A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Jodie Chesney, 17, who was stabbed in a park in east London.

Manuel Petrovic, 20, of Highfield Road, Romford, was arrested in Leicester on Tuesday in connection with the teenager's death.

He appeared at Barkingside Magistrates' Court this morning, speaking only to confirm his name, address, date of birth and nationality as Croatian during a three-minute hearing.

Petrovic's lawyer Zahir Ahmed said there was no application for bail and he was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on Monday.

Another man who was arrested on suspicion of murder in London on Friday remains in custody while the investigation continues.


Jodie was at a park in Harold Hill when she was stabbed from behind on 1 March.

She was pronounced dead just over an hour after police officers were called at about 9.25pm.

A post-mortem gave the cause of the teenager's death as trauma and haemorrhage.

Jodie's father Peter Chesney has paid tribute to his daughter, describing her as a "proud geek" and a "great girl", adding: "The fibre of her being was just about being good, kind... there was nothing bad in her body."

He said Jodie's death had torn the family apart and said: "We don't know how to deal with it.

"Everyone is suffering because she was so good... everyone just can't believe - why her? It is not one life deserves to be killed over another, but specifically her, she was so kind."

On Thursday, people wore purple ribbons and carried purple balloons in memory of the teenager as they took part in a march through Romford calling for an end to knife crime.

:: Police say a murder investigation into Jodie's death continues and anyone with information should call the Homicide and Major Crime Command Incident Room on 020 8345 3775, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.