'Adolescence': What Real Crime Inspired the Netflix Series
The series "Adolescence", which was released on March 13, 2025 on Netflix, is called by many the best drama of the year. It is not only well-shot, but also raises a relevant topic - the radicalization of teenagers. The plot of the series is not fictional - it is based on a brutal murder that took place in 2017 in the UK. Then, 15-year-old Elianna was killed by her ex-boyfriend, 17-year-old Hassan. And the reason was just a soft toy.
The murder took place 10 days after Elianna Andam and Hassan Sentamu broke up. On September 27, 2023, the former lovers agreed to meet in the center of Croydon. The reason for the meeting was banal - the teenagers wanted to return the gifts they gave each other during their relationship.
Hassan, who lived in the London area of New Addington, came to Croydon, located 15 kilometers from the British capital, taking a kitchen knife with him. The meeting was arranged near the Whitgift shopping center, in the parking lot. Elianna was afraid of aggression from her ex-boyfriend, so she came with a group of friends. However, as it turned out, this did not save her.
At first, the conversation between the teenagers was ordinary. The girl fulfilled her part of the agreement and handed Hassan a plastic bag with his gifts. But then she noticed that the guy came empty-handed. This made her angry. One of Elianna's friends intervened in the conversation and insulted Hassan several times.
Mutual accusations began and the conversation became heated. Hassan lost his temper when Elianna demanded that he return the teddy bear he had once given her. He began to shout, and the girl snatched the bag she had given him a few minutes earlier from his hands and began to leave.
The guy rushed after her, caught up with her near the entrance to the shopping center, pulled out a knife and stabbed the girl in the neck several times. Everything happened so quickly that the victim's friends who were nearby did not immediately understand what had happened. The examination showed that Elliana had no chance of survival. The first blow, which penetrated to a depth of 12 cm, cut the carotid artery and caused severe blood loss. The girl fell and lost consciousness, and her friends called an ambulance and the police.
Despite the fact that emergency services arrived within minutes and spent about an hour trying to revive Elianna, the girl died. CCTV footage shows that Hassan ran away immediately after the attack and threw away the knife along the way. He got on a bus and managed to get to the stop near his home, but the police were already waiting for him there. Only 90 minutes passed from the time of the murder to the arrest of the criminal.
In court, Hassan Sentamu pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The boy's lawyer insisted on dropping the charges because the teenager had autism. But the main prosecutor, Alexander Chok, believes that mental illness has nothing to do with it. He calls anger the main catalyst for what happened:
Hassan Sentamu denied plotting to kill his ex-girlfriend. He insisted that he always carried a knife for self-defense. He also said that he had planned to kill himself at home that day, but did not have time. The jury was divided, with some questioning the guilt of the teenager, who suffers from autism and was caught in a state of affect.
But the prosecutor considered that there were no mitigating circumstances. No evidence was presented in court that the knife was always with Hassan. On the contrary, the testimony of witnesses said that the teenager took the knife in the kitchen before going to the meeting. Prosecutor Alexander Chok said in his speech:
The court heard some facts that did not portray the defendant in the best light. He had always had an unstable character and was prone to violence. At the age of 12, he was detained by the police for bringing a knife to school and waving it. Law enforcement officers also had information that the teenager had beaten girls and threatened to kill his foster parents' cat.
Judge Cheema-Grubb sentenced the teenager to 23 years in prison for murder and an additional 1 year for carrying a knife. According to the judge, the killer does not deserve leniency, although the lawyer insists that he suffers from a mental disorder and had a difficult childhood. Despite this, Elianna's parents and relatives present in the courtroom were outraged by such a lenient sentence. They demanded a life sentence for the killer.
Mark Rossel, pastor of the church where the victim's family attended, made a statement to the press on behalf of her relatives and friends:
This case raises many difficult questions: where is the line between a state of passion and conscious cruelty? Was Hassan given a harsh enough punishment, or is the justice system too lenient towards juvenile offenders? Do you think such tragedies can be prevented, and what should change in society so that teenage aggression does not lead to such terrible consequences? Share your thoughts in the comments.