of Londoners as suspects to be considered a success and it’s really just subjecting us to surveillance without our knowledge.” Writing in City AM interim director at privacy group Big Brother Watch Rebecca Vincent said the move to deploy permanent LFR cameras in Croydon “represents an alarming expansion of the surveillance state and a further slide towards a dystopian nightmare that could quickly take hold across the UK” She added that the roll-out also underscores the urgent need for legislative safeguards on LFR which to date has not been addressed in any Parliamentary legislation: “Police forces have been left to write their own policies on how they plan to use LFR the Met’s ‘LFR watchlist’ expands beyond those suspected of criminal activity including vulnerable persons and even victims of crimes.” Computer Weekly contacted the Met about the concerns raised “The Met is committed to making London safer using data and technology to identify offenders that pose a risk to our communities,” said a spokesperson for the force. “Last year we made over 500 arrests using LFR – removing dangerous individuals who were suspected of serious offences and we continue to engage with our communities to build understanding about how this technology works providing reassurances that there are rigorous checks and balances in place to protect people’s rights and privacy.” Computer Weekly specifically asked whether the force believes its use of the technology is proportionate given the huge disparity between the number of faces scanned and the number of arrests challenge the “permanent” characterisation adding that the use of LFR on street furniture in Croydon is a temporary pilot They further added the Met has implemented robust safeguards in its use of LFR such as people’s biometrics being immediately deleted if they are scanned but not wanted by police They also said the system is exactly the same as that used in van deployments but with the cameras on street furniture instead and that each LFR deployment is based on an intelligence-led assessment of threat In December 2023, senior police officers confirmed to a House of Lords committee that facial recognition watchlist image selection is based on crime categories attached to people’s photos rather than a context-specific assessment of the threat presented by a given individual the Sutton and Croydon Green Party has joined with human rights group Liberty in calling for the nationwide halt of LFR deployments “There are no laws regarding live facial recognition, which means there are no safeguards to its use by law enforcement,” it said in a blog post which also encouraged people to sign a petition created by Liberty opposing the use of LFR by UK police live facial recognition represents a gross invasion of privacy to which we’ve had no formal opportunity to object.” Croydon councillor Ria Patel told Inside Croydon: “There has been no discussion of installing these cameras at Croydon Council and residents have been given no say whatsoever and these plans must be stopped immediately.” According to meeting minutes of Croydon Council’s Scrutiny and Overview Committee – which is responsible for matters concerning crime and policing – LFR has only been referenced once in 2025 “Croydon continues to use this tactic to precisely target wanted offenders. To date, since inception in December 2023, over 200 arrests have been made as a direct result of this technology,” said the committee in its ‘community safety partnership annual review’ “This ensures a more efficient use of police officer time and seeks to improve public confidence through highly visible community crime fighting we will be seeking to evolve how this technology is used to build on the success seen to date.” Prior to this, the last time LFR was mentioned by the committee was during a meeting held in April 2024 A Met spokesperson said while the force will always engage with councils business leaders and local community members The Met Police’s roll-out of LFR in other boroughs has similarly taken place with little to no community engagement and in some areas has occurred despite notable political opposition from local authorities While the documents did show there was engagement with local councillors the councillors themselves told Computer Weekly this engagement was very limited They also expressed concern over both the force’s use of the technology and its characterisation of Lewisham deployments as having “wide” public support Speaking with Computer Weekly in the wake of the Croydon announcement Green Lewisham councillor Hau-Yu Tam highlighted how information around LFR deployments has been poorly communicated by the force with deployments continuing against the express wishes of councillors which I sat on when LFR was being introduced to Lewisham for the first time most of us expressed the strong view that LFR would re-traumatise racialised people,” she said Commenting on the Met’s decision to deploy permanent LFR in Croydon, Lewisham Labour councillor Liam Shrivastava – who is also chair of the borough’s Safer Stronger Communities Select Committee that is responsible for scrutinising police activity in the area – said on X that placing cameras on street furniture in town centres is deeply unsettling and shifts LFR deployments from “overt” to “covert” surveillance of local communities “The fact that the Met has chosen to roll out these cameras in the borough with the biggest Black population in London is at odds with its Race Action Plan and will not improve outcomes for Black Londoners,” he wrote “With the largest Black Caribbean community in London Lewisham residents will rightly be concerned that their borough will be the next subjected to a permanent assault on their rights and privacy without their consent.” “Police do not care about policing by consent they will enforce on our communities in the name of ‘safety’ whether we like it or not,” said Tam adding that many informed advocates and residents she has spoken with are “disturbed” by the news of permanent LFR in Croydon: “I am furious with any politician and public servant who is giving police forces carte blanche to expand their spying on our neighbourhoods.” She added that installing LFR permanently is “dangerous for our communities” as “it normalises surveillance re-entrenches community divisions and – due to its opacity and lack of legal safeguards – is wide open to being abused by officers.” Although the Home Office and policing bodies have repeatedly claimed that police use of biometrics is covered by “comprehensive legal framework” there have also been repeated calls from Parliament and civil society for new legal frameworks to explicitly govern law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology.  