Jodie ‘murdered after row over £20 bag of cannabis’
GIRL Scout Jodie Chesney was murdered by drug dealers after her friend bought cannabis from a rival seller, a court heard yesterday.
The 17-year- old was stabbed in the back as she listened to music with her boyfriend and friends in a park.
Earlier that day, one of the group tried to buy a £20 bag of cannabis dubbed ‘Pineapple Express’ from Svenson Ong-a-kwie, 19, who is one of four alleged dealers accused of Jodie’s murder. When the deal was unsuccessful, the friend turned to another local dealer instead, the jury was told.
Ong-a-kwie was said to be in business selling drugs with Manuel Petrovic, 20, who is also standing trial along with a 16-year-old defendant who acted as a ‘runner’. A fourth defendant, a 17-year-old who also cannot be named because of his age, was allegedly selling drugs on the day of the attack.
Crispin Aylett, prosecuting, told jurors at the Old Bailey: ‘One or more of Jodie’s friends had bought cannabis in the past from one or more of the defendants.’
He said Ong-a-kwie had sent a message from his phone to customers – including Jodie’s friend Kane Compton – on February 28 advertising the Pineapple Express strain of cannabis.
The message offered 1g and 2g bags and boasted of ‘fast delivery’, he added.
The message was passed on to another of Jodie’s group, who then contacted Ong-akwie to buy a £20 bag, it was claimed – but the friends had no luck. By 7.05pm on March 1 – the day of Jodie’s murder – one of the friends agreed to buy £ 40 of cannabis from another local dealer.
The delivery to Amy’s Park, in Harold Hill in east London, was arranged to arrive within the hour, it was claimed. Jodie was stabbed to death in the park that evening.
Mr Aylett said that while the group had not been able to get hold of Pineapple Express from Ong-a-kwie, Mr Compton’s older brother ordered some for himself.
Ong-a-kwie delivered it personally, taking a minicab to Harold Hill accompanied by the 17-year- old defendant, it was claimed. But afterwards, he sent a series of urgent texts
‘They bought drugs in past’
to Petrovic, saying: ‘I need you ASAP’, jurors heard.
Mr Aylett said: ‘The prosecution suggest that while Svenson Ong-a-kwie was in Harold Hill, he must either have heard or seen something that upset him.’
Ong-a-kwie then grabbed a knife from his hostel room after a string of calls to Petrovic, it was claimed.
Mr Aylett said jurors will be played footage featuring the screams of Jodie’s friends after she was stabbed.
Referring to the clip, he said: ‘You can hear the sound of screaming. It will be played in due course.’
Petrovic, of Collier Row, Onga-kwie, of Romford, and the two youths, both also from east London, deny murder. The trial continues.