Jury head home for the daypublished at 16:14 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
The court has finished for the day.
The trial will resume at 10:00 tomorrow.
Summary
Day 23 of the trial of four people accused of murdering Jodie Chesney, 17.
Murder accused denies 'throwing friend under bus'
Court heard killer targeted the 'wrong people'
Jodie was stabbed to death while with friends in Harold Hill 1 March
Manuel Petrovic, 20, and Svenson Ong-a-kwie, 19, deny murder
Two boys aged 16 and 17, also deny killing Jodie
Jury head home for the daypublished at 16:14 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Manuel Petrovic 'least likely' person to know of 'plan'published at 16:11 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Image source, Julia Quenzler"People will have to decide if you and Svenson went back to Harold Hill to cause violence," Ms Forshaw said.
"Is it true that the least likely person to have known about this would be Manuel Petrovic?" she asked.
"Yes, that's true," the youth replied. "I don't think he knew Tashinga and that."
'Looking for the boys who stabbed Svenson'published at 16:07 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Image source, GoogleImage caption, Svenson Ong-a-Kwie and the youth drove past Petersfield in a taxi on 1 March
Sarah Forshaw QC has began her cross examination of the 17-year-old boy.
She has asked the youth about the incident in Petersfield.
"Who were you looking for?" she asked.
The youth repeated that they were looking for the people who had previously stabbed Svenson Ong-a-Kwie in October 2018.
"Who stabbed Svenson?" the barrister asked.
"A boy called Tashinga and another boy," the youth replied.
"Did they ever have anything to do with Mani?" she asked.
"No," the defendant replied.
Youth denies killing Jodie Chesneypublished at 15:50 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Image source, Family handoutFinishing her questions, Ms Wong asked: "Did you stab Jodie Chesney?"
"No," the youth replied.
"Did you think it (the stabbing) was going to happen to anyone else in the park?" she asked.
"No," he said.
Svenson Ong-a-Kwie 'got the wrong person'published at 15:49 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Explaining the part of the conversation where he said "Man went there to do someone else," the youth said Mr Ong-a-Kwie had got the wrong person.
"I've known Svenson for a very long time and it would take a lot for him to do that to someone, especially a girl."
'He could pin it on me'published at 15:46 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Image source, ReutersThe jury are being told to look at a written transcript of a phone call made between the youth and his brother on 13 July.
In the phone call, the youth explained to his brother that Svenson Ong-a-Kwie could pin the stabbing on him.
"I was the only one with him so he could pin it on me. Two people went into the park, so," he said.
Natasha Wong QC read out a part of the transcript where the youth said: "Man’s just gonna get the conspiracy because that’s what happened really.
"Man ain’t gonna say no names or nothing. Man don’t know nothing, yeah
"Man went there to do someone else, fam. Man didn’t do it, you hear me?”
Explaining this, the youth said it related to an earlier incident when he and Mr Ong-a-Kwie had been going past Petersfield in Romford in a taxi.
It was here when Mr Ong-a-Kwie suggested they look out for "them man", he said.
"It meant people we had issues with in the past, just people who stabbed Svenson innit," he said.
"What sort of conspiracy did you mean?" Ms Wong said.
"If we saw those people, and if a fight broke out. If we had got out, violence would have happened yes," he said.
Jury returnpublished at 15:36 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
The jury have returned from their break to hear more evidence from the 17-year-old defendant.
Jury take short breakpublished at 15:18 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
The jury have left the court for a short break.
Youth had 'bad experience' with policepublished at 15:09 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Image source, PAThe youth was re-arrested on 22 March on suspicion of the murder of Jodie Chesney.
"Did you look any different on 22 March?" Ms Wong asked.
"I may have had a hair cut," he replied.
Throughout the new police interview, he replied "no comment" to all questions after being advised to by his solicitor, he explained to jurors.
"Is your experience with police a good one?" Ms Wong asked.
"No. Far from it," he replied.
"Why didn't you tell the police you didn't do it?" Ms Wong asked.
"Because I spent 10 days with him (Svenson) after the (incident in the) park. I didn't think they'd think it was credible."
'Lies' told in defendant's written statementpublished at 15:00 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Ms Wong has now turned to the youth's written statement which was prepared when he was initially arrested for assisting an offender.
The statement was read out in court and dissected by Ms Wong:
“I did not know that Svenson Ong-a-Kwie was wanted by the police. I believe that Svenson Ong-a-Kwie did not know himself that he was wanted by the police. There was nothing in his behaviour to suggest he was wanted."
The youth lied about the above comment, he explained.
