George Gordon, a 65-year-old from Gerards Court in St Helens, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of murdering his friend Delia McInerney, aged 62, in April 2023. Gordon has admitted to killing McInerney but maintains the death was in self-defence and denies the murder charge. According to BBC News, McInerney's dismembered body was discovered in a freezer at Gordon's flat in St Helens in January this year, along with her five dead guinea pigs.
During testimony on Thursday, John Lawler, Gordon's cousin, described how the defendant had fabricated stories about McInerney's whereabouts over an extended period. Lawler told the jury that Gordon claimed McInerney was living in Australia and keeping a low profile, though he also reported on separate occasions that she had been in Cyprus, Spain and Portugal. In late 2025, more than two years after her alleged death, Lawler said Gordon told him that McInerney was residing in Cornwall. Lawler characterised all of these accounts as "fantasies".
Lawler, who had known McInerney for approximately 15 years, testified that Gordon and McInerney shared a close relationship, describing them as "business partners and soulmates" who regularly attended art galleries and took holidays together. When questioned about the dynamics of their relationship, Lawler stated that McInerney was not in control. He also told the court that he had never witnessed any physical violence between the two, observing only "verbal" arguments.
The prosecution has presented evidence suggesting premeditation and financial motive. According to BBC News, prosecutors allege that Gordon purchased a sledgehammer and handsaw before McInerney's death, and subsequently obtained money, a loan and credit cards in her name. The Daily Record reported that more than £2,000 was transferred from McInerney's accounts to Gordon on 12 April 2023, the day after the alleged killing.
Gordon's defence centres on a claim of self-defence. According to the Liverpool Echo, the prosecution stated that Gordon's account was that McInerney struck him with a hammer or mallet and then attacked him with a knife. However, the prosecution argued there was no phone data placing him in Blackpool and no photographs documenting injuries around the relevant dates, undermining his self-defence narrative.
Prosecutors have also outlined a potential motive beyond financial gain. They alleged that McInerney was due to move to Portugal with her guinea pigs days after her death, and that Gordon's actions were motivated partly by financial considerations and fear that she would leave the United Kingdom. The jury was told that the five guinea pigs died by drowning.
Gordon faces two charges: murder and causing unnecessary suffering to animals. He denies both allegations. The trial before Mr Justice Goose is expected to last up to six weeks and remains ongoing.
