Jodie Chesney: third arrest over park murder of teenager
Suspect Svenson Ong-a-kwie, 18, will appear at Barkingside Magistrates' Court today
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
A third man has been charged in connection with the murder of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney in a park in east London.
Police say 18-year-old Svenson Ong-a-kwie, from Romford, was arrested on 10 March on suspicion of murder. He will appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court today.
Chesney was stabbed in the back while listening to music with friends in Harold Hill park on 1 March and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Daily Mail reports that the stab wound was seven inches (18cm) deep.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A post-mortem gave the cause of death as trauma and haemorrhage. Leading tributes to the murdered teenager, Chesney’s father, Peter, described her as a “great girl” and a “proud geek”.
Manuel Petrovic, a 20-year-old from Romford, and a 16-year-old boy who cannot legally be named, have also been charged over her death and are due to be tried for murder in September, Sky News says.
Another three people - a 38-year-old woman and 50-year-old man, both from Dagenham, and a 17-year-old boy - were arrested last week on suspicion of assisting an offender but have been released under investigation.
The Metropolitan Police say their murder inquiry is ongoing and have appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
According to the BBC, Chesney is the fifth teenager to be stabbed to death in the capital so far this year.