GUILTY UK - Mee Kuen "Deborah" Chong, 67, Wembley, London, decapitated in woods, Salcombe, Jun 2021 *arrest

[Tortoise]

"She is seen mouthing "hello mummy" to her mother, who is sitting in the public gallery and blows kisses in response."

Jemma Mitchell sentencing - live updates: Woman who murdered and decapitated friend Mee Kuen Chong being sentenced



I wonder if she said 'Bye bye Mummy!' when they took her down.

 

[Honeybirdette]

Can’t help but feel her mum knew about the “plan”. Why would she leave the remaining 5% to her mum?
It’s very strange.
I’d like to know more about the non molestation order her sister got against her and the reasons for doing so - does anyone know?

 

[JuicyLucy]

Taking the phone of the dead neighbour - several months earlier - heavy pre planning

Am surprised the Judge decided to ignore the earlier offence against her sister

I thought that too. I assume he must have been aware of the details of the non-molestation order, unlike us, but to me it speaks of problem behaviour, not 'previous good character' at all. Plus, she's spent much of her life overseas and no one involved in these proceedings has spoken as to how she behaved there, so he's given her the benefit of a great deal of doubt imo.

Whole life orders are, and ought to be, rare, but personally I think I would have considered her a good candidate, given the level of premeditation, the violent treatment of the corpse, and the utter lack of remorse.

 

[Tortoise]

I even wonder if she joined the church just to get to know Deborah, if she'd somehow heard about this wealthy generous lady helping others.

 

[Alyce]

Victim impact statement​

Ms Chong’s sister Amy Chong provided a victim impact statement and joined the hearing by video link from Malaysia along with the victim’s nieces Pinky and Yinky and nephew Ryan.

She said in her statement said: “Deborah’s death was a shock to us all. It was difficult to comprehend how it could have happened to her, although we are not close due to certain differences of opinion with regard to religion.
“It saddens me she had to go through such a horrifying ordeal and tragic death.”

The victim’s sister said she had suffered sleepless nights and the murder left a “huge bottomless hole” in her life.
She said that “no-one in their right mind” would mutilate another person in the way Mitchell had.

Hearing in the trial how Mitchell had taken advantage of her sister and put her down as mentally ill had caused more upset.
She added: “She is the crazy one who steals people’s belongings after they died.

“We still do not understand how she died. Did she suffer? This mystery will haunt me forever.”



Mitchell’s mother Hillary Collard sat in the public gallery.

Jemma Mitchell jailed for life for killing friend

It's only the second time cameras have been allowed into an English criminal crown court to record a sentencing

www.devonlive.com

 

[Tortoise]

11:00JAMIE HAWKINS

Life imprisonment 'only sentence'​

Judge Marks continues. "As has no doubt been explained to you by your council, the only sentence which the court can impose for murder is one of life imprisonment," he tells Jemma Mitchell, who is now shown on camera.
"But I am required to fix a minimum term, which you must serve in any attempt before you would be eligible to be considered of parole."
He adds: "Whether or not you will be released at the end of the minimum term will depend on the view taken by the parole board at that time as to whether you continue to represent a danger to other members of the public."

Jemma Mitchell jailed for life for killing friend


I had wondered why I didn't hear the remarks about calculation of sentence, and assumed there was a broadcasting glitch during that portion. So why put the camera on Mitchell at all, if it's not allowed to be broadcast? Doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Legally Bland]

11:00JAMIE HAWKINS

Life imprisonment 'only sentence'​

Judge Marks continues. "As has no doubt been explained to you by your council, the only sentence which the court can impose for murder is one of life imprisonment," he tells Jemma Mitchell, who is now shown on camera.
"But I am required to fix a minimum term, which you must serve in any attempt before you would be eligible to be considered of parole."
He adds: "Whether or not you will be released at the end of the minimum term will depend on the view taken by the parole board at that time as to whether you continue to represent a danger to other members of the public."

