A 20-year-old man and a teenager accused of the murder of Jodie Chesney in London will go on trial in the autumn.

Manuel Petrovic, of Romford, and a 16-year-old boy are accused over the death of 17-year-old Jodie on 1 March. The teenager was playing music with friends near a children’s playground at Harold Hill, Romford, when she was knifed from behind in a seemingly motiveless attack. She was pronounced dead just over an hour after officers were called at about 9.25pm.

A postmortem examination gave the cause of Jodie’s death as trauma and haemorrhage. Petrovic appeared at the Old Bailey by video link from Pentonville prison. He spoke to confirm his identity and Croatian nationality.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC set a three-week trial for 2 September and a plea hearing on 28 May. At the end of the brief hearing, the judge remanded the defendant into custody.

The 16-year-old defendant will appear at Barkingside magistrates court on Monday. An 18-year-old man from Romford is being held in police custody on suspicion of murder.

A 50-year-old man and 38-year-old woman, both from Dagenham, east London, and a 17-year-old boy were being held on suspicion of assisting an offender.



