Image source, Met Police

Ms Wong has now asked about the moments before Jodie Chesney was stabbed.

The 17-year-old defendant said he didn't know where he was going, but "he was a pace in front of Svenson" when they got out of the car.

"As we walked across the grass, we saw a group in the park so we walked towards them," he told the court.

"Did you know them?" Ms Wong asked.

"No," he replied.

"I hopped over the fence and Svenson walked through the gate. I was behind Svenson. I thought a drug deal was going to happen.

"I saw Svenson get reasonably close to what I thought was a drug deal so I didn't pay much attention.

"I heard a scream first and then I looked towards the group, but Svenson is already moving past me by then," he said.

Image source, Met Police

At 20:53, after calling Manuel Petrovic for a lift to Harold Hill, the 17-year-old defendant and Svenson Ong-a-Kwie walked to Lawns Park where they "chilled" for a bit.

The Vauxhall Corsa then picked the two up, with the 17-year-old getting in behind Manuel Petrovic in the back seat.

"Did you know exactly where you were going when you got into the car?" Ms Wong asked.

"Nah, but Svenson said he wanted to go to the hill, so I presumed we were going to the hill, you know what I mean?" the defendant replied.

"After the A12, Svenson began directing Mani," the youth added.

"The car then stopped at Amy's Park and Svenson said 'two minutes'."

Between 20:41 and 20:54 on 1 March, a taxi arrived back at Svesnon Ong-a-Kwie's hostel in Collier Row with the 17-year-old.

They had just come back from "dropping off some shots" (dropping drug deals) to customers in Harold Hill.

CCTV showed Mr Ong-a-Kwie going inside the hostel, while the 17-year-old stayed outside talking to the taxi driver.

"Why did he go inside the hostel?" Ms Wong asked.

"I don't know - to get some weed or a jacket," the defendant replied.

"I could tell something was on his mind," he continued. "I asked him 'what's going on?' and he said he needed to go back to the hill (Harold Hill)."

Image source, Julia Quenzler

Ms Wong has asked if Mr Ong-a-Kwie's customers had anything to do with the 17-year-old defendant.

"Nah," the defendant replied.

"Was Svenson going to give you his drugs phone?" Ms Wong asked.

"Nah, it's good money, but nah," he replied.

On the night of 1 March, Mr Ong-a-Kwie travelled in the passenger seat of Manuel Petrovic's car, while the 17-year-old sat in the back.

"Was there a reason you sat in the back?" Ms Wong asked.

"Well, Svenson knew where he wanted to go so it made sense for him to go in the front," he replied.

The 17-year-old is now telling the court how he met his co-defendants at Cafe 23 on 1 March - the day Jodie Chesney was murdered.

"I didn't go into the cafe. I just waited outside," he told jurors.

He then went off with Svenson Ong-a-Kwie to get his phone fixed across the road.

The pair then went to Lawns Park, Romford, to "chill" and to smoke cannabis before getting a bite to eat at a nearby chicken shop.

After that, he headed to Harold Hill with Mr Ong-a-Kwie on foot to do "some shots" (drug deals).

The 17-year-old defendant has said he smokes cannabis but has "never been a runner" for a drug dealer.

"Did you know if Svenson and Manuel were in business together?" Ms Wong asked.

"No," he replied.

According to agreed facts read to the court, the 17-year-old defendant, then aged 14, had been involved in an incident in a shop in which a member of staff was attacked with a screwdriver.

The youth went on to plead guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possessing a pointed article.

"Why did you have a screwdriver?" Ms Wong asked.

"For my bikes," the defendant replied.

Image source, Julia Quenzler

Ms Wong has now asked the defendant about his relationship with his co-defendants.

He said he met the 16-year-old defendant at a skate park when he was 13 years old.

He has known Manuel Petrovic sine 2018 and would say hello to him if he saw him, but didn't see him regularly.

As for Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, he first met the 19-year-old defendant in 2016 when he was 14 years old.

The 17-year-old was put into care at the age of 10. He said he enjoyed school and initially got on with his foster carers, but it "went down hill" after a year.

He told the court he had trouble following his carers' rules.

The defendant had about four to five different carers growing up, he told jurors.

He didn't gain any qualifications while at school.

The 17-year-old defendant has entered the witness box where his defence barrister Natasha Wong QC will begin questioning him.

Image source, Julia Quenzler

Svenson Ong-a-Kwie had been in the witness box since last Friday.

Yesterday morning he finished giving his evidence and answered his last questions from prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC.

He continued to insist he was "not guilty" of murdering Jodie Chesney.

Mr Aylett suggested Mr Ong-a-Kwie and the 17-year-old defendant got out of the car "quite far away" from Amy's Park so that they could "creep up" on the group and "take them by surprise".

"They didn't notice you until you got to the gate of the park," Mr Aylett said.

"You can't sneak up on anyone at that park," Mr Ong-a-Kwie said.

The defendant also said he had never used a knife to threaten or hurt anyone and that it was his 17-year-old co-defendant who had stabbed Jodie on the night of 1 March.

Image source, Getty Images

The trial of two men and two teenage boys accused of murdering Jodie Chesney continues at the Old Bailey today.

Yesterday, the jury heard final evidence from Svenson Ong-a-Kwie - the third defendant.

The 17-year-old defendant will now give his evidence.