A pensioner accused of murdering and dismembering his "soul mate" before storing her body in a freezer allegedly told a chip shop worker he would eat a guinea pig for Christmas dinner, a court has heard.
Delia McInerney was found dead in George Gordon's flat on Gerards Court in St Helens in January this year, alongside her five guinea pigs, which he is alleged to have drowned. The 62-year-old, from Anfield, is said to have been killed as long ago as April 2023, apparently struck over the head with a hammer, just days before she planned to move to Portugal for a "new life".
Chip shop worker's testimony
Katie Meadows, who worked at Paul's Fish Bar in St Helens, told the jury of five men and seven women that Gordon visited the shop "at least twice a week, maybe three times a week". She described him as "very well mannered, very big, well mannered. He always had a suit on and he smelt a bit funny."
Ms Meadows said Gordon was a "compulsive liar" who would show pictures on his phone claiming they were of his daughter or wife, adding: "You could tell he'd just got it up off Google. He spoke about numerous wives."
She also recalled a work Christmas party in Liverpool city centre when Gordon appeared "with a guinea pig in his hand". She said: "We turned around, and he was there. He was near the train station, and he had a guinea pig on his knee. I was stroking the guinea pig, which he then said he was going to eat for his Christmas dinner. I offered him a Christmas dinner. I cook for everybody on the estate, all the elderly. He said 'no, I'm fine, I'm having guinea pig'."
Alleged confession and fraud
Ms Meadows said Gordon later visited the chip shop on Christmas Eve and offered her a "Christmas tip" of £50 or £100, at which point he told her "the b**** is dead". She recalled: "I've never heard him swear. He was dead well mannered. 'The f***ing b**** is dead' were his words, 'the bad one, not the good one, the wife'. Those were his exact words."
Prosecution counsel Martin Reid KC said in his opening that police attended Gordon's flat on 8 January after concerns were raised about McInerney's whereabouts. He said Gordon had lied to her friends for over 18 months, sometimes pretending to be her in messages. Her dismembered body was found in a chest freezer. Gordon allegedly stole thousands of pounds from her accounts and took out a £10,000 loan and credit cards in her name.
Gordon, 65, denies murder and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. He admits killing McInerney but claims self-defence. The trial before Mr Justice Goose continues.
