The teenager, who cannot be name for legal reasons, appeared at a youth court, sitting at Croydon Magistrates’ Court, on Friday and was remanded in custody until next Tuesday when he will appear at the Old Bailey.
The boy, who has been charged with murder and possession of a knife, has not been asked to enter a plea but is expected to face trial next year.
Nicola Grindey, prosecuting, told the court Elianne was attacked on her way school as she spent time with two friends.
Police were called to Wellesley Road in the centre of Croydon at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday after being alerted to a stabbing.
Elianne, who had been stabbed in the neck, was treated by paramedics, who took over from a bus driver and a passer-by who had attempted to stem the bleeding but she died at the scene at 9:20 a.m.
The 17-year-old was arrested in nearby New Addington 75 minutes later and later charged.
The police say a knife was recovered in the Cedar Road area of Croydon and it is expected to be forensically tested to see if it was the murder weapon.
Elianne’s family are being supported by specially trained officers.
‘Beautiful Person ... who Loved Jesus’
“Elianne was a beautiful person inside and out who loved Jesus. She was intelligent, thoughtful, kind and had a bright future ahead. It is our request that you keep our cherished daughter Elianne and our family, in your thoughts and prayers,” the statement concluded.Elianne was a pupil at a private girls’ school, Old Palace of John Whitgift School, and the school issued a statement on Wednesday in which they said: “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.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said of the incident: “Everyone will be looking at that and be shocked as I am, appalled by what’s happened and, quite frankly, angry. It just illustrates the importance of clamping down on knife crime.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I spoke to police officers and community leaders in Croydon. The consequences of knife crime impact families forever. I will continue working relentlessly to bring an end to knife crime in our capital.”
But Mr. Khan’s comments were greeted with a stream of criticism by X users who claimed he had not done enough to tackle knife crime in the capital since becoming mayor in 2016. He is up for re-election in May next year.
