A vulnerable woman believed she had a YouTube relationship with the Prince of Wales before she was murdered and her headless body dumped in woods, a court has been told.
Mee Kuen Chong, known as Deborah, was allegedly attacked in her north-west London home by churchgoing friend Jemma Mitchell, 38, and carried off in a large blue suitcase last June 11.
Fifteen days later, Mitchell allegedly hired a car and dumped Ms Chong’s decapitated body over 200 miles away in Salcombe, Devon, where it was found by a holidaying family.
Mitchell admits being the person seen on CCTV carrying the suitcase but denies murder, the Old Bailey heard.
On Friday, jurors were shown the suitcase before prosecutor Lucy Organ read out a series of statements from people who knew the victim, 67.
Doctor Alyson Callan said Ms Chong had a “perceived relationship” with Charles and believed she could communicate with him through video-sharing website YouTube, the court was told.
Last March 1, Ms Chong was referred by the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre at Buckingham Palace to the Brent community mental health team, Dr Callan said.
Dr Callan, who is a consultant psychiatrist with the Brent team, said: “The referral was made when Mee sent a number of letters addressed to Prince Charles and Boris Johnson.
“The contents of the letters contained nothing alarming but they were bizarre, suggesting she was having another episode of mental illness.”
The psychiatrist said Ms Chong was also referred in 2017 after being admitted to a mental health unit.
Ms Chong was visited last May and prescribed anti-psychotics but in early June complained they affected her sleep and appetite.
Two days before Ms Chong was reported missing, her lodger David Klein requested a carer for her, the doctor said.
Retired carpenter Michael McGreal, who went to the same church as Ms Chong and did work for her, said she was worried about climate change and had “strong political views”.
He said she would talk about leaving her house to the homeless and introduced Mitchell as a “friend”.
He said: “Deborah told me she was writing letters to Boris Johnson and Prince Charles about the running of the country.
“I do not know of Deborah having any disagreements with anyone. She had strong views about politics.
“She was a very kind person and allowed people to live in her house rent-free and supported people emotionally and financially.”
Howard Fraser, director of a curtain company which fitted bedroom drapes at Ms Chong’s home, said: “She came across as a lovely person and quite eccentric.
I was concerned about Deborah because she did not take much care when she met and spoke to strangers— Former lodger and evangelist Lorenia Alvaranqa
“I would describe her as a Bible basher.”
Former lodger and evangelist Lorenia Alvaranqa said: “Deborah was very passionate about politicians. There were times when I thought she would physically hit me, although this never transpired.”
She said Ms Chong asked her to read a letter she had written to the Government.
She described the pensioner as “quite frightening” so she moved out in November 2020.
She said in her witness statement: “The last two weeks before moving out, Deborah was not eating or sleeping. She would spend hours writing letters to the Prime Minister and the Government.”
On learning Ms Chong was missing, Ms Alvaranaa said: “I felt something bad had happened to Deborah. I was concerned about Deborah because she did not take much care when she met and spoke to strangers.”
Ms Alvaranqa said she met Mitchell at a barbecue at Ms Chong’s house.
Mitchell was introduced as Ms Chong’s lodger Mr Klein’s friend and revealed she was “in love with someone” and wanted to get married but did not say who it was, the jury was told.
Later, jurors heard evidence about an incident on the day Mitchell allegedly made a 500-mile round trip to dump Ms Chong’s body in Devon.
On the evening of June 26, Mitchell was forced to pull into a garage in Malborough near Salcombe with a flat tyre.
A former AA repairman, who was called to change the wheel on Mitchell’s rented Volvo, described Mitchell’s “confused” demeanour and an “odd musty smell” inside the vehicle.
Lee Gardin said he arrived at the Co-op garage at around 8pm to find Mitchell’s tyre and the alloy wheel were both damaged.
He described seeing a small travel suitcase in the boot which Mitchell moved to access the spare wheel.
Asked where she was heading to, Mitchell allegedly said she was going to Cornwall to watch the sunrise.
Mr Gardin said: “Originally she was not sure where she wanted to go in Cornwall which I found a little bit odd given she was here on a trip. You would expect someone to have a rough idea of where they wanted to go on their holidays.
“After a bit she piped up with Land’s End – about two and a half hours from where we were.
“She just wanted to stay overnight in the car so she could watch the sunrise somewhere where there is a cliff or beach so she could possibly have a walk in the morning.”
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said: “You have a conversation about whether it was sensible to drive the car with a temporary wheel?”
Mr Gardin replied: “Yes. She asked me not to put the wheel in the boot which I thought was a bit strange.”
He went on: “There was an odd smell from the vehicle, it was a musty smell as if someone is staying overnight living in the vehicle with all the windows up with no ventilation or airflow. A very odd smell.
“It was not something I had smelt before.”
Asked about Mitchell’s demeanour, he said: “She seems a bit confused, she was quite intense. She was listening to me, I could see she was listening, taking all the information in from our conversation. I’m not sure what I was saying was sinking in. She asked lots of questions, I was having to repeat myself three or four times. I wondered whether she was autistic.”
Mitchell, from Willesden, north-west London, denies murder.
