Jury Hears Woman's Body Lay in St Helens Freezer for Years
A jury at Liverpool Crown Court has heard that a woman's body was kept in a chest freezer in a St Helens flat for almost three years. George Gordon, 65, is accused of murdering his friend Delia McInerney while he used credit cards and loans taken out in her name.
What the prosecution alleges
The trial heard that Gordon killed Delia McInerney, who was 62, in April 2023. This was days before she was due to move to Portugal to start a new life. She split her time between his flat in Gerards Court, trips abroad and her own house in Anfield.
Martin Reid KC, prosecuting, said Gordon bought items including a sledgehammer and a handsaw after hearing of her plans. He said these were "consistent with those that would later be used, or required, to kill and dismember" her. The court also heard that Gordon collected prescriptions for medication, and that such drugs were later detected in her body.
The last footage of her alive was a video taken on 11 April, showing her with her pet guinea pigs. She is alleged to have died that evening or in the early hours of 12 April. Later on 12 April more than £2,000 was sent from her bank accounts to Gordon.
The freezer and the lies
Gordon went to a pub for breakfast, the jury heard, then ordered a chest freezer from Amazon. On 24 April he travelled to Portugal and visited the property she owned there. Reid said Gordon posed as her in messages to her friends and neighbours.
Her friends had not seen her for a while. The prosecutor said Gordon spent more than 18 months giving them false answers about where she was. He is also accused of obtaining thousands of pounds from her accounts and credit cards in her name.
How it came apart
The deception began to unravel in December 2025, Reid said. Someone called Chris Cavendish-Gordon, claiming to be a social worker, asked the Department for Work and Pensions to move her personal independence payment to a different account.
Police made phone inquiries and checked her finances, then arrested Gordon at his flat on 8 January. As he was escorted out, he told officers "she's in the freezer".
Her dismembered body was found that day in the chest freezer, along with her five dead guinea pigs. Examinations showed the animals had died by drowning.
The defence
Gordon, who was known to her as Chris, did not appear in the dock. He admits killing her but denies murder. He first told police that he struck her with a hammer to put an end to her pain after an overdose. He now claims self-defence. He also denies causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
The trial is expected to last six weeks.
Our view
Gordon's account of the killing has changed between his first police interview and the trial. The jury will have to decide whether the claim of self-defence stands against the prosecution's evidence about the purchases, the money and the messages.
Source: BBC News