Gemma McCluskie: Police ‘happy’ with verdict after difficult case

Luke Jacobs Wednesday, January 30, 2013
6:00 PM

The officer who headed up the investigation into the murder of Gemma McCluskie has said there are still unanswered questions over her death.

Gemma McCluskie.'s brother has been found guilty of her murder. Picture: Metropolitan Police

Her brother, Tony McCluskie, 36, was today found guilty at the Old Bailey of her murder and sentenced to life in prison with a 20 year minimum term.

Acting DCI John Nicholson, from the Metropolitan Police, said the case was among the most horrific he had dealt with in 10 years investigating homicides.

Speaking to London 24 after the sentencing, he paid tribute to Gemma’s family after their ordeal.

He said: “Both myself and the team is happy that the court came to the right decision.

“It’s been difficult for us as a team on the one hand but for the family, it’s been terrifically difficult for them.

“You find out your daughter has gone missing, then you find out she’s been murdered, and then a few days later that it’s your son who is responsible.

“I think they have been looking forward to moving on with their lives,” he added. “They have had a fantastic police family liaison officer.”

DCI Nicholson said they had called in experts to examine past cases of fratricide - killings among siblings - only to discover how rare they were.

“The cases were few and far and between but there is some evidence that dismemberment does occur with close friends and family members,” he said.

“It appears that what they are trying to do is remove any trace of themselves.”

He said McCluskie’s claim that he was suffering from amnesia and a loss of control before he killed his sister made it difficult for officers to determine the sequence of events.

He added: “It’s hard to know where the dismemberment took place, what he used, when it happened. There are a lot of unanswered questions.”