Jemma Mitchell jailed for life for killing friend


I had wondered why I didn't hear the remarks about calculation of sentence, and assumed there was a broadcasting glitch during that portion. So why put the camera on Mitchell at all, if it's not allowed to be broadcast? Doesn't make sense to me.

Maybe the reporter is watching via video link.

 

[Tortoise]

Maybe the reporter is watching via video link.

Ah that makes sense.

 

[Tortoise]

I've been puzzling over why she didn't just dump the suitcase with the body inside, and why she took the suitcase back home. It seems she might have thought it looked as if it belonged to the neighbour, being on their shed roof, but disposing of it altogether on her trip to Devon would have made more sense to me. Perhaps she knew at the time she was on CCTV loading it into the hire car.

 

[michelle230]

Maybe she'd just run out of steam after months of obsessive planning and going over every detail and possible outcomes in her head. Pretty mentally (and of course physically) exhausting. Maybe her "thinking skills" had taken a long, overdue holiday!!
P.s. Agree that when she broke into neighbour's home and stole all his docs/phone, that shows such premeditated.
The tangled webs we weave..
(Wonder if the sister and mother have any relationship..)

 

[Honeybirdette]

I can’t stop thinking about this case. It’s so meticulously planned in some aspects (using the dead neighbours phone to call the rental car company/forging his witness signature on the will) but then so erratic in others like dragging a suitcase to and from the victims address and then strolling around with a dead body in it for 2 hours - did she not even consider any cctv?

It really is truly bizarre. Why go all the way to salcombe to dump a body but then not even look for a secluded spot? It was found the very next day.

Why cut off her head but then dispose of it in the same place as the rest of her body?

So many questions we’ll never have the answer too unfortunately.

 

[catgreen]

I can’t stop thinking about this case. It’s so meticulously planned in some aspects (using the dead neighbours phone to call the rental car company/forging his witness signature on the will) but then so erratic in others like dragging a suitcase to and from the victims address and then strolling around with a dead body in it for 2 hours - did she not even consider any cctv?

It really is truly bizarre. Why go all the way to salcombe to dump a body but then not even look for a secluded spot? It was found the very next day.

Why cut off her head but then dispose of it in the same place as the rest of her body?

So many questions we’ll never have the answer too unfortunately.

I think she dumped the body close to a path because she ran out of time, having had a puncture/tyre blow out and needing to wait for breakdown services

 

[Honeybirdette]

Mum insists daughter jailed over murder is innocent

Jemma Mitchell, 38, was told she would have to serve at least 34 years in prison for the “profoundly shocking” murder of 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong

www.devonlive.com

Speaking outside court, the retired Foreign Officer worker told PA news agency: “As far as I’m concerned she did not do it. She’s innocent. There’s absolutely no question about it and I know she would not do such a thing. I’m absolutely baffled.”


“I’m absolutely agog. There was no DNA on the body. If she had murdered the lady, at our house there would be blood and other things but there was nothing.


“Also at Deborah’s house, they said she was murdered there. There’s no blood, no nothing. And also, how could you squeeze a rigor mortis body into a suitcase, drag it out, lay it on the ground and DNA was not on the body?”

“If her DNA is not on the body, how can she be charged? I just don’t understand it.” During the trial, a pathologist said that the victim’s head fractures from a push onto the ground or being hit with a weapon would not necessarily have causing bleeding.

 

[Tortoise]

Mum insists daughter jailed over murder is innocent

Jemma Mitchell, 38, was told she would have to serve at least 34 years in prison for the “profoundly shocking” murder of 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong

www.devonlive.com

Speaking outside court, the retired Foreign Officer worker told PA news agency: “As far as I’m concerned she did not do it. She’s innocent. There’s absolutely no question about it and I know she would not do such a thing. I’m absolutely baffled.”


“I’m absolutely agog. There was no DNA on the body. If she had murdered the lady, at our house there would be blood and other things but there was nothing.


“Also at Deborah’s house, they said she was murdered there. There’s no blood, no nothing. And also, how could you squeeze a rigor mortis body into a suitcase, drag it out, lay it on the ground and DNA was not on the body?”

