Murder of Mee Kuen Chong

Mee Kuen Chong was a Malaysian woman living in London, who was murdered in 2021 by Jemma Mitchell. Mitchell killed her friend Chong (known as Deborah) at the latter's home in Wembley, following a disagreement over the withdrawal of an offer of financial help to fund a property renovation. Mitchell put Chong's decapitated body in a suitcase and drove 200 miles (320 km) to Devon to dispose of it in woodland. The case is notable for being the first trial with a murder conviction in England and Wales to have its sentencing phase televised, and the first televised sentencing of a woman in the UK. At the sentencing hearing, which took place at the Old Bailey in London on 28 October 2022, Mitchell was sentenced by presiding judge Richard Marks KC to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 34 years.

Background and murder

Jemma Mitchell, born 22 July 1984, grew up in Australia, where her mother worked for the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She moved to the UK with her mother and sister after her parents divorced.

She was educated at King Edward's School, Witley and in 2004 she attended King's College London to study a human sciences degree. The qualification included a course titled "Structural Basis of Human Functioning," during which she learnt to dissect the human body, and another module covering Experimental Anatomy. She demonstrated such skill during her study of the topic that she was awarded the Hamilton Prize for Anatomical Excellence, and graduated with First Class Honours. After studying osteopathy at the British School of Osteopathy she returned to Australia, where she set herself up as an osteopath.