Two found guilty of murdering Jodie Chesney

The 17-year-old was murdered in Amy’s Park

Two people have been convicted of murdering Jodie Chesney in Harold Hill.

The 17-year-old was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack in Amy’s Park on Friday, 1 March.

Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, 19, of Hillfoot Road Collier Row, and a 17-year-old boy were both found guilty following a trial at The Old Bailey.

They will be sentenced at the same court later this month.

Two others, Manuel Petrovic, 20, and a 16-year-old boy were cleared of killing Jodie.

The girl scout and Havering Sixth Form student was with friends in the park listening to music, when she was approached from behind and violently attacked.

Ong-a-Kwie, for reasons unknown, plunged a knife into her back, before he and his accomplice fled.

Jodie fell into the arms of the boyfriend Eddie Coyle and screamed several times.

She was pronounced dead in an ambulance at a petrol station on the A12 were doctors performed open-heart surgery in an attempt to save her life.

During the trial, both Ong-a-Kwie and the boy both admitted they went into the park but blamed each other for stabbing Jodie.

Svenson Ong-a-Kwie will be sentenced later this month

The court heard they were driven to the park by Mr Petrovic, who stayed in the vehicle with the 16-year-old.

Petrovic said he did thought Ong-a-Kwie was meeting a customer for a drug deal.

Jurors spent more than seven weeks hearing evidence before being asked to begin their deliberations yesterday.

It took them just five hours and 49 minutes to unanimously agree that Ong-a-Kwie and the 17-year-old boy were guilty.

Jodie’s family, including her father Peter and sister Lucy, were in court as the verdicts the delivered. 

Outside court, Peter Chesney said: “We got them.”

In the days following Jodie’s death, the local community in Havering – where the attack took place – and Dagenham – where Jodie lived – came together for a series of moving events.

These included a silent march through the streets of Romford.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, who led the investigation into Jodie’s murder, said: “I would like to pay tribute to Jodie, who was clearly a wonderful and joyful young woman with so much to offer the world. The testimonies to her character and kindness have been a source of sadness as well as a celebration of a life that touched so many.

“This is among the saddest cases I have led and I can only hope that today’s verdict has provided a modest sense of justice for her family and friends.

“This is a case which has affected not only those in the local area, but throughout London and nationally. The death of any young person by knife violence is a terrible event, and we must all work together to stop this from ruining the lives of more young people.

“Jodie was not in the wrong place at the wrong time, she was simply living her life as a teenager should – carefree and with her friends.

“It is Ong-a-Kwie and his 17-year-old co-defendant who made the decision to take that from her and have devastated the lives of so many people who loved her.

“I’d also like to pay tribute to my team of fantastic officers. They have worked tirelessly around the clock, piecing together vital evidence to get justice for Jodie and her family.”