A man accused of murder pretended he had been at the King's Coronation with his alleged victim and chatted with Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley as part of a "web of lies", a court has heard. George Gordon, who is accused of murdering his friend Delia McInerney, also allegedly used her phone to take a picture of himself at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool while she was already dead.
Body found in freezer
The remains of Ms McInerney were found in a chest freezer, alongside her five "beloved" guinea pigs, in 65-year-old Gordon's flat on Gerards Court in St Helens in January this year, a court was told. The 62-year-old deceased, of Anfield, was said to have been killed as long ago as April 2023, just days before she planned to move to Portugal to enjoy a "new life".
Gordon, who went to Wetherspoons on the day of the alleged murder and the following morning, supposedly bought a sledgehammer and electric handsaw from eBay in the weeks before Ms McInerney's death before allegedly stealing thousands of pounds from her bank account and taking out a £10,000 loan in her name. He denies murder and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and is currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Prosecution opens case
Opening the case on Wednesday, Martin Reid KC, prosecuting, told the jury of five men and seven women, as well as two reserves: "On the 8th of January this year, the police attended the defendant George Gordon's flat in St Helens. They went there because concerns had been raised by a number of people and agencies about the whereabouts and wellbeing of Delia McInerney."
Ms McInerney had been friends with the defendant for many years and spent much of her time living at his flat, although she had her own house in Liverpool and property abroad. Ms McInerney's friends had not seen her for some time. The defendant, for over 18 months, lied to them about her whereabouts and sometimes pretended to be Ms McInerney when communicating with her friends by phone messages or email.
"Unbeknown to them, but known very well to the defendant, Delia McInerney had died in April 2023 at the defendant's hands. Her dismembered body was found in a chest freezer in the defendant's flat on the 8th of January this year," Mr Reid said.
"In the meantime, the defendant fraudulently obtained thousands of pounds from her bank accounts and obtained a loan and credit cards in her name. The defendant admits that he killed Delia McInerney but claims, we understand, that he acted in self-defence."
Gordon 'drip-fed' information to alleged victim's friends
Gordon, who was known as Chris to Ms McInerney and their friends, is accused of murdering his friend on the evening of April 11 or in the early hours of April 12. Later on April 12, more than £2,000 was sent from Ms McInerney's bank accounts to Gordon, the jury was told.
The court heard that, on April 12, Gordon made two cash withdrawals and then had a pint of Strongbow and a double whiskey for breakfast at the Sefton pub. Mr Reid told the jury: "At this point, he clearly realised he must make further arrangements to hide Ms McInerney's body, because he made a purchase from Amazon for a 319 litre freestanding chest freezer. It was in a chest freezer that he would go on to hide her dismembered body."
Ms McInerney later did not show up for a previously booked Ryanair flight to Porto on April 13, with the prosecution telling the jury that she had died by this stage. Mr Reid said that, in the early hours of April 15, "the defendant sent an email to Ms McInerney's email address, perhaps already thinking of possible ways to cover his tracks".
The court heard the email said: "Missing you already dear. I wish you were here," before Gordon logged onto a dating website called Filipino Cupid. Mr Reid told the jury: "Messages to Ms McInerney's phone continued to go unanswered on April 18, however, the defendant, no doubt to avoid anyone becoming suspicious at Delia's lack of contact, began posing as Ms McInerney in contact with her friends."
Gordon was subsequently said to have travelled to Portugal on April 24 and visited a property which Ms McInerney owned there. The court heard that, while there, he told her friends Ms McInerney had a stroke and was in an induced coma.
Mr Reid said that, while posing as Ms McInerney, Gordon also told one of her friends: "I am now looking for a new home...sold the house in Liverpool and Spain to Chris." The prosecution silk said Gordon was "drip-feeding information to Delia's friends to explain if necessary her own absence from the Liverpool area".
'Meeting Joanna Lumley and Stephen Fry'
While in Portugal, Gordon was said to email his alleged victim's neighbour "posing as Delia McInerney," in which he wrote: "Believe it or not, Chris has got an invitation to the Coronation of that shape-shifting lizard," which the court heard was a reference to King Charles. The message continued: "[He] got me a ticket as a carer to look after him. For the last forty years he's been getting Christmas cards off him, if he thinks I'm curtsying to him he can f*** off."
The court heard that, when asked how the Coronation went, Gordon, "again posing as Delia," told a "ridiculous lie" about being greeted by actress Joanna Lumley and comedian and author Stephen Fry in Westminster Abbey. Mr Reid told the jury: "This ridiculous account would almost be amusing were it not for the knowledge that all this time, rather than meeting famous actors at the King's Coronation, Ms McInerney's body was lying in a chest freezer in the defendant's flat in St Helens."
Jurors also heard that, on a separate occasion, Gordon said they had an invitation to the Eurovision Song Contest when it was held in Liverpool. He was later said to have used Ms McInerney's phone to take a photo of himself at the event.
Mr Reid, who was supported in court by junior Katy Appleton, told the jury: "For over a year-and-a-half, the defendant had managed to deceive many of Delia McInerney's friends into believing that she was still alive."
Web of lies unravels
But the court heard Gordon's "web of lies" began to unravel in December 2025 after a request was made to the Department of Work and Pensions by someone called Chris Cavendish-Gordon, who claimed to be a social worker, asking for Ms McInerney's personal independence payment (PIP) be transferred to a different account.
The jury was told after telephone inquiries and financial checks, Gordon was arrested at his flat on January 8 and as he was escorted out told officers "she's in there" and added "she's in the freezer".
Gordon, who did not appear in the dock on Wednesday, admits killing Ms McInerney, described by a relative as his "soulmate", but initially told police he had hit her with a hammer to "end her suffering" after she had taken an overdose. Mr Reid said Gordon now claims he acted in self-defence. Gordon is represented by Gordon Cole KC and Philip Tully. The trial, before Mr Justice Goose, continues, and is expected to last for up to six weeks.