“If her DNA is not on the body, how can she be charged? I just don’t understand it.” During the trial, a pathologist said that the victim’s head fractures from a push onto the ground or being hit with a weapon would not necessarily have causing bleeding.

Oh goodness me, so if she thinks Deborah killed herself and her head detached by itself, how does she think Deborah transported herself to Salcombe and why does she not think it at all suspicious that her daughter was seen driving past the exact spot. And why would Jemma be forging Deborah's will?

It was Jemma's mother who said Deborah was "crackers" in her police statement!

 

[Alyce]

Mum insists daughter jailed over murder is innocent

Jemma Mitchell, 38, was told she would have to serve at least 34 years in prison for the “profoundly shocking” murder of 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong

www.devonlive.com

Speaking outside court, the retired Foreign Officer worker told PA news agency: “As far as I’m concerned she did not do it. She’s innocent. There’s absolutely no question about it and I know she would not do such a thing. I’m absolutely baffled.”


“I’m absolutely agog. There was no DNA on the body. If she had murdered the lady, at our house there would be blood and other things but there was nothing.


“Also at Deborah’s house, they said she was murdered there. There’s no blood, no nothing. And also, how could you squeeze a rigor mortis body into a suitcase, drag it out, lay it on the ground and DNA was not on the body?”

“If her DNA is not on the body, how can she be charged? I just don’t understand it.” During the trial, a pathologist said that the victim’s head fractures from a push onto the ground or being hit with a weapon would not necessarily have causing bleeding.

And also, how could you squeeze a rigor mortis body into a suitcase,


Clearly not very familiar with the process / timings of rigor.

 

[Teignmouth 22]

Mum insists daughter jailed over murder is innocent

Jemma Mitchell, 38, was told she would have to serve at least 34 years in prison for the “profoundly shocking” murder of 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong

www.devonlive.com

From the above report, Mitchell's mother is quoted as follows:

She said that if her daughter had given evidence she could have explained the suitcase contained “crockery, cutlery and tea towels”.

Which is interesting, as the taxi driver who picked Mitchell up told him the case was heavy because it contained books:

Killer told driver suitcase with decapitated body was full of BOOKS

Moideenkutty Vadakkhatil even offered to help with the suitcase carrying the body of Mee Kuen Chong into his cab when he saw the killer struggling to lift it.

www.dailymail.co.uk

The Daily Mail is not my favourite news source but I doubt the taxi driver would have any reason to lie and presumably had to give a statement to the police.

All of which makes me even more convinced that the verdict was absolutely the correct one!!!

 

[Honeybirdette]

Yeah and the “if she had given evidence she could have explained… and we are going to take it to the top because it’s not on”
Okay so why didn’t she give evidence then?? She chose not to give any! That was her chance to have her say.

She never spoke to police, answered no comment and during the trial her defence was basically “but have you really proved it was her”
No alternatives were put forward, no explanation for any of the (overwhelming) evidence, nothing.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

I too have been puzzled as to how this obviously academically gifted person meticulously planned a murder and theft of money but then in the end didn't carry it out in a way that even began to evade detection. Maybe, despite her seemingly calm demeanour, she was more badly affected by the whole death event than it appears? I'm still baffled as to how the large suitcase had no forensic evidence.

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Yeah and the “if she had given evidence she could have explained… and we are going to take it to the top because it’s not on”
Okay so why didn’t she give evidence then?? She chose not to give any! That was her chance to have her say.

She never spoke to police, answered no comment and during the trial her defence was basically “but have you really proved it was her”
No alternatives were put forward, no explanation for any of the (overwhelming) evidence, nothing.

Does she have the right to appeal her case? Maybe she's got something to surprise (shock!) us all with?

 

[Alyce]

Does she have the right to appeal her case? Maybe she's got something to surprise (shock!) us all with?

She can appeal the length of the sentence but unless she can produce some new evidence, then she would not be able to appeal the verdict.