Newly launched images present artist Delia McInerney with the pets she adored earlier than, prosecutors allege, she was killed by a buddy who dismembered her physique and hid her stays in a freezer alongside these of her animals.
McInerney, 62, was allegedly killed by George Gordon, 65, at his flat in St Helens, Merseyside, in April 2023, solely days earlier than she was as a result of start a brand new life in Portugal.
Gordon claims he acted in self-defence after McInerney attacked him with a knife.
The prosecution alleges, nonetheless, that the killing was deliberate and motivated, at the least partly, by monetary acquire. Prosecutors additionally declare he killed her guinea pigs and positioned their our bodies within the freezer.
The trial is constant at Liverpool Crown Court docket.
Pictures of Gordon and the “eccentric” free spirit, together with photos of McInerney’s much-loved pets, had been proven to jurors and have now been made public.
One {photograph}, taken on March 29, 2023, reveals McInerney sporting a vivid orange jumper as she cuddles one in all her guinea pigs.
One other picture reveals Gordon smiling beside a stack of cages containing a few of the animals, whereas a separate {photograph} captures him reaching out to stroke a white rabbit.
Taken on March 29, 2023, the {photograph} reveals Delia McInerney in a shiny orange jumper cuddling one in all her guinea pigs
George Gordon stands beside one of many animal cages on December 12, 2023
On April 9, 2023, Ms McInerney was photographed holding the rabbit, which was wrapped in a white towel
The animals included 5 guinea pigs in several colors and a white lop-eared rabbit.
A separate {photograph} from April 2023 reveals McInerney cradling the rabbit in her arms whereas it’s wrapped in a white towel.
Giving proof at Liverpool Crown Court docket on Thursday, Gordon’s cousin John Lawler, who was additionally a buddy of McInerney, described her as a lady who liked journey and animals.
After Covid restrictions started to ease in 2021, she informed him she deliberate to journey to Australia to hitch a person she had met on-line, he mentioned.
Lawler later misplaced contact with McInerney in about 2022 and assumed she was residing illegally in Australia.
He additionally misplaced contact with Gordon till 2025, when Gordon unexpectedly requested him to assist clear his flat.
“He was developing with fantasies,” Lawler informed the jury.
“She’d gone to Australia to satisfy this man Rene. Then she ran away together with his girlfriend to New Zealand.
A March 2023 {photograph} reveals Gordon reaching out to stroke a white rabbit
Gordon smiles beside a stack of cages containing a few of McInerney’s pets in March 2023
“The girlfriend’s mother and father in New Zealand had been mega wealthy. That is what he informed me.”
Lawler added: “He simply stored fantasising about the place she was. She was right here, she was there, she was shifting on in every single place.”
The jury additionally heard that Gordon claimed McInerney had a farm in Cornwall, a narrative he reportedly informed Lawler solely weeks earlier than his arrest.
Different locations Gordon allegedly mentioned she had travelled to included Mexico, Peru and Denmark.
Throughout cross-examination by Gordon Cole KC, Lawler mentioned Gordon, who had lived with him for 2 years after leaving jail in 2013, informed him: “Delia’s stole all my cash.”
Lawler mentioned McInerney was affectionate in the direction of Gordon and would give him a “large kiss on the cheek” each time he cooked for her.
He rejected the suggestion that McInerney had been in charge of Gordon, describing him as “exceptionally beneficiant” and somebody who appeared to take pleasure in spending cash.
McInerney had shouted at Gordon solely as a result of he was “accident inclined”, Lawler added.
The pets included 5 guinea pigs of various colors and a white lop-eared rabbit
Prosecutors allege that, shortly earlier than the killing, Gordon purchased a sledgehammer and a cordless handsaw—instruments they are saying had been “constant” with the best way McInerney died.
He additionally bought a replica of the surgical reference e-book Grey’s Anatomy.
After McInerney’s dying, Gordon allegedly withdrew hundreds of kilos from her financial institution accounts and fraudulently secured bank cards and loans in her title.
The prosecution additional claims that, for 18 months, he impersonated McInerney in cellphone messages and emails to her pals and family, whereas spreading “lies” about the place she was.
Jurors heard on Thursday that Gordon had spoken “lots” to his niece Paula Tillman about McInerney after allegedly killing her.
Giving proof, Tillman mentioned: “He was all the time speaking about Delia, that he liked her and missed her.”
Gordon allegedly informed Tillman that McInerney had moved to Australia and begun a relationship with a lady. He additionally claimed to have acted as their “sperm donor”, enabling them to have a baby collectively.
Tillman described her uncle as “a little bit of a hoarder” and mentioned he stored “a lot of animals” in his flat.
She informed the court docket that the property had a “stench” coming from it.
Tillman additionally mentioned Gordon as soon as informed her that McInerney had struck him on the pinnacle with a frying pan, leaving him in want of hospital therapy.
Regardless of that, she mentioned McInerney appeared to be a “good lady” and described Gordon as being “like an enormous teddy bear”.
Gordon, who was within the dock after being absent from court docket on Wednesday, started to cry and wiped tears from his eyes.
The jury heard that residents at Gordon’s block of flats knew him as “Mr Parcel” as a result of he would settle for deliveries for neighbours once they had been out.
He allegedly informed neighbour Taylor Johnson that he and McInerney had “not lengthy had a child” and that she was “pregnant with one other” after having her eggs frozen.
Prosecutors allege that Gordon’s “net of lies” started to unravel in December 2025, when a council official contacted advantages workers with considerations about McInerney’s welfare, prompting a safeguarding investigation.
The inquiry led police to Gordon, who jurors have heard has a earlier fraud conviction.
When officers arrived at his flat in January this yr, he allegedly informed them: “She’s within the freezer.”
Gordon has admitted offences involving the concealment of McInerney’s physique and fraudulent monetary exercise following her dying.
He denies homicide and inflicting pointless struggling to an animal.
The trial continues.
