Summary

  • Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, 19, and a 17-year-old boy have been convicted at the Old Bailey

  • Manuel Petrovic and 16-year-old found not guilty of murder and manslaughter

  • Jodie was stabbed to death while with friends in a park in Harold Hill 1 March

  • The guilty teens will be sentenced on 18 November

  1. Goodbyepublished at 17:28 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Jodie ChesneyImage source, Family handout

    That's all we have today as two teenagers are convicted of the murder of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney.

    We will be back with the latest developments as Svenson Ong-a-Kwie and a 17-year-old boy are sentenced for murder on 18 November.

  2. Jodie Chesney: Stabbed in the back and left to diepublished at 17:18 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Sarah Lee
    BBC London

    Peter and JodieImage source, Family handout

    Two teenagers have been convicted of murdering teenage girl scout Jodie Chesney, who was ambushed by a drug dealer who mistook her for a rival.

    She was stabbed to death while simply sitting with friends in an east London park.

    Peter Chesney speaks about dealing with the murder of his daughter.

  3. 'Losing Jodie is like losing half of myself' - Sisterpublished at 17:05 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Following the verdict, Jodie’s sister Lucy Chesney said she is now "dreading my life rather than looking forward to it".

    In a victim impact statement she wrote:

    Quote Message

    Jodie was not only my sister she was my best friend. Losing her is like losing half of myself. We went through everything together and she was always there for me and always putting everyone before herself. She gave me a type of love I will never feel again.

    Lucy Chesney, Jodie Chesney's sister

  4. 'Jodie's murder has destroyed my life' - Peter Chesneypublished at 17:01 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Peter ChesneyImage source, PA Media

    In an impact statement, Jodie Chesney's father said his daughter's murder had "destroyed my life".

    "The full extent as to how this has affected my family and me cannot possibly be explained simply in words.

    "I have no idea how I am going to continue with my life or even come to terms with the loss," he said.

  5. Police release photo of Svenson Ong-a-Kwiepublished at 16:57 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Svenson Ong-a-KwieImage source, Met Police

    Polcie have released a mug shot of Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, one of the two people found guilty of Jodie Chesney's murder.

  6. 'They don't care about the lives ruined'published at 16:51 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Tributes at parkImage source, PA Media

    Case officer Det Insp Perry Benton said only the people in the car "know why they went there".

    "They are drug dealers. It's a business to them.

    "They don't care about the lives ruined, whether it is class A or class B," he said.

  7. Boyfriend's evidence: 'Taller one swung his arm at Jodie'published at 16:48 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Eddie and SvensonImage source, Julia Quenzler

    During the trial, prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC asked Jodie's boyfriend Eddie Coyle about what happened in Amy's Park.

    "I was standing in front of her [Jodie].

    "I saw two men walk towards us from the side entrance. I couldn't really hear them.

    "They were about 5m away and still on the grass.

    "They got close to the gate, both of them started running.

    "One hopped the fence towards us, I think the other one went through the gate. The taller one hopped the gate, the shorter one went through it.

    "The taller one and the shorter one both came right up behind Jodie.

    "The taller one swung his arm out and stabbed Jodie in the back."

    Mr Aylett also asked him what kind of person Jodie was.

    "She was a great person," Mr Coyle responds, smiling, "Very funny - sensible sometimes!"

    Mr Aylett then asks: "Can you think of any reason why anyone would hurt her?

    "No," Mr Coyle replied.

  8. It's a mystery why Jodie was killed - policepublished at 16:44 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Speaking about the case, DCI Dave Whellams said it remains a mystery why Jodie Chesney was killed.

    "Svenson was wanting retribution on someone dealing on his turf. He has gone down to the park with (the 17-year-old) to cause some harm to somebody.

    "Quite why it was Jodie, we don't really know.

    "There is talk it could be another female drug dealer that operated in the park."

  9. 'Entirely innocent victim of a senseless attack'published at 16:39 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Cath Carrie, the Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor responsible for the case, said: "Jodie was the entirely innocent victim of a senseless attack.

    "The court heard conflicting accounts but what has been proven is that the pair went to the park and murdered Jodie.

    "This cowardly act has cruelly taken away the life of this talented, caring and much-loved teenager.

    "Nothing will bring Jodie back, but we hope these convictions bring some comfort to her family and friends."

  10. The two killers: The 17-year-old 'runner'published at 16:31 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    The 17-year-old boy who was also found guilty of Jodie's Chesney murder had been acting as a "runner" for Svenson Ong-a-Kwie.

    He had a difficult upbringing and was taken into care at a young age after his mother suffered from mental illness and was unable to cope.

    He left school without any qualifications. Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC said he was not a "star child... but perhaps he has never really had the chance to be one".

    It was alleged in court the 17-year-old was responsible for stabbing another youth last September, when Ong-a-Kwie was also present.

    The 17-year-old had a conviction for actual bodily harm and possessing a pointed article following an incident involving a shopkeeper and a screwdriver.

    He also had a conviction for possession of a kitchen knife.

  11. The two killers: Svenson Ong-a-Kwiepublished at 16:25 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Court drawingImage source, Julia Quenzler

    Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, 19, also known as Spencer, was a "charismatic and charming" cannabis dealer - with a fondness for carrying knives, the trial heard.

    He ran a drugs line, sending texts to hundreds of customers advertising cocaine and "pineapple express" cannabis - so-called after the Seth Rogan movie.

    Ong-a-Kwie was identified as Jodie's stabber, although he blamed his 17-year-old "runner" for the attack.

    In October last year, Ong-a-Kwie was stabbed in the thigh and, according to his 17-year-old co-defendant, was looking for the culprits on the day of the murder.

    Ong-a-Kwie had convictions for possessing cocaine and cannabis and failure to surrender to custody from when he was 16.

    In April 2017, he admitted dealing cocaine after being caught with wraps of the class A drug and a knife.

    In October last year, he also pleaded guilty to two charges of handling stolen goods.

  12. Watch: Two found guilty of Jodie Chesney's murderpublished at 16:21 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

  13. 'Jodie was one of our brightest and best'published at 16:17 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Jodie ChesneyImage source, Jodie Chesney/Instagram

    Jodie Chesney had been an active Scout member and Chief Scout Bear Grylls described her as "one of our brightest and best".

    Writing in support of the Jodie Chesney Foundation, external website he said "she put everything into life and her dedication to her friends, her family, to Scouts and her community was incredible.

    "When she represented us at the Royal Albert Hall at the Annual Festival of Remembrance, we could not have hoped for a better ambassador for the movement.

    "Now's it's our turn to remember her."

  14. We got them - Jodie's fatherpublished at 16:15 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Speaking outside court Jodie's father Peter Chesney said: "The two people in the park I'm over the moon about.

    "We got them."

  15. Jodie was "a victim of a brutal act of unprovoked violence"published at 16:13 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    In his closing speech, Mr Aylett told the Old Bailey jury Jodie was "a victim of a brutal act of unprovoked violence".

    Mr Aylett said Jodie's death was "but another example" of the "terrible consequences of the carrying and using of knives".

    He added: "It seems every day now in our city, another young life is lost to a knife.

    "I am sorry to say that your verdicts in this trial will not bring this to an end."

  16. Knife crime was "routine" for defendantspublished at 16:06 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    The defendants were said to have come from broken homes and turned to drug dealing as a way of making "easy money".

    Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC had told jurors they took a "casual approach to violence" in a world where knife crime was "routine".

    The court had heard how Ong-a-Kwie had been knifed in the thigh six months before and was on the lookout for his assailants on the day of the murder.

    Police said at least three knives had been seized during the investigation but none was confirmed as the murder weapon.

  17. Jodie Chesney: A 'proud geek'published at 16:04 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    JodieImage source, Family handout

    Jodie Chesney was a "proud geek" and an "amazing girl who loved life", her family said.

    Her grandmother told the BBC: "She was massive on doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

    "She'd already completed her Bronze and Silver - and was weeks away from finishing her Gold Award before she was stabbed to death."

    Her father, Peter Chesney, said that Jodie loved playing the piano and had learnt difficult pieces from the likes of Ludovic Einualdi.

    She liked purple, hair dye, unicorns and crisp and Marmite sandwiches.

    "There was not one bad bone in her body," Peter said.

  18. 'Jodie's infectious laugh would light up any room'published at 16:02 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Jodie ChesneyImage source, Chesney family

    The teenager's father Peter set up a charity, the Jodie Chesney Foundation, aimed at taking action to steer young people away from knife crime.

    In a tribute on its website, Mr Chesney described his daughter as a "beautiful person" who was just "blossoming into a wonderful young woman".

    "She was a beautiful, well-liked, fun young woman who judged no-one and loved everyone.

    "As a little girl she was very shy, but her confidence grew from strength to strength as she got older," he wrote.

    He added that "she wore her heart on her sleeve and her infectious laugh would light up any room".

  19. What happened on 1 March?published at 15:58 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Media caption,

    CCTV of Jodie Chesney walking with friends in Harold Hill

    On Friday 1 March 2019, Jodie and her friends decided to go to Amy's Park, Harold Hill, to listen to music and smoke cannabis.

    Jodie attended Havering Sixth Form College where she studied psychology, sociology and photography and was also an active scout member and volunteer.

    It was an "ordinary" Friday night for the group of friends, until Jodie's boyfriend Eddie Coyle, 18, noticed two figures coming towards them in the darkness.

    Within a few seconds, calm turned to chaos, as one of the two boys plunged a knife into Jodie's back in an unprovoked attack.

    She collapsed to the ground.

    Her boyfriend Eddie told the court how she screamed before fainting.

    "She was in shock at first," the 18-year-old recalled. "She did not know what had happened. We just thought they had stolen our bags."

    "But then she started screaming continuously, very loud, and it lasted about two minutes straight.

    "After she stopped screaming she began to faint. At this time she was falling off the bench."

  20. 'I don't know why Jodie died' - Det Ch Insp Whellamspublished at 15:57 Greenwich Mean Time 7 November 2019

    Jodie ChesneyImage source, PA Media

    Det Ch Insp Dave Whellams, who investigated Jodie Chesney's murder, described the 17-year-old as a typical "girl next door".

    He said the teenager's family were "absolutely devastated" and found hearing details about her death "extremely traumatic".

    "They lived the investigation with us. They want answers to questions I can't give them. Why did this happen? I cannot give them a satisfactory answer because I don't know myself.

    "The devastation will continue, it's something, as a parent, you don't recover from," he said.