which called for a moratorium on LFR as far back as July 2019 Meanwhile, a report from the outgoing biometrics commissioner for England and Wales noted in December 2024 that millions of unlawfully retained custody images could still be used for facial recognition purposes by UK police Commenting on the NPCC-Home Office custody image programme the biometrics commissioner noted in his report that while work is “underway” to ensure the retention of images is proportionate and lawful “the use of these custody images of unconvicted individuals may include for facial recognition purposes” in the meantime Organizations must take steps to ensure compliance with emerging rules targeting foreign adversaries' access to U.S A former federal deputy CIO testified that reauthorizing the Technology Modernization Fund will help the government continue IT .. Providing detailed background information is one way to help data privacy regulators during investigations of potential .. The launch of IBM’s Autonomous Threat Operations Machine and X-Force Predictive Threat Intelligence agent were announced at the .. This year's top cyber challenges include cloud authorization sprawl A LevelBlue report looks at what goes into the security postures of a cyber-resilient organization Cilium's Hubble tool provides network observability while working in Kubernetes This guide explains how Hubble works and how to .. A new 'digital circuit breaker' capability for HPE Private Clouds increased visibility of third-party hardware with OpsRamp and .. The accuracy and relevance of AI responses are directly influenced by the quality of the prompt Integrating AI into legacy data center infrastructure is challenging Increased heat and load require advanced cooling systems Monitoring Linux server performance is vital for optimal operation System admins should consider these 19 performance monitoring.. Classical and quantum computers differ in their computing capabilities how they operate and the resources they need Data cleansing corrects errors to improve data quality while data transformation changes data format and structure to support .. The data integration specialist's purchase provides users with complementary capabilities that enable them to send transformed .. The database vendor plans to add support for Model Context Protocol and automated vector embedding capabilities to make it faster.. Join us at the Akustika Fair at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre from April 4-6 Meet The Strad team at stand F08 and pick up a free copy of the magazine The Strad Directory Jobs which sports a distinctive carved medallion Read more news stories here Emma Schul has reported the theft of her violin from her car on Saturday 15 February 2025 The violin is likely to be German-made and has a distinctive medallion carved on the back with an image and label of ’Professor Wilhelm.’  Additionally the word ‘Hoorn’ is marked above the medallion along with a Brazilian hardwood bow and some sheet music The items were taken from Schul’s 2012 Renault Clio parked at 182 Church Road Schul believes the theft was likely captured on CCTV and says the violin is ‘of incredible sentimental value to me as I’ve had it for more than 20 years.’ The Crime Reference Number is 01/7167153/25. Anyone with more information can contact Schul at evschul@gmail.com Read: Found: Violist reunited with stolen instrument and bows in Texas Read: The return of a stolen pardessus: a case of provenance and restitution In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers It’s packed full of exercises for students plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025 This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana The violin was reported stolen from a University of Southern California graduate music student on 2 April and recovered just over one week later The late leader of the Catholic church blessed the Violino del Mare in 2022 which was made by Italian prisoners to raise awareness of the plight of refugees crossing the Mediterranean Valuable instruments and bows taken on consignment by Kolstein Music of New York have ‘simply disappeared’   Cellist Amber Den Exter is receiving treatment following a car crash last month in Houston which resulted in serious spinal injuries and paralysis 38 violists under the age of 30 have been selected to produce a video recital for the chance to progress to the competition’s live rounds in November Anna Boysen Lauritsen takes up the role of director while founder Jacob Shaw steps aside into the role of artistic director Site powered by Webvision Cloud The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has lifted the regulatory notice on Croydon Council following evidence of progress in housing standards This announcement is a crucial milestone in Croydon’s extensive housing improvement programme It marks a key moment in a broader housing transformation strategy led by the Executive Mayor of Croydon as outlined in his Mayor’s Business Plan 2022-26 Croydon self-referred to the RSH in 2021 following serious concerns about living conditions on the Regina Road estate in South Norwood which resulted in the RSH issuing a regulatory notice These issues were mainly related to systemic failings in leadership working closely with the independent Housing Improvement Board which includes residents and housing professionals Croydon has invested over £30m in 2024/25 to upgrade council homes across the borough including the installation of new kitchens The £166m regeneration of the Regina Road estate is also under way with demolition in progress and a planning application due for submission this summer This aims to deliver at least 225 new homes and other community facilities for local residents big strides have been made in Croydon’s repairs service with the launch of an in-house repairs contact centre stock condition surveys completed on 70% of homes and the