Murdered girl scout Jodie Chesney's stepmum has opened up on the pain of the 17-year-old's brutal death - and having to break the news to the teenager's birth mum.

Joanne Chesney helped raise Jodie during a 12-year relationship with the teenager's dad Peter before the tragedy led to the collapse of their marriage.

Jodie was senselessly murdered as she hung out with her boyfriend in a park in Harold Hill, east London in March - and last month her killers Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, 19, and Arron Isaacs, 17 were jailed for life.

That night, Joanne had been celebrating husband Peter's 39th birthday and, speaking for the first time about Jodie's death, says "no words can describe" what the loss has been like.

Joanne also faced the awful task of having to break the tragic news to Jodie's birth mum Clare - who she had never met before.

Jodie's father Peter, stepmother Joanne and sister Lucy (
Image:
PA)

She told The Sun on Sunday: “I only had her details on Facebook so I sent her a message at around three or 4am after Jodie died asking her to get in touch as soon as she could.

“I ended up reaching her sister first and explained what happened before Clare called me. It was a really hard phone call, particularly because we’d never met.

“I had to tell her before it was suddenly in the news.”

On the night of Jodie's death, Joanne said she had gone back to her apartment early when she received a phone call from Peter.

She said she still remembers his exact words:"Jodie's dead. She's been stabbed".

Jodie suffered an 18cm (7in) deep stab wound, which almost passed right through her body in the horrific attack.

Jodie Chesney pictured on Downing Street in her Girl Scout uniform
Peter, pictured with his daughter

She collapsed into her boyfriend Eddie Coyle's arms before dying as the killers ran off into the darkness.

When sentencing Ong-a-Kwie and Isaacs, Judge Wendy Joseph QC told them: "One of you plunged a knife into Jodie's back.

"Jodie screamed until she could scream no more."

Peter has since launched the Jodie Chesney Foundation to combat the UK's knife crime epidemic.

But Joanne says sadly the shocking murder took its toll in her relationship with Peter.

Jodie was brutally stabbed to death in March

She said the pair were taking their grief out on each other and their relationship just couldn't survive.

She added: “We crumbled under the weight of our loss.”

A victim impact statement written by Peter was read out at the Old Bailey during sentencing. Many could be seen sobbing in the courtroom as they listened.

The scene of Jodie's murder in Amy's Park, Harold Hill (
Image:
Met Police)
Clare Gillham, Jodie's mum (pictured far right) (
Image:
Tony Kershaw / SWNS)

He wrote: “The murder of my beloved daughter has destroyed my life and the full extent as to how this has affected my family and me cannot possibly be explained simply in words.

"Almost one year ago from the date of this statement I had started an exciting new job as a salesman in the City and I was about to take over the world in a promising career.

"Now I sit here in the cabin in my garden writing this statement, I have left that job, the relationship with my wife has fallen apart and we are now getting divorced, I must sell my house, and above all, I have lost the most precious human being I will ever know.

Svenson Ong-a-Kwie was found guilty of Jodie's murder (
Image:
Met Police)
Isaacs was jailed for 18 years

"I still have a fantastic young daughter Lucy and we are leaning on each other throughout this tragedy."

Joanne had told the court: "I have watched the people I love crumble to pieces. I have watched my best friend change beyond recognition through grief. None of us will ever be the people we were when Jodie was alive."

She added: "I will never forget my husband breaking down, blaming himself for not being with her when she took her last breath. Knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do to take that pain away."