Idris Elba has posted a poignant message and a heartbreaking tribute to Elianne Andam, the 15-year-old schoolgirl who was fatally stabbed to death by her peer in Croydon.
How Elianne was murdered
Elianne, 15, died on Wednesday morning after she was allegedly attacked after getting off a bus in the South London borough.
A 17-year-old boy was later arrested nearby and was still in custody on Thursday morning being questioned on suspicion of her murder.
The girl had been a student at the Old Palace of John Whitgift School, an independent girls’ school in Croydon.
Flowers and cards left at the scene since Wednesday morning paid tribute to the ‘much-loved’ teenager, who was also described by one person who knew her as ‘absolutely incredible’ with a ‘bright future’ ahead of her.
Elianne’s aunt spoke out on Thursday morning saying how her niece had ‘gone to school and not come home’.
The bright student and keen gymnast ‘wanted to be a lawyer’, the aunt told The Mirror.
Idris Elba’s tribute
Social media tributes have also been pouring in for the teen, with Hollywood star Idris Elba being the latest star to share his condolences with the schoolgirls devastated family.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday afternoon, the Molly’s Game actor shared a poignant message as he wrote: ‘Sending my condolences to the family of Elianne Andam at this very sad time.
‘It is a shame that out country still mourns the deaths of children at the hands of knives.’
The actor went on: ‘We NEED to enforce tougher deterrents and punishments to carrying these weapons.’
Another person wrote: ‘Can’t begin to even imagine what the parents are going through right now, their whole world changed forever’.
Another wrote: ‘Rest in peace my dear – have a good time in heaven’.
Underneath the actors post, another person wrote: ‘No words can express the sadness I feel for the family of that poor child. When will this terrible nightmare stop.’
While someone else hit back at the actor by saying: ‘The issue is not guns or knives. We need to start raising our kids. They need to know how to resolve conflicts without necessarily destroying themselves. It begins in the home.
‘No one is setting standards and enforcing them in their formative years. We need to tackle the root cause and not the symptoms.’