introduction of the Photobook inspection tool to enhance reporting including a focus on damp and mould awareness Residents have been central in shaping these changes with their feedback driving improvements in communication has been pivotal in ensuring that residents’ needs are met Whilst the lifting of the regulatory notice is an important milestone Croydon Council acknowledges that there is still work to be done ensuring the transformation is sustained as part of Croydon’s wider Future Croydon 2024-29 transformation programme “This is a crucial moment in the ongoing transformation of housing services in Croydon We are creating a borough that listens to residents and invests in safer and we remain focused on delivering improvements that benefit everyone.” said: “The Regulator’s decision to end the formal intervention is a well-deserved recognition of the hard work from all involved ensuring Croydon becomes an even better landlord.” said: “Lifting the regulatory notice marks an important step in our ongoing efforts to improve housing services there is still work to be done to meet residents’ expectations and continue enhancing service quality.” in neck outside shopping centre in September 2023 A teenager has been found guilty of the murder of a 15-year-old girl after a row over a teddy bear admitted manslaughter after stabbing Elianne Andam in the neck outside the Whitgift Centre in Croydon claiming his autism spectrum disorder had caused him to lose control during the meeting But the prosecution said neither his autism nor his troubled background provided an excuse for murder guilty of Elianne’s murder by a majority verdict There were shouts of “yes” and “murderer” from the public gallery as the jury delivered the verdict after deliberating for 11 hours and 42 minutes The Old Bailey heard that Elianne had gone with her friend The friend and Sentamu had been in a relationship At the meeting they were supposed to swap personal possessions But when the friend handed a bag to Sentamu who was wearing gloves and a mask and concealed the knife Sentamu had a history of attacking girls and carrying knives before he stabbed Elianne A day before that attack he had been splashed with water and lashed out at Elianne in a fit of “white hot” rage and he took the knife to the scene to reassert dominance He exacted vengeance on a young girl clearly running away from him and posing no threat.” Sentamu had been cautioned for taking a knife to school Elianne and her friends met Sentamu outside the Whitgift Centre before school for a planned exchange of items wore a mask and gloves and armed himself with a knife from under the sink in his kitchen Despite being alarmed by what he was wearing his ex-girlfriend handed over a bag of Sentamu’s clothes Sentamu’s ex-girlfriend told the court: “Elianne ran behind him grabbed the bag and started running and laughing as a joke It was the type of thing that Elianne would have done.” Sentamu chased Elianne and stabbed her on the ground despite her pleas for him to stop Elianne suffered a fatal 12cm-deep stab to the neck in an attack that was caught on CCTV A passing bus driver held her hand and stayed with her as she lay dying in the street Sentamu got into a row after a fellow inmate at Oakhill secure training centre in Milton Keynes accused him of killing girls said her death “left a void in our lives that can never be filled” he said: “This trial has been our fight for justice forcing us to confront the devastating details of Elianne’s final moments While today’s verdict acknowledges the full extent of his actions He added: “The verdict today is the first step toward justice for Elianne but also a message that violence and knife crime Croydon’s Mayor has thrown his support behind plans to build 569 new flats on the vacant office building site in the heart of East Croydon This followed the recent purchase of the former City Link site by Cheyne Capital for £210million Cheyne’s purchase of the site attracted the praise of Mayor Jason Perry he said: “Positive step forward in providing new housing options Pleased to see renewed confidence in Croydon attracting investment and I look forward to the positive impact this will have on our community.” Development on the site was previously stalled due to concerns that the height of the development would overshadow the neighbouring No and the planning inspector ruled in their favour The decision allows the development to proceed despite concerns over its height and visual impact the development will include amenities like a gym and wellness suite They will also be built to a high sustainability certification Cheyne’s Matt Floyd said: “We are proud to support a project which can play a role in furthering the regeneration of Croydon and will contribute to its vibrant business and living community “This project reflects Cheyne Capital’s continued commitment to the UK flexible-living sector.” A date for the demolition of City Link House has not yet been announced Pictured top: City Link House has been vacant for years (Picture: Harrison Galliven) Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Hassan Sentamu killed the 15-year-old in row over teddy bear and perceived ‘disrespect’ A dispute over a teddy bear led to a 15-year-old school girl being stabbed to death by a boy consumed with “white-hot anger” denies the murder of Elianne Andam in Croydon last September The Old Bailey heard Elianne had gone with her friend The friend and Sentamu had been in a relationship which had ended but when the friend handed a bag to her former boyfriend who was wearing gloves and a mask and concealing a knife The jury heard Elianne stood up for her friend and that Sentamu then stabbed her in the neck Elianne was with the defendant’s ex-girlfriend and a group of other girls when she was killed during a prearranged meeting with him in Croydon town centre Photograph: Mabel Banfield Nwachi/The GuardianThe prosecutor said: “The purpose of the meeting was to exchange belongings [The ex-girlfriend] in particular was anxious to recover her teddy bear “Elianne was aggrieved on her friend’s behalf at around 8.30am whilst Hassan was walking outside the Whitgift Centre “It was a gesture of solidarity with [her friend] that cost Elianne her life cornered her and used the kitchen knife to stab her repeatedly severing the