Devout Christian decapitated her church friend, trial told

A devout Christian trained in human dissection killed and decapitated her church friend, the Old Bailey has heard.

Jemma Mitchell, 38, is accused of murdering 67-year-old Mee Kuen Chong after falling out over money in 2021.

Ms Chong was reported missing from her home in Wembley, London, and her headless body found more than 200 miles (320km) away in woods near Salcombe, Devon, 16 days later.

Ms Mitchell, from Brent, denies murder.

Opening Ms Mitchell's trial, Deanna Heer KC said: "It is the prosecution case that she assaulted and killed the deceased, and then transported her body to Salcombe in a large blue suitcase where she attempted to dispose of it in the woods."

The prosecutor said Ms Mitchell visited the victim on the day she went missing, 11 June, and was captured on CCTV footage walking from Ms Chong's house with two suitcases.

"The larger of the two was obviously very heavy and difficult to manoeuvre. It is the prosecution case that it contained the body of Mee Kuen Chong," Ms Heer said.

She argued Ms Mitchell had travelled to Salcombe with the suitcase on 26 June in a rented grey Volvo, adding the vehicle was captured on CCTV footage driving towards the area of woodland where Ms Chong's body was found.

Ms Heer told the court a woman who had been on holiday "made a gruesome discovery - the headless body of a woman", while out for a walk with her family on 27 June.

Jurors heard that after Ms Chong's remains were found lying at the bottom of some steps, the area was cordoned off and an extensive search began.

Four days later, her head was discovered about 10m (30ft) away in undergrowth, the court was told.

Ms Heer said a post-mortem examination had been unable to determine the woman's cause of death due to the degree of decomposition, but her body appeared to have been cut and there were signs of assault, including a skull fracture suggesting "significant impact by a blunt object very shortly before death".

Jurors were told that Ms Mitchell had studied osteopathy, and her professional website said she was "attuned to subjects in neuroanatomy, genetics and dissection of human cadavers".

After practising for seven years in Australia, she returned to Britain in 2015 and has not worked since, the court was told.

Ms Heer said devout Christian Ms Mitchell had befriended the victim through church, but they "had recently fallen out over money".

Ms Chong was described as vulnerable and prone to erratic behaviour, and had been referred to a community mental health team after sending letters to the then Prince Charles and Boris Johnson.

At the time of Ms Chong's death, Ms Mitchell was living with her mother at a family home in Brent, which was in a state of disrepair, jurors heard.

The property had no roof and was covered in scaffolding, and Ms Chong had agreed to hand over £200,000 to help with repairs, the prosecution claims, before she had a change of heart.

Ms Mitchell denies murdering Ms Chong on a date between 10 and 27 June last year.

The trial continues.

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