A man on trial for murder allegedly killed his friend, stored her dismembered body in a freezer with her five pet guinea pigs, and then told her friends they had attended the King's Coronation and been greeted by Sir Stephen Fry.
George Gordon, 65, is accused of murdering Delia McInerney in April 2023, days before she was due to move to Portugal for a new life. He is also accused of killing her five guinea pigs, which were found alongside her body parts in a chest freezer.
Alleged fraud and searches
Ms McInerney, 62 at the time of her death, stayed with Gordon at his flat in St Helens, Merseyside, when she was not travelling abroad or at her house in Anfield, Liverpool. Liverpool Crown Court heard that Gordon allegedly stole money from her accounts and took out loans and credit cards in her name before his arrest in January this year, when her body was discovered in the freezer.
Jurors were told Gordon made internet searches on websites including Filipino Cupid and Asian Dating, and looked up escort girls in Liverpool after her death. He also bought tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool and took selfies at the event.
Fantasies about the victim
Gordon claims he killed Ms McInerney in self-defence. It is alleged he came up with fantasies about her whereabouts and posed as his alleged victim. The court heard about messages allegedly sent by Gordon, who was known as Chris, on her phone to friends inquiring about her.
WhatsApp and email messages shown to jurors included one telling a friend: "Chris has got an invitation to the Coronation." Further messages claimed the pair were invited because Gordon knows King Charles and had exchanged Christmas cards with the Royals for 40 years. The messages said they had been at Westminster Abbey, seated among actors and luvvies, and that Gordon knew some of the clergy who was at Cambridge with him. One message added that Sir Stephen Fry and Dame Joanna Lumley had called out to them at the end of the VIP ceremony.
False stories and trial
In other messages, Gordon allegedly told friends Ms McInerney could not communicate properly as she was in Portugal, and later claimed she had met another man and was moving to Australia. Jurors were also shown a series of loan and credit card applications made in her name after her death.
Gordon denies murder and causing unnecessary suffering to animals. The trial continues.