carotid artery and causing injuries that were unsurvivable “Despite the rapid arrival of the emergency services and intensive efforts over the course of nearly an hour The jury heard Sentamu may have felt “disrespected” by Elianne’s decision to stand up to him you may feel that the catalyst for this dreadful attack was rather more simple: anger Elianne Andam’s ‘gesture of solidarity’ with the defendant’s ex-girlfriend cost her her life Photograph: Metropolitan police/PA“White-hot anger at having been disrespected in public by girls both by Elianne on the day of the killing and previously.” Chalk said he did not deny wielding the knife and causing Elianne’s death in the face of overwhelming evidence against him The jury was told that Sentamu had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder on the basis that his responsibility was diminished having been diagnosed with autism in 2020 He also claims he had a lawful reason for carrying a blade Chalk said: “His calculated decision to bring a knife to the scene meant that the consequences of that outburst for Elianne and her family were utterly devastating.” Chalk said the victim was a popular schoolgirl The court heard that the day before the killing Sentamu had met the girls at the Whitgift Centre and was “teased” by his ex-girlfriend who threw water on him One of the girls later joked that “tomorrow he would kill them all” That evening Sentamu “brooded” about what had happened and allegedly told a friend: “Bro I can’t let this slide.” The friend told him not to do anything “dumb” and ruin his life chances A postmortem found Elianne had suffered four stab wounds with the one to her neck proving fatal Harp & Harp has completed a seven-home scheme in Croydon designed as a ‘contemporary interpretation’ of neighbouring Arts and Crafts-style houses detached post-war family home on the ‘challenging’ hillside plot The three-storey development in Bradmore Way It was one of the last projects to be given approval under a local policy allowing suburban intensification – Croydon’s Suburban Design Guide supplementary planning document – before it was revoked in July 2022 amid political upheaval in the borough The application for the multi-unit block had also faced widespread organised opposition from neighbours practice founder Steve Harp said its character was ‘recognisable and vernacular in silhouette with prominent gabled forms and low-slung eaves feeling comfortable and contextual in the streetscape’ He said existing features found on other buildings along the road had been reinterpreted in contemporary form railings and woodwork had been used to ‘lift the architecture above its more muted setting’ In 2020, the practice completed an Arts and Crafts-inspired house on a Wimbledon terrace featuring three-tone brickwork laid in an English bond with ‘basketweave’ detailing Planning was granted for the scheme following an extensive year long pre-planning application process with Croydon Council The project's increased density in its suburban location was enabled as a result of the Suburban Design Guide SPD which Croydon enacted to allow suburban intensification to combat the housing crisis Bradmore Way was one of the last projects to be consented before the SPD was revoked following political upheaval in the borough and indeed the project faced large organised opposition from neighbours which had to be sensitively navigated and informed the design process the building sits in a pleasant but staid suburban setting the character largely defined by the interwar sub Arts and Crafts vernacular language of most of the surrounding homes The design responds to this character with a building that is recognisable and vernacular in silhouette with prominent gabled forms and low slung eaves feeling comfortable and contextual in the streetscape but with a detail and refinement that is contemporary and confident Features found on the road are referenced but reinterpreted in contemporary form from the exaggerated extended eaves and diaper brick pattern to the tile creasing materiality laid en masse as a brick wall This is further heightened with the bold green and red used on windows railings and woodwork which aims to further lift the architecture above its more muted setting Tags The previously moody lobby to Venturi, Scott Brown’s 1991 Pomo extension has… The project extensively retrofits a riverside mill building in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire,… The project prioritised reuse and upcycling, using low-carbon and natural materials including… Working with local architecture studio dílna, London and central Europe-based Chybik +… Credit: ITV newsA council that left families in dangerous, uninhabitable homes has been taken out of special measures, four years after ITV News exposed widespread failings. Our report inside a tower block on Regina Road in South London in March 2021 led to national outrage with the Prime Minister condemning the uninhabitable unsafe conditions of homes managed by Croydon Council and the announcement of two independent investigations For many years tenants' constant complaints about disrepair were ignored as they were left to live in homes described by Shelter as the worst housing they had ever seen Listen to The Trapped: A podcast exploring Daniel Hewitt’s award-winning investigation into the state of housing in the UK   Water cascaded through light fittings and into plug sockets Tenants were forced to place buckets and baby baths under the leaking water The homes were infested with slugs and a environmental health inspection found a mum and her two children were at risk of electrocution Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News An independent inquiry later concluded the health of tenants was put at risk and that the council failed to keep them safe The Regulator for Social Housing concluded the council had breached the safety standards and placed into special measures "Taking into account the seriousness of the issues the durations for which tenants were potentially exposed to risk and the number of tenants potentially affected the regulator has concluded that it is proportionate to find that LB Croydon has breached the Home Standard and the Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard and that there was a risk of serious detriment to tenants