A man has gone on trial accused of murdering his friend and keeping her dismembered body in a chest freezer with her pet guinea pigs for almost three years while taking out credit cards and loans in her name. George Gordon, 65, admits killing Delia McInerney, 62, but claims he acted in self-defence, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
Ms McInerney, an artist described by a relative as Gordon's "soulmate", stayed at Gordon's flat in St Helens, Merseyside, when she was not travelling abroad or at her house in Anfield, Liverpool. The court heard she was due to move to Portugal for a "new life" in April 2023, days after the killing is alleged to have happened.
Prosecutor Martin Reid KC told the jury Ms McInerney's body was found by police in a chest freezer at Gordon's flat in Gerards Court on 8 January. He said Gordon, known as Chris to his victim and their friends, posed as Ms McInerney in messages and emails after her death, fraudulently took thousands of pounds from her bank accounts and obtained a loan and credit cards in her name.
Mr Reid said that after hearing of her plans to move to Portugal, Gordon bought a sledgehammer and a handsaw “consistent with those that would later be used, or required, to kill and dismember Ms McInerney”. He also collected prescriptions for medications later found in her system. On 11 April he filmed her with her five guinea pigs, the last footage in which she was seen alive. Examinations of the guinea pigs showed they died by drowning, the jury heard, and Mr Reid told the jury the prosecution said they were to “meet the same fate as their owner”.
Later on 12 April, more than £2,000 was sent from Ms McInerney's accounts to Gordon. The court heard he had breakfast at The Sefton Pub with a pint of Strongbow and a double whisky before ordering a chest freezer from Amazon. He travelled to Portugal on 24 April and visited a property Ms McInerney owned there.
Friends were told variously that she had been taken ill or that she had attended the King's coronation in May 2023 with Gordon, where she claimed they met Dame Joanna Lumley and Sir Stephen Fry. Mr Reid said: "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."
The “web of lies” began to unravel in December 2025 after someone called Chris Cavendish-Gordon, who claimed to be a social worker, asked the Department of Work and Pensions for Ms McInerney's personal independence payment to be transferred to a different account. After telephone inquiries and financial checks, Gordon was arrested at his flat on 8 January and told officers “she's in there” and “she's in the freezer”.
Gordon, who did not appear in the dock, initially told police he had hit Ms McInerney with a hammer to "end her suffering" after she had taken an overdose, but now claims he acted in self-defence, Mr Reid said. He denies murder and causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The case involves the alleged killing of a woman days before she was to start a new life abroad, followed by nearly three years in which prosecutors say her friends were deceived into believing she was still alive.
- Prosecutors say Gordon not only hid the death but used McInerney's identity to obtain money, and that her pet guinea pigs were also killed, adding an animal cruelty dimension to the trial.
- The trial will test competing accounts: the prosecution says murder, while Gordon says he killed her in self-defence, and previously told police he acted to end her suffering.
Background
Delia McInerney was an artist in her 60s who divided her time between her own home in Anfield and Gordon's flat in St Helens. In April 2023 she was preparing to move to Portugal with her five guinea pigs, according to the prosecution. Her body was not discovered until January this year, when police searched Gordon's flat. The case is being heard at Liverpool Crown Court, where Gordon denies murder and causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
Key Perspectives
Prosecution (Martin Reid KC): Says Gordon killed McInerney at his flat, dismembered her body and kept it in a freezer, defrauded her bank accounts and posed as her in messages to friends, and killed her guinea pigs.
George Gordon: Admits killing McInerney but denies murder and the animal cruelty charge. He initially told police he hit her with a hammer to "end her suffering" after an overdose, and now claims he acted in self-defence.
What to Watch
- The trial continues at Liverpool Crown Court, with further prosecution and defence evidence still to come.
- Whether the jury hears more about the request to transfer McInerney's personal independence payment, which prosecutors say unravelled Gordon's deception.
- The jury's verdict on the competing claims of murder and self-defence.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedGordon is accused of murdering McInerney.The Independent UK: “Gordon, 65, allegedly killed his artist “soulmate” Delia McInerney in April 2023”
- SupportedMcInerney’s dismembered body was kept in a freezer with her pet guinea pigs for almost three years.The Independent UK: “A man murdered his friend and kept her dismembered body in a freezer with her pet guinea pigs for almost three years”
- SupportedGordon admits killing McInerney but claims he acted in self-defence.The Independent UK: “Gordon, who did not appear in the dock, 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.”
- SupportedA relative described McInerney as Gordon’s “soulmate”.The Independent UK: “Gordon, who did not appear in the dock, admits killing Ms McInerney, described by a relative as his “soulmate””
- SupportedReid said the tools were “consistent with those that would later be used, or required, to kill and dismember Ms McInerney”.The Independent UK: “which were “consistent with those that would later be used, or required, to kill and dismember Ms McInerney”, Mr Reid said.”
- SupportedReid said the prosecution believed the guinea pigs were to “meet the same fate as their owner”.The Independent UK: “They were, the prosecution says, to meet the same fate as their owner Ms McInerney.”
- SupportedReid described the coronation story as a “ridiculous account” and said McInerney’s body was in Gordon’s freezer at the time.The Independent UK: “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.”
- SupportedPolice found McInerney’s body in a chest freezer at Gordon’s flat on 8 January.The Independent UK: “Ms McInerney’s body was found by police in a chest freezer at Gordon’s flat, in Gerards Court, on 8 January this year.”
- SupportedExaminations showed that McInerney’s five guinea pigs died by drowning.The Independent UK: “These, the Crown says, are the same five guinea pigs that Ms McInerney was planning to take to Portugal just two days later”
- SupportedMore than £2,000 was sent from McInerney’s accounts to Gordon on 12 April.The Independent UK: “Later on 12 April, more than £2,000 was sent from Ms McInerney’s bank accounts to Gordon, the jury was told.”
- SupportedIn December 2025, someone claiming to be a social worker asked for McInerney’s PIP to be transferred to another account.The Independent UK: “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.”
- SupportedWhen arrested, Gordon told officers “she’s in there” and “she’s in the freezer”.The Independent UK: “Gordon was arrested at his flat on 8 January and as he was escorted out told officers “she’s in there” and added “she’s in the freezer”.”