Jodie Chesney's stepmother says her killers 'don't deserve forgiveness'
The stepmother of murdered girl scout Jodie Chesney has said her killers “don’t deserve forgiveness” as she relived the day the teenager died.
Jodie, 17, was fatally stabbed in the back in a case of mistaken identity while hanging out with friends in a park in Harold Hill, east London on 1 March 2019.
Her attackers, who were seeking revenge on a rival, have since been jailed for life.
Stepmother Joanne, 36, told the Real Fix podcast that Peter – Jodie’s father and her then-partner – called to say Jodie had been stabbed and paramedics were trying to save her at the roadside.
“I wasn't prepared for what happened next,” she said.
“(Pete) could barely talk and he said ‘Jodie’s been stabbed and she’s dead’.
“No-one could believe at the time what was going on.
“They were taking her to the nearest trauma unit but the paramedics couldn't get her there in time.
“They pulled over in a petrol station and tried to bring her back there but it was too late.”
Jodie was with friends in a park when two people emerged from a bush and attacked her.
She suffered a seven-inch deep wound that caused her lung to collapse, the Old Bailey heard.
Drug dealer Svenson Ong-a-Kwie and his runner Aaron Isaacs fled the scene in another dealer’s car but were arrested days later by police. Both were found guilty of her murder in November 2019.
Joanne recalled getting a phone call from Peter.
“(The police) were going to take him to the hospital but half way they got a phone call from the controller saying ‘take him home because she hasn’t made it.’”
Ong-a-Kwie, then 19, was ordered serve a minimum of 26 years while Isaacs, 17, was told to serve at least 18 years.
“I suppose you can say justice has been served on two of them but nothing will bring Jodie back,” Joanne said.
“They were only looking out for themselves - they don't deserve forgiveness.”
Joanne said she went to court nearly every day during the trial and wanted the two to see “what they’d done to us”.
“We still didn't find out what we needed to know but hopefully they’ll suffer and be in prison for a long time.
“I want to keep her memory alive and show this could happen to anyone - to a normal family.
“Which is why I think a lot of people felt so involved with the story.
“I hope they can see how good she was inside and out.
“She was so lovely - I know most parents are biased but she really was the kindest, sweetest person."
Recounting her final conversations with Jodie, Joanne said they were talking about what present she would get for Peter. Joanne and Peter had been out on the day Jodie was killed to celebrate his birthday.
Joanne, from Dagenham, Essex, said she met Peter in 2007, when Jodie was six, and they married in 2012 before splitting earlier in 2020, saying the couple “ended up taking our grief out on each other”.
Joanne said: “Nothing prepared for what happened and we didn't know how to cope with it.
“Thankfully now, we're trying to rebuild so we can at least be friends.”