during this period" Only now, more than four year on, has the Regulator withdrawn its regulatory notice and removed the council from special measures assessing the housing service to be at acceptable and safe standards said: “This is a crucial moment in the ongoing transformation of housing services in Croydon the Regina Road estate exposed in the ITV News investigation are to be demolished and replaced with a new £100 million social housing development The regeneration will deliver at least 225 new council homes is underway and is expected to be completed by the autumn Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know.. arrested after five people injured at distribution centre on south London industrial estate A man has described how he fought and fended off a knife-wielding attacker with a fire extinguisher after barricading himself and others inside an office of a warehouse where five people were injured during a mass stabbing Police arrested a 30-year-old man after the attack at a warehouse close to a supermarket in Croydon who described how he used the fire extinguisher to fend off the knifeman at a Sainsbury’s and Argos distribution centre on the Beddington trading estate One of those injured was taken to a major trauma centre in London and four other people were taken to hospital I think someone [was stabbed] in the side as well Then we heard shouting and stuff so we opened the door because it sounded like they were getting murdered I couldn’t shut it in time so he got halfway through the door and he was stabbing at my neck and chest like this and I was deflecting it I managed to grab his wrist and that was when he sliced my finger open I pushed him out the door and squashed his ankle with the door I picked up a fire extinguisher and hit him around the head with it,” said Denton “There was women in the room behind us so if I wasn’t there he would have got through to them.” The Metropolitan police said officers first responded at 10.15am and that five people – a man in his 50s two men in their 30s and two men in their 20s – were taken to hospital with stab wounds Their conditions were assessed as not life-threatening The man who was arrested nearby on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon was also taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening the local policing commander for south London said: “Officers responded quickly and arrested the suspect within an hour we believe all those involved knew each other Therefore we do not believe there is any wider risk to the public.” Police were said to have been called on Sunday at about 6pm after a man turned up at the centre and told staff at the reception area he wanted to speak to a manager He was said to have become aggressive but was then chased out of the building and police were called Elianne Andam was stabbed to death by friend’s ex-boyfriend Hassan Sentamu after dispute outside shopping centre On 27 September 2023, Andam stood up for her friend, who had recently broken up with her boyfriend. They met Hassan Sentamu, who was 17 at the time, to exchange items. Her friend handed a bag to Sentamu but he failed to hand over her items, including a teddy bear she wanted back. Andam ran behind him and snatched the bag back. Sentamu chased after her and pulled out a 12cm kitchen knife out from under his hoodie. He stabbed Andam in the neck in front of horrified onlookers, including the 15-year-old’s friends, outside the Whitgift shopping centre in Croydon, south London. Read moreHer friend recounted the horrific scene in court She said: “I just saw Elianne on the floor like backing up on the floor with her hand out like this and I’m pretty sure I saw him bend and like try and do something else Sentamu fled the scene but he was arrested 90 minutes later The officer who arrested him said he believed what he “saw was a smear of blood on his thumb” After the attack Andam was comforted by a bus driver who held her hand and told her that she would be OK as she slipped out of consciousness The violent act was not one enacted in the heat of the moment Sentamu had recently broken up with Andam’s friend by text telling her: “Ur energy is dead I’m not rdy for a relationship … all the best [sic].” The day before the attack the girls teased and threw water over him in retaliation I can’t let this slide.” His friend tried to talk him down all of which he discarded along with the knife after fleeing the scene Hassan Sentamu claimed in court he lost control during the incident because of his autism Photograph: Metropolitan Police/PABefore the meeting his ex-girlfriend said he became angry during an argument over the phone “I just told him never ever speak to me like that ever again ’cos I said I’ve never been spoken to like that in my life,” she said details of his “traumatic” upbringing in Uganda emerged where he witnessed domestic violence and was beaten with a metal pole at boarding school After he arrived in the UK at 11 years old he was involved in incidents of violent and aggressive behaviour and expressing a desire to harm a cat and chop off its tail claiming he lost control of himself because of his autism was found guilty of Andam’s murder by a majority verdict Andam’s death shocked the Croydon community The spot where she died was soon full of flowers and cuddly toys with the rapper Stormzy among the mourners was erected by the bus stop where she died saying: “What has really stuck with me is that Elianne always did what she thought was right and stood up for her friend.” discovered unresponsive at residential property in Towpath Way at 5am on Saturday News | Crime Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice A man has been arrested after a woman known to him was found dead at home in south London The 58-year-old victim had been discovered unresponsive at the residential property in Towpath Way, Croydon just before 5am on Saturday Despite the best efforts of emergency services including London Ambulance Service she was sadly pronounced dead at the scene The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation He added: “A 57-year-old man has been arrested in connection to her death and remains in police custody “It is believed the two parties are known to each other “Her next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers The home has been cordoned