Woman given 23 years for murder of friend

A woman has been jailed for at least 23 years for murdering her friend and dismembering her body after demanding a sexual relationship.

Gareeca Gordon, 28, stabbed Phoenix Netts, also 28, at the property where they both lived in Birmingham on April 16 last year.

Bristol Crown Court heard Gordon stabbed Ms Netts four times, causing fatal injuries, before dismembering her body with a circular saw.

After killing Ms Netts, Gordon set about deceiving her friends and family through text messages, emails and voice messages that she was still alive and had moved to London.

Gordon was arrested near Coleford in the Forest of Dean at about 11pm on May 12 last year, with officers finding her beside a quarry with two suitcases found to contain the remains of Ms Netts.

The defendant had previously pleaded guilty to Ms Netts’s murder days before she was due to stand trial.

Yesterday she was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years and six months at the same court.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Andrew Smith QC said Ms Netts had told a friend in February that Gordon had “demanded sex with her” and became “aggressive” when she said no.

He told the court that another woman living in the shared accommodation with Ms Netts and Gordon heard noises of drilling and banging, as well as shouts of “help me, help me”, on April 16.

The last known contact Ms Netts had was a phone call with a friend in the early hours of April 16. Following the murder, Gordon purchased a circular saw on Gumtree for £45 and used it to dismember Ms Netts.