"I told the lie because if he didn't know he was wanted by police, then I couldn't have known - and then I couldn't be done with assisting an offender.
Ms Wong continued reading out the statement:
"When the police arrived, I was smoking a joint and initially thought it was a drugs raid so I run out the back door."
"That's a lie. I read the day before that Svenson was wanted so when police came to the door it was no surprise."
The final part of the statement was read out by Ms Wong:
"I gave myself up to police as I realised I hadn’t done anything."
"I did give myself up, yes."
'I threw my rucksack when police came'published at 14:52 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
On Thursday 14 March, local resident Brian Mtede noticed a rucksack in his back garden that he had not seen before.
When the police examined the bag, they found some correspondence, including a letter from HMRC addressed to the youth.
They also found two toothbrushes and a combat knife.
The youth said he had not used the knife.
"Why did you put the rucksack in Mr Mtede's garden?" Ms Wong asked.
"I took off the rucksack and threw it when the police came," he replied.
'Disposed clothes in flat bin'published at 14:46 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
The youth told jurors he later disposed of the clothes he was wearing on the night of 1 March in "the bin at the bottom of my flat".
But he explained to jurors how he forgot to bin the hat "with goggles" he had worn that night.
Defendant learnt of Jodie's death on TVpublished at 14:43 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Image source, Family handoutSvenson Ong-a-Kwie then stayed at the youth's mother's house, where the youth said he smoked cannabis.
"I just wanted to chill," he said.
Svenson Ong-a-Kwie then left on the morning of 2 March.
"I asked him what was going on and that, but he didn't say anything really," the youth said.
The 17-year-old saw Mr Ong-a-Kwie again two or three days after the 2 March.
He found out that Jodie Chesney had been killed on TV, he explained.
He added he didn't know Jodie or any of her friends.
'Svenson set his clothes alight with lighter'published at 14:42 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Manuel Petrovic and the 16-year-old youth then returned to Lawns Park, where the pair met them at the park gate.
Mr Petrovic handed a bag to Mr Ong-a-Kwie containing clothes, which he then changed into.
"What did Svenson do with his other clothes?" Ms Wong asked.
"He set them alight with a lighter and they burnt," the youth replied.
The 17-year-old added that he kept the same clothes on and did not put on any different clothing.
When asked how many spare outfits there were in the carrier bag, the youth said: "I don't know, there was probably a spare jumper in there but not several."
'Svenson dropped knife on park floor'published at 14:34 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Image source, GoogleWhen in Lawns Park, Svenson Ong-a-Kwie dropped a knife on the floor, the youth told jurors.
"It was a silver, black panther sort," he added.
"Once I seen that, I answered my own questions. The screams and that - I knew that someone had been stabbed."
Ms Wong asked: "At that point did you think anyone had been killed?"
"No," the youth replied.
Svenson Ong-a-Kwie told me he 'messed up'published at 14:29 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Image source, Julia QuenzlerImage caption, Svenson Ong-a-Kwie
Svenson Ong-a-Kwie and the 17-year-old were later dropped off at Lawns Park.
Ms Wong asked if the youth asked the 19-year-old what had happened.
The youth replied: "He said 'I messed up. I [expletive]'. You could tell he didn't wanna talk at that time."
'I thought a drug deal had gone wrong'published at 14:23 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Image source, Met PoliceNatasha Wong QC has continued to ask her client about the moment Jodie was stabbed.
"Were you aware of anything happening before the scream?" she asked.
"No," the youth replied.
"What did you do when you heard the scream?" Ms Wong asked.
"I looked at the group where Svenson was. He began running. I thought a drug deal had gone wrong. Something had gone wrong," the youth replied.
He denied carrying a knife that night and said he did not know Mr Ong-a-Kwie had a knife on him.
When they were running from the park, nothing was said, the youth explained.
The silence was only broken inside the car.
"I remember looking at Svenson thinking 'say something'," he added.
Jury back after lunchpublished at 14:08 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
The jury has returned following their lunch break.
The 17-year-old defendant will continue to give his evidence until the end of the court day.
Defendant put into care at age of 10published at 13:25 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
Ms Wong earlier asked the 17-year-old about his background. The defendant told jurors the following points:
- He doesn't know where he was born
- He bounced around various properties with his family
- His mother suffers from a mental illness
- He wasn't a "star" child
- As he got older, his mother got more and more unwell
- At age eight, he would cook for his mother as well as wash his own clothes
- At age 10, he was put into care
Court breaks for lunchpublished at 13:03 British Summer Time 24 October 2019
The jury has been sent out for their lunch.
The trial will resume at 14:00.