off as detectives carry out forensic examinations Officers continue to make door-to-door enquiries in the Addiscombe area VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in major blow for Putin ahead of Victory Day celebrations Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in blow for Putin David Beckham extends olive branch to son Brooklyn amid 'family feud' Pregnant Jesy Nelson reveals plans for future in message from her hospital bed after surgery Pregnant Jesy Nelson reveals plans for future in message from hospital ‘So f-ing Croydon,’ was the worst insult David Bowie could think of to describe a person or thing that revolted him more of a punchline,’ was a recent swipe by Sue Perkins the Croydon-born comedian who grew up at the tail end of the town’s golden era of rampant employment ambitious cultural venues and well-endowed private schools Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3 Already a subscriber? Log in Jerome Williams and Aziah Brown gave stand-out performances as the Cougars went undefeated through the pool stage before edging a tight semi-final by a point and coming from behind to win the final Freddie Carpenter also came out on top from a pool of 50 competitors in the under-18s three-point contest Globasket is in its 10th year and features more than 4,000 players across a range of age groups from clubs in 20 countries. England U15 girls were winners at the event in 2023 “Our success shows that the UK can compete - and win - at the highest level,” a club spokesperson said who have teams in the Jnr NBL and central venues leagues are hoping to add a girls’ team to their programme Croydon Archives is hosting a new exhibition called Archives Can Be Anything at the Museum of Croydon in Croydon Clocktower It will share young people’s unique perspectives on the borough’s heritage this free exhibition will feature creative work made by 10 local young people aged 14-18 The Young Archivists received training in archiving exhibition design and events planning over the last year They also took part in creative workshops including writing As part of the project they created artwork poetry and more – both individually and collaboratively This includes Council documents on plans for redevelopment in Croydon historic photographs and records of local clubs One of the artworks features a comic depicting an alien landing in the borough inspired by a local paper’s article about UFO sightings in New Addington The comic asks the visitor to think about how the borough welcomes new arrivals into the community Another artwork is a mixed-media portrait of an important figure in the history of Croydon’s Global Majority population It is collaged with stories of race and racism found in Croydon Archives to highlight how certain stories have been under-represented in archival collections The exhibition also features an illustrated manifesto This collaborative project visualises an alternative youth-led vision of the borough and shows its creators’ hopes for its future said: “I was inspired by this one piece from 1998 from the Croydon Advertiser which was an interview about supposed UFO sightings in New Addington I was looking at what it would be like if there were aliens that had been attracted to Croydon.” Randal explored different perspectives of how people see the area adding that the project had shown them that: “everyone in Croydon stands together – it’s really diverse and anyone can really fit in with one another” “This exhibition will showcase the creativity of our young residents It also demonstrates our determination to help see our children and young people have every opportunity to thrive learn and fulfil their potential by engaging in community projects “Archives Can Be Anything shows how we can gain inspiration from the past Check if you already have access from your company or university With a MRW subscription you’ll get access to: Ringo Vision claims to have served over 13,000 meals to those in need in Croydon town centre News | London A community activist from Croydon who serves home-cooked meals from a shopping trolley to homeless people has been issued with a police warning saying his activities are causing antisocial behaviour and in doing so has attracted millions of viewers online for documenting the borough’s homelessness problem which he says is ‘different’ from everywhere else he has seen The Croydon resident has become a local celebrity for pushing around his distinctive supermarket trolley the police have warned him about serving food in the town centre it warns him about any antisocial behaviour resulting from his activities which has forced him to temporarily pull out of helping Croydon’s homeless Ringo told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Even if there is no ban why am I being issued with a warning for feeding the homeless I’m a million miles away from that lifestyle.” The police warning has caused outrage locally with a petition launched calling for it to be rescinded The warning was issued after Surrey Street Market became a focal point of his outreach work It is claimed that the unintended consequence was that incidents of antisocial behaviour began increasing around the market as people accompanying Ringo had got into altercations Surrey Street Market stallholder Jose Joseph told the LDRS: “He brought friends and they were the ones creating the problems a lot of the time I told him he needed to control that because people respect him and watch him.” It is claimed there were incidents where people were fighting and someone even briefly stopped the tram from passing During one particular incident on January 8 several people reportedly gathered around Ringo’s trolley and were said to be acting aggressively towards other marketgoers and traders This resulted in police attending the market and questioning Ringo the police issued him a seven-year Community Protection Notice Warning (CPNW) or organisations aged 16 or over from engaging in antisocial behaviour that negatively impacts the community’s quality of life Police shot at car 'driven by Afghan man' after it rammed into crowd in Munich - live Angela Rayner took advice from NHS trauma specialists for Grenfell demolition meeting Don’t miss this free immersive light experience at Westfield London The Metropolitan Police told the LDRS the CPNW