Man convicted of murdering sister

30/01/2013

Tony McCluskie was today convicted of the murder of his sister, Gemma McCluskie, at the Central Criminal Court. He was sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years.

Alison Saunders, CPS London Chief Crown Prosecutor, said: "This was an extremely distressing and violent case. McCluskie used all means possible to divert suspicion away from himself, giving false hope to family and friends. After committing the crime on 1 March 2012 he filed a missing person's report and gave false information to the police.

"The strong case against him led McCluskie to admit unlawfully killing his sister and he pleaded guilty to manslaughter saying it was not intentional and that he had lost control.

"But the prosecution did not accept his plea to manslaughter. We felt that the evidence of brutality showed a deliberate intent to cause death or serious bodily harm to Gemma which amounts to murder.

"CPS London will robustly prosecute offenders to ensure that convictions reflect the nature of the crime.

"Our thoughts are with those who have been doubly affected by this tragedy."