Victim urged murder accused to sell £4m home and ‘enjoy money’, court told

Mee Kuen Chong, who was known as Deborah, was allegedly murdered by Jemma Mitchell after changing her mind about helping to bankroll her renovation.

A devout Christian urged her friend to sell her dilapidated home for £4 million and enjoy the money – before being allegedly killed and decapitated by her, a court has been told (Metropolitan Police/PA) (PA Archive)

A devout Christian urged her friend to sell her dilapidated home for £4 million and enjoy the money – before being allegedly killed and decapitated by her, a court has been told.

Mee Kuen Chong, 67, who was known as Deborah, was allegedly murdered by Jemma Mitchell after changing her mind about helping to bankroll her renovation project.

Prosecutors say she was killed at her home in Wembley, north-west London, with her headless body dumped in woods near Salcombe in Devon last June.

Police later recovered a forged will leaving the bulk of Ms Chong’s estate to 38-year-old Mitchell, who she met through church, jurors at the Old Bailey previously heard.

On Thursday, a statement from Mitchell’s mother, with whom the defendant lived in Willesden, north-west London, was read to the court.

In it, retired Foreign Office worker Hilary Collard said: “Deborah is a bit mental because of the things she says.

“She is crazy but she thinks she is going to get married to Prince Charles and she is all the time setting up table settings for Prince Charles and to have dinner parties.

“She had fake invitations and she invited people because she said she is going to get married to Prince Charles. Deborah is absolutely crackers.

“I believe after I met Deborah, Jemma told me she was crackers.”

Ms Collard went on to say Ms Chong had “changed her mind” about putting £200,000 into her daughter’s property project.

She said: “Deborah wanted to put some money into the house for her but decided against it so Jemma was just not talking to her any more.”

A stream of earlier messages between Mitchell and Ms Chong were read to the court, discussing the building project and making repeated reference to former prime minister Boris Johnson and the then-Prince of Wales.

Mitchell told Ms Chong: “I have a passion for healing, homeless people and the elderly.”

Asked what she studied at university, she said: “Osteopathy. Jesus heals.”

In another message, the defendant told her: “You are the only one that wants to help me to the bits that matter, practical stuff that shows love….You are truly of God.”

Later, Ms Chong told Mitchell there was too much stuff in her house, saying: “Stop being hoarder.”

She told her: “There is already enough work to be done in the house which you don’t have money for. It’s not logical.

“You have to rid of stuff and live simple life clear all things untouched unused.”

Mitchell went on to tell Ms Chong of her plan for a “church room with nature tweeting”.

By last April, Ms Chong was urging Mitchell to sell up and enjoy the proceeds, saying the house was worth £4 million.

She told Mitchell: “Sell it enjoy the money life is too short. Enjoy the moment.”

In another message, she said: “More construction will cost more money you don’t have.”

She also spoke about getting the roof fixed and heating restored at least.

In a later message, Mitchell told her: “You are beautiful inside and out.”

But on June 8 last year, Ms Chong told Mitchell: “Until you sold house I won’t want you to come to me or my house. I’m stressed to the core.”

Mitchell told her God had a plan, to which Ms Chong replied: “Live one day at a time, you will die before dreams and visions start to establish.”

The prosecution say Ms Chong was murdered on June 11 last year, although the defendant was said to have messaged her the day after.

Jurors have seen CCTV footage of Mitchell going to the area of Ms Chong’s address with a large blue suitcase and leaving hours later on June 11.

On June 26, she allegedly drove a hire car to Devon, where Ms Chong’s headless body was found by holidaymakers the next day.

Jurors have been told Ms Chong suffered from schizophrenia and had been prescribed medication.

Mitchell, who practiced as an osteopath in Australia, has denied murder and the trial continues.