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| EastEnders' Gemma McCluskie murder: Brother guilty | EastEnders' Gemma McCluskie murder: Brother guilty |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The brother of former EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie has been found guilty of her murder and told he will serve at least 20 years in jail. | The brother of former EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie has been found guilty of her murder and told he will serve at least 20 years in jail. |
| Tony McCluskie, 35, of Shoreditch, east London, had admitted manslaughter at the Old Bailey but denied her murder. | Tony McCluskie, 35, of Shoreditch, east London, had admitted manslaughter at the Old Bailey but denied her murder. |
| Miss McCluskie's torso was found in Regent's Canal, Hackney, last March. Other body parts were found later. | Miss McCluskie's torso was found in Regent's Canal, Hackney, last March. Other body parts were found later. |
| The 29-year-old actress played Kerry Skinner, the niece of Ethel Skinner, in the BBC soap in 2001. | The 29-year-old actress played Kerry Skinner, the niece of Ethel Skinner, in the BBC soap in 2001. |
| Hacked into pieces | |
| McCluskie was found guilty by an 11-1 majority and given a life sentence. | |
| Miss McCluskie's mutilated body was found floating in the canal in east London on 6 March last year. | Miss McCluskie's mutilated body was found floating in the canal in east London on 6 March last year. |
| She was killed by being hit over the head at least twice and her body was hacked into six pieces using a cleaver and a knife. | She was killed by being hit over the head at least twice and her body was hacked into six pieces using a cleaver and a knife. |
| McCluskie, a 36-year-old window cleaner and skunk cannabis smoker, claimed to have lost control after a tirade of abuse from his sister. | McCluskie, a 36-year-old window cleaner and skunk cannabis smoker, claimed to have lost control after a tirade of abuse from his sister. