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Crispin Aylett QC has been asked to speak about Charlie Sherrard QC's point about reducing Svenson Ong-a-Kwie's sentence by a quarter.

He said: "The defendant was a professional drug dealer operating in a background of violence

"The nature of the attack was an ambush and the victim was entirely blameless.

"We submit the starting point should go up above 25 years."

Judge Wendy Joseph QC has retired for a brief moment to gather her thoughts and she will pass sentence at 15:15.

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

Addressing the court, the judge will set out how the crime occurred, the role played by the offender and the impact it had. The judge may refer to any reports on the offender's health or psychological state, as well as statements from the victims.

They will consider factors such as whether the crime was planned or premeditated and if the victim was vulnerable because of age or disability.

Then the - often complex - exercise of calculating the sentence will be explained to the court.

The defendants are usually required to stand up when the sentence is passed.

If they are sent to prison, they will be led down to the cells straight away.

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In her closing address to the jury Natasha Wong QC brought up the issue of trust that the 17-year-old boy has had and she has made reference to it again in her mitigation.

"The lack of placements he has had," Ms Wong said. "The lack of opportunity he has had to build relationships with people who could nurture him.

"His opportunities have been limited, it is little wonder he has the ability to make good judgements in his life.

"His background in life is a mitigating factor, it is not just a factor of him being under the age of 18.

"This has been tit-for-tat retaliations which culminated in the stabbing of Svenson.

"One does not know if that was the cause of something that night."

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Charlie Sherrard QC has finished mitigating for Svenson Ong-a-Kwie and now the 17-year-old's defence barrister, Natasha Wong QC, has started her mitigation.

"Evidence points strongly to Svenson being the stabber," she told Judge Wendy Joseph QC.

"The reason it is important to make that determination because it does make a difference to the question of intent.

"The stabber is in a different position to the secondary party.

"The depth and location of the wound might not be factors in the mind of the person who was not the stabber.

"You have heard quite a lot about his life, but I want to give some more details which we believe is a factor that he has not reached a maturity, that of those of a similar age and of happier circumstances, reach.

"The mother suffered from mental health issues of a significant kind. He first became known to children's service in July 2006 when he was only four years old.

"He was made subject to a child protection plan. He was accomodated by social services in June 2012 when he was 10.

"So between those ages he lived an extremely unhappy and difficult existence.

"He has had nine foster care placements. That is a large number in a very short space of time.

"Very disrupted schooling, development and learning."

Judge Joseph asked if there was a psychological report - to which Ms Wong said there is not.

Image source, Julia Quenzler

During the trial it was heard that all four defendants came from "broken homes" and Charlie Sherrard QC has spoken about Svenson Ong-a-Kwie's childhood.

He said: "They have absent fathers.

"The mothers bend over backwards to nurture and give as good guidance as they can. Svenson never knew his father and never knew that guidance.

"He ended up on the streets at 12 or 13 smoking cannabis."

Judge Wendy Joseph QC interupted Mr Sherrard and said: "But your client had a loving mother?"

"He had that advantage," Mr Sherrard replied.

"But he ended up preyed to others.

"There he was as a young teenager to go and live in a bedsit in Ipswich and deal for others.

"It is my submission that Svenson should have a sentence no more than 20 years because he was only just 18."

Image source, Met Police

While Charlie Sherrard QC is addressing Judge Wendy Joseph QC, she stops to say she may make a decision as to who was the stabber as it is relevent to the sentence.

Judge Joseph said: "I have to make my mind up as to who drove a knife all the way through Jodie.

"What could possibly have been in their mind apart from to kill?"

Mr Sherrard replied by saying he did not know and said that the Old Bailey hears of many cases of multiple stabbers in separate murder trials.

Svenson Ong-a-Kwie's defence barrister, Charlie Sherrard QC, has started to mitigate on behalf of the 19-year-old.

Mr Sherrard said there has been "equal culpability" despite no admission as to who actually stabbed Jodie Chesney.

He said: "Both defendants that went into that park have been found guilty of murder.

"The evidence of identification was less than exact and we had that situation with the defendants in the witness box.

"The two are quite distinctive - ones height to the other as are the clothing."

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

After the prosecution, the defence barrister usually gives a short speech in “mitigation” - in which they set out factors which might help to explain the offending and put it in context.

For instance, they might point to the young age of an offender, any health problems they have or a difficult upbringing. If the offender has written a letter or an apology that is likely to be mentioned.

The purpose of the defence barrister's remarks is often to persuade the judge to give a more lenient sentence - but the final say is with the judge.

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Now that the victim impact statements have been read out, Crispin Aylett QC has brought up aggravating factors in the case.

He said there was a "dispute between rival drug dealers" and a knife was brought to the scene of a public park to stab Jodie.

Mr Aylett said the 17-year-old defendant has previous convictions for carrying a screwdriver and a knife.

Referencing Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, Mr Aylett said the 19-year-old had breached a suspended sentence for handling stolen goods.

He added that it was the prosecution's case that Ong-a-Kwie was the one who stabbed Jodie.

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

By law, adults who are convicted of murder must given a “life sentence”, though seldom does this mean that they will spend the rest of their life in prison.

Instead, the judge sets a “minimum term” or tariff - a period the offender must serve in jail before they can be considered for release by the Parole Board.

If the judge believes the offender should never be freed then a “whole life” tariff will be imposed.

Although the terminology for those aged under 18 is different - 'detention' rather than imprisonment - those convicted of murder will also be given an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term. It is likely to be shorter because of their age.

Research suggests that the average amount of time spent in prison by convicted murderers has increased and is now about 16 years, on average.

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Finally, Jodie Chesney's father - Peter Chesney - has spoken about the impact of his daughter's murder.

Although the 39-year-old is not present in court, Crispin Aylett QC has read out a statement on his behalf.

He said: "The murder of my beloved daughter has destroyed my life and the full extent as to how this has affected my family and me cannot possibly be explained simply in words.

"Almost one year ago from the date of this statement I had started an exciting new job as a salesman in the City and I was about to take over the world in a promising career.

"Now I sit here in the cabin in my garden writing this statement, I have left that job, the relationship with my wife has fallen apart and we are now getting divorced, I must sell my house, and above all, I have lost the most precious human being I will ever know.

"I have no idea how I am going to continue with my life or even come to terms with the loss, I guess only time will tell. I still have a fantastic young daughter Lucy and we are leaning on each other throughout this tragedy."

Image source, Reuters

Another cousin, Jess Chesney, has read out her victim impact statement to the court.

She said: "How could something so vile and twisted and filled with malice happen to someone so genuinely good? How was she stuck in the middle of someone else’s fight, someone else’s violent vendetta and why? I won’t say Jodie was perfect, none of us are, but she was the closest to it of anyone I ever knew. So why her?

"No one deserves this, of course, but surely, there must have been some mistake? God or karma or whatever you want to call it had made a grave and terrible mistake, but it could be undone, right? It could be fixed?

"Wrong again. Because what happened that night was final, unchangeable, unfixable, unfathomable, incomprehensible and impossible. However, it happened and now here we are. Waiting to blame people who won’t stand up and take it.

"Waiting for some kind of remorse, some kind of apology that will never come. I’m done waiting. I want justice. Nothing is ever going to give me the chance to hear her laugh one more time, or listen to her play, or see her smile, so why should these people who caused so much pain to so many be allowed to laugh, or play, or smile? Why should there be any joy left in their lives when they snuffed out Jodie’s? Why do we have to learn to live without her while they carry on as though nothing has changed?

"I can’t speak for the rest of my family, so I won’t. I will speak for myself. Jodie was the brightest light I have ever known, and my world feels pitch black without her in it. People ask if I’m okay, if I’m dealing with it, how I’m feeling. 'I’m fine,' is always the answer. Because “I’m fine” is easier than “my life has a giant hole in it and it’s never going to be filled and I’m never going to be the same and I don’t think I can properly remember the sound of her voice anymore and that makes me feel guilty, which makes me feel sad, which makes me feel angry at the world.”

"So, yeah, I’m fine. Because I have to be. Because my family needs me, just like I need them. Because from now on we will always be incomplete. We will always be one player down. We will always be one member short."

One of Jodie Chesney's cousins, Lauren Chesney, has read out her victim impact statement to the court.

She said: "Words will never come close to the emotional pain and suffering that has been caused by the death of my beautiful cousin. I am not only speaking on behalf of myself but on behalf of my four-year-old son.

"She was one of the kindest, smartest, talented people I have ever known, and because her life was taken away, she will never have the opportunity to live it to the full. She could have done anything she put her mind to and now those choices have been ripped from her.

"Growing up, she was the quietest of our crazy bunch, but as she got older, she got louder and funnier. She grew into such a beautiful young woman. She had a way of making you laugh without even knowing why, and she would look at you so awkwardly with confusion while you were in hysterics.

"I now, along with my whole family, have to wake up every morning knowing that I will never hear her laugh again, and will never get to laugh at the weird and wonderful things she would come out with.

"The weeks after Jodie's death were the most awful weeks of my life. Whilst trying to come to terms with what had happened to my incredible cousin, I also had to try and shelter my emotions from my curious little four-year-old, who should not be exposed to what we have been forced to deal with.

"To be asked every day 'why are you crying mummy' or 'why are you so sad' is heart breaking, knowing that the reason I gave would be too much for him to understand. I had to explain to him that we could not see Jodie again, but she was the brightest star in the sky now. It took a little while for him to grasp this fact.

"My little boy loved Jodie to pieces. Whenever they were together, she would have him in fits of giggles and vice versa. She always had time for him and nothing was ever too much. The difference between the awkward school girl holding my tiny little baby when he was less than a week old, to the girl she was on a family holiday to Spain only a year later was amazing.

"She spent most of her time with him, playing with him, running after him, and being the loving, caring girl that she was – and always would have been. I never thanked her enough for the love she showed him, and now I will never get the chance.

"As a family, we are broken. There will now be a constant missing piece from our family unit that will never be the same again. Each one of us brings something to the table and Jodie had so much more to give – we will never know what now.

"We may carry on living, carry on working, carry on doing things that normal people do in their lives, but our lives will never be normal – not without Jodie."

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Terry Chesney - Jodie Chesney's uncle - has described his niece's murder as "senseless, motiveless, callous, cold and heartless".

He added: "On the 1 March we were out celebrating my brother Peter's 39th birthday in the city. What should have been a joyous occasion soon turned into the worst day of our whole family's life.

"My niece, Peter's daughter, had been taken from us in the most horrid of ways and to this day, I still find it hard to comprehend. I didn’t just lose Jodie that day I lost my best friend, my brother Pete, and Jodie’s sister Lucy along with my whole family.

"Jodie was a breath of fresh air, kind, funny, lights up a room, intelligent, caring, beautiful, I could write forever the amazing traits she had and now we will never see her flourish in to the wonderful woman she was becoming.

"I decided to quit my job of 15 years in the city to attend court and be there for my family most of all Peter and Lucy whose lives have been ripped apart.

"Seeking justice for Jodie will never bring her back but assuring this does not happen to another family is what Jodie would certainly wish for and deserve. The void her murder has left in our close family is almost impossible to describe."

One of Jodie Chesney's uncles - Dave Chesney - has spoken about the impact on him and that he had to carry out his niece's funeral.

He said: "As a minister in the Church of England, Pete asked me to conduct Jodie’s funeral. Of course, I said yes. This was to be the hardest thing I have ever had to do, not just in a professional capacity, but as an uncle who was feeling such pain and grief. In my role, I am used to being close to families in their loss, but I did not for one minute expect that I would have to conduct the funeral of my 17-year-old niece.

"How could I communicate words of comfort and hope when our entire family were experiencing such immense pain at the loss of someone so young? My faith, which speaks of this hope, a hope held out for all of us, is the same faith that speaks of forgiveness. Yet, how can I forgive the people that have taken away such a precious life? Jodie, with everything ahead of her, with so much to give the world, was cruelly taken away from us in a split second of violence.

"I have to say, I am still on this journey of forgiveness, and I fear that it will be a long journey which has the potential to overshadow the rest of my ministry and the rest of my life.

"It has been eight months since Jodie was taken away from us. That’s about 240 days of waking up in the knowledge that we will never see her beautiful face again. That’s 240 days of lives turned upside down because of one stupid, cruel and senseless act of violence. Our lives have been put on hold and for Pete and Lucy, to a certain extent, changed direction entirely. Just being there for them as much as possible has had an impact on my own home life. My wife Sarah, who has suffered through all this as I have, has had to be the rock for me and for the wider family, holding things together when all we want to do is fall apart.

"For now, daily life is defined by the loss of a life of beauty and love and promise; taken away by those who seem to give no value to such a life whatsoever.

"In recent weeks, I have spent most days attending the Old Bailey (around my role as a Parish Priest). These days have been long and difficult. I must say, I have heard very few words of remorse, very few words that provide any comfort to a family in such pain. It has felt that those responsible were thinking solely of themselves, seeking to give an account of what happened which would protect their own liberty. It has been weeks of denial and blame - all with the intention of self-preservation.

"Jodie does not have that luxury.

"We are a big family, we are a close family, but we remain a broken family which is still coming to terms with the loss of a beautiful soul."

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Joanne Chesney - Jodie Chesney's step mum - has also written about the impact of the 17-year-old's murder.

Mrs Chesney has been present in the public gallery throughout the trial and as Crispin Aylett QC was read out she was consoled by one of Jodie's aunts.

She said: "Where do I even begin? How has losing Jodie affected our lives? Well, I have lost not only my stepdaughter but also my family, my marriage, my dog, my home and at times, my sanity. I have watched the people I love crumble to pieces. I have watched my best friend change beyond recognition through grief. None of us will ever be the people we were when Jodie was alive.

"The thing that bothers me the most is that none of these kids, and they are just kids, care about what they have done to our family. Neither of them cares about what they did to Jodie that night and what they have taken away from us.

"Neither of them have shown any remorse for what they have done. If they cared at all then at least one of them should have had the decency to own up and admit they made a mistake. They do not care about the damage they have caused, they all want to pass the blame to try to get themselves out of trouble.

"If only they had known what they were doing that night, what they were taking away from us in that moment of madness. If only they knew the person, they were taking away from the world. Jodie was good, pure and kind in every sense of the word.

"There is a reason no one has heard a bad word said about Jodie since her death, this is because there was not a bad word to say. She would do anything for anyone at any time.

"The night of the 1 March will remain etched in my brain forever. I will never forget the moment I was told those horrible words ‘Jodie’s been stabbed, she's dead’. Coming home to face the rest of the family not knowing what is going on, what to do or what to say. The pain and grief encompassing every single person in the room. Not even beginning to understand how this could have happened to her, to our family.

"I will never forget my husband breaking down, blaming himself for not being with her when she took her last breath. Knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do to take that pain away.

"There have been numerous occasions over the last eight months where I have wondered how we can carry on without Jodie but we have all had to for Jodie’s sake, we all need to carry on her legacy and make sure no one ever forgets her name or her face. We owe it to Jodie, our light in the darkness, our angel, our princess. Jodie will not be forgotten and she will not have died in vain."

Crispin Aylett QC has read out a statement on behalf of Jodie Chesney's nan Christine Chesney.

He said: "Since the evening of 1 March, my life has been turned upside down, and it will never be the same again. When I got the phone call to say what had happened to Jodie, I could not believe what I was hearing and it still feels like a dream. However, this nightmare is unfortunately real.

"Jodie was my youngest granddaughter, but she was more like a daughter to me. Since Jodie was very young, I helped her dad Peter in raising her and I would see her every day. Jodie would also ring me multiple times a day about anything and everything, so we were always in touch.

"Not seeing Jodie and hearing her voice on a daily basis has broken my heart. I struggle to sleep; I struggle to eat and my health has deteriorated. For the rest of my life, that night will not leave my mind. I will play that night over in my mind repeatedly, why didn’t Jodie come home that evening, why didn’t Jodie have an extra shift at work? I will feel guilt that she wasn’t with me that evening and I couldn’t do anything to help her.

"Jodie was murdered in March but this nightmare will never leave me. I will miss her every single day for the rest of my life and my life will never be the same again."

Image source, Met Police

Jodie Chesney's friend Clarice Sharp, who was in the park when the 17-year-old was stabbed, has read out her victim impact statement to the court.

The 18-year-old said: "Before this happened I used to be the sort of person who could go out anywhere and do anything.

"My confidence has been hit, I tend to not go out a lot now. I’m very scared about my surroundings and I get very worried if there’s more than one person around me.

"I don’t like being in groups any more and I get very scared if I’m on my own in public. It’s hard to leave my house because I have to walk down any alleyway and feel very uncomfortable.

"My mum generally has to drive me places. I went out in the evening a few weeks ago, I got as far as halfway down the road and then heard people talking in the street. I couldn’t cope and had to come home and just cried. I worry about other people too, I don’t let my mum go out on her own, and if one of my family goes out and isn’t back after a certain time I really panic.

"I’ve also had panic attacks when I’ve been on buses.

"My whole mood has changed since that night, I’m not as happy as I used to be. I lost my best friend. Jodie was like another part of me, the part that helped me get out of my shell.

"She was the most amazing person I have ever had the privilege of knowing, she had the kindest soul and the most loving heart and to not have her just a phone call away anymore has absolutely broken my heart.

"I will forever miss her contagious laugh that was able to be heard in every room of the house, not being able to hear that anymore has absolutely shattered me in every way possible.I don’t get the same enjoyment out of things as I used to. I lose my temper and snap at people a lot more now.

"I can’t sleep much anymore because I just have constant nightmares about that night.

"It’s got to the point now where I have nightmares about other people who I care about getting stabbed.I have moments during the day while I’m awake when the memories replay in my head and I get very upset.

"This change in my character and the effect of those events on me are constant, and have not got less with the passing of time."

Image source, PA Media

Everybody is in court and the two convicted killers are in the dock as prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC started the sentencing proceedings by reading out victim impact statements.

He began by reading out a statement from Jodie Chesney's boyfriend Eddie Coyle.

On behalf of Mr Coyle, Mr Aylett said: "Jodie’s death and the events of that night have completely changed me.I find it hard to sleep most of the time, I’ve been diagnosed with PTSD from this and it keeps me up most nights so I don’t sleep.

"My PTSD gives me increased anxiety, panic attacks and flashbacks to what happened on that night. They can be triggered at any time.

"I get anxious when I’m outside after dark. Even if it’s just to go outside my front door to have a cigarette I don’t like to do this, so have to stay inside with the window open. I don’t go out at all very much anymore, I used to go out all the time, but the only place I go now is to the house of one of my friends.If I’m walking alone in the street and someone is behind me it puts me on edge.

"I’ve finished college now and I was unable to finish my A levels because I had to have time off after this happened.I didn’t go back because I never knew when I’d have an anxiety attack. I can’t go back and complete them now because of my age.

"I signed up for counselling but couldn’t go because I got panic attacks at the thought of it. I haven’t been able to have any job interviews because being in that situation reminds me of my police interview.

"I find it hard to be in social situations and to talk to people I don’t know.I am very withdrawn now and don’t trust many people. I am wary of making new friends and have less tolerance of things.

"Jodie was funny, silly, she always made fun of me and she had a bright future ahead of her. She was full of energy and was always out doing something.We had been going out for three months. I’ve never lost anyone before and for the first funeral I’ve gone to, to be my own girlfriend’s is incredibly hard.I loved her."

Image source, Julia Quenzler

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

A person who has been found guilty can be sentenced immediately afterwards, but often sentencing takes place at a later date, to give lawyers, probation officers and the judge time to prepare.

The entire sentencing process can take several hours, and sometimes, a day or more.

During sentencing, the barrister for the prosecution will set out what are known as “antecedents” relating to those who've been convicted - information about previous crimes they have committed and the sentence they received.

Then the prosecution barrister will outline what the sentencing framework is for the offence they have been convicted of, referring to legislation, sentencing guidelines and previous, similar, cases.

Victim personal statements, in which the victim or their relatives explain the impact that the crime has had, can be read out to the court by the victim or the barrister, who may choose to summarise the comments.