was ‘issued to provide a warning so that these issues which had been negatively impacting the community and local businesses They added: “There had been multiple complaints of intimidating behaviour and not as a ban on behaviour which is not considered to be intimidating.” Ringo has served food to the homeless across the UK and plans to expand his activism to all dozens of UK cities he feels Croydon’s problem is particularly concerning “I think it is because of how many people come across the UK and the world and land here Some of the conditions they are sleeping in are bad “They are usually out of sight so that most people won’t notice I have seen people in the corners of car parks and in tiny gaps in alleyways in Waddon that most people won’t even know are there.” Because Croydon’s extensive homelessness problem is largely hidden from view he claims there are a lot of people overdosing on drugs without anyone noticing He added: “Until people go into Croydon and see what is happening they won’t know how serious the situation is.” Jamaican-born Ringo has been cooking for over 20 years but it wasn’t until last year that he felt inspired to take action “I woke up one Sunday morning with a new mission I knew I needed to feed the homeless,” he recalls That’s when he began feeding Croydon’s homeless from his trolley which he customised based on the handcarts used in rural Jamaica including hearty stews and jerk chicken with rice and peas quickly became a staple in the local community despite the recent issues: “He is still like family to us He is doing some great things for the community but some of the people he brought along attracted fights Even my children have signed his petition because we don’t want him to stop what he is doing.” The petition, which has over 2,000 signatures calling for him to be allowed to feed the homeless without any threat of police action reads: “Despite being single-handedly responsible for providing the only meals some of these homeless individuals might have for days Ringo was banished from continuing his humanitarian act and it’s time our community stood up for what’s right.” Ringo told the LDRS he was disappointed but not deterred he headed straight to Crawley in West Sussex to camp with the homeless and provide food and vowed to continue serving food to the Croydon community that has come to rely upon him Croydon Council is changing the way Access Croydon works to manage increased demand and provide a quicker safer and more efficient service for residents customers will need to book appointments for council services provided from Access Croydon at Bernard Weatherill House (BWH) Lots of council services are already appointment only this will be a change in how the Council supports people at its front door Like councils across the country Croydon is facing extreme funding pressures owing to increased demand for homelessness support and costs of temporary accommodation Croydon is experiencing the third highest number of homelessness presentations in the UK The changes to Access Croydon are part of the council’s action to address these challenges and protect local services The appointments system will enable the council to triage and prioritise demand appropriately This approach – which is in line with many London councils – means that walk-ins will be unavailable at Access Croydon customers will be checked in at an agreed time rather than having what is sometimes a long wait in a busy space Other changes include a greater focus on preventative work to help people before they reach crisis point working more closely with charities and partners and making better use of digital tools to improve processes for staff and residents Croydon is also taking a raft of action to manage homelessness costs including continuing to increase the supply of temporary accommodation through initiatives such as the purchase of Zodiac House These changes have already helped to reduce the number of homeless households in unsuitable B&B type accommodation Croydon has also reduced the number of households that the Council has had to accommodate in separate units (due to insufficient larger accommodation) too often residents are waiting too long to get the help that they need With an appointments system we can triage to make sure we are prioritising appropriately And knowing exactly who is coming into council buildings helps to run things as efficiently as possible whilst keeping everyone safe.” Croydon Council has achieved significant progress – that is the conclusion of a Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) published today The Local Government Association (LGA)-appointed review team found wide-ranging improvements in Croydon’s leadership working with partners – and a new focus on listening to residents and customer care published today following an October 2024 visit noted the scale and pace of change at Croydon since the Council’s well-documented historic financial and governance challenges began in 2020 They found that the Executive Mayor’s Business Plan has set a clear direction and that: ‘The Council has an ambitious vision for the borough with clear corporate priorities – namely ‘balancing the books listening to residents and delivering good and restoring pride in Croydon – and is delivering steadily against them.’ The Council’s leadership was cited as a particular strength with the peer review team noting that: ‘Together the Mayor and Chief Executive are well-respected and provide strong visible leadership to the Council.’ They described relationships between the political and officer leadership as ‘positive and effective underpinned by mutual respect for their respective roles and trust.’ They particularly praised the Council’s culture of openness noting that the Council’s Scrutiny and Overview Committee is chaired by an opposition Councillor and the Audit and Governance Committee has an independent chair The staff the review team met were ‘passionate about delivering quality services to residents and their role in helping the Council to improve’ and ‘they now feel proud to work for Croydon Council.’ They found that Councillors across the political groups are ‘passionate and committed to Croydon the place and supporting the Council to improve and move to a sustainable footing’ Successes highlighted in the CPC report include improving housing services for residents and the Council’s success in levering in external funding to deliver projects Croydon’s work as one of six pilot sites for the government Frontrunners project with social care teams working closely with health partners to reduce pressure on hospitals The review team also noted Croydon’s strong partnership work and that political leaders have ‘successfully rebuilt credibility with investors and partners The peer team found that the Council has a strong understanding of Croydon’s communities and their needs and is working to put the borough back on the map at a regional and national level CPC is a highly valued improvement and assurance tool for councils During their visit the peer team of senior local government Councillors and officers undertook a comprehensive review of finance performance and governance information from Croydon Council They visited the Council from 7-10 October gathering information and views from more than 30 meetings The peer review team recognised that despite the Council’s strong progress it continues to face significant challenges – particularly the Council’s historic debt burden the peer team have urged the Government to engage with Croydon on a long-term solution for this the peer team have made several recommendations for Croydon to continue improving These are set out in the report and range from developing a growth plan for the borough to communicating successes to residents The CPC report will be considered by the Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 8 January will be developed for consideration by Cabinet later in the month “As Executive Mayor I have prioritised listening to residents fixing the finances and restoring pride in our borough with my Mayor’s Business Plan setting a clear direction “This report which provides external independent validation is an important milestone for Croydon It highlights the extraordinary scale and pace of change and improvement at the Council and I am pleased that our peers have recognised the positive progress we have made This is the first time the Council has invited a CPC in many years which highlights our commitment to openness After everything that has happened at Croydon in the past there is understandably some way to go to rebuild trust with residents We must do more to communicate with them about the positive changes we are making and ensure that they are seeing this progress in their neighbourhoods and the town centre We also need to continue to make the case with Government for a long-term solution to Croydon’s debt despite our robust management and governance arrangements “Our CPC has highlighted that we need to reclaim the narrative about Croydon – locally and beyond – and put our borough back on the map for the right reasons.” 28 Apr 2025 By Already registered? please Log in to continue Try Property Week For Free to finish this article To access this article TRY FOR FREE NOW Don't want full access? 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London London has got absolutely tonnes of green spaces which locals are calling ‘run down’ has just won a £1.5 million grant from the National Lottery Fund for a massive renovation.  Croydon’s Ashburton Park is due for some major improvements thanks to the fund replacing the derelict tea kiosk with a collapsed roof that currently occupies space in the park Flooding issues in the park will also be addressed with improvements made to the historic wetlands area.  This comes as part of the ‘100 Years of Ashburton Park’ project which hopes to preserve the hundred-year-old green space for generations to come a year after its centenary which was in 2024 Today the grounds have tennis courts a bowling green and a run-down running track A spokesperson of the Friends of Ashburton Park group told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: ‘This funding marks 100 years of history and honours all the communities that have enjoyed Ashburton Park as an urban sanctuary over the decades ‘We are thrilled that the funding will revamp our heritage features celebrate our history and welcome new flora and fauna through a range of ecological improvements We are hugely grateful to the team at Croydon Council who worked tirelessly on this bid said: ‘This funding will transform Ashburton Park into an even better space for residents now and in the future.’ with the full job expected to be complete by November 2028.  Tooting Bec Lido reopens this week for summer 2025.  Easter Bank Holiday 2025: the full London weather forecast.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! tiktokfacebooktwitteryoutubeAbout us Contact us I hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter break and that Croydon’s children and young people are settling back in at school for the summer term I know how much the café at Wandle Park means to residents in Waddon and beyond and I understand the frustration felt over the delays in re-opening the café while the Council secures a new operator I am pleased to confirm that we are now in the final stages of procuring a new experienced operator and we hope to see it re-open this spring I visited Wandle Park in September to meet with residents and we discussed the need for new play equipment for younger children I am very pleased to update that we have since introduced new playground equipment at Wandle Park for our borough’s children to enjoy This follows the new playground and restoration of the viewing platforms at nearby Waddon Ponds park It is always valuable to hear directly from residents about how we can support their communities and I updated residents at the recent Thornton Heath Community Action meeting on what we have been doing in their area the Council is investing £220k to improve green spaces in Thornton Heath including a learning garden for children at Colliers Water Lane and improvements to The Pond and the Clocktower tackling illegal unauthorised Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and underage vape sales to young people across the borough Progress has been made and there is more to come The national flag of England was raised outside the Town Hall on Wednesday to mark St George’s Day – thank you to everyone who attended the FA Cup semi-finals take place this weekend and I wish Palace well – I will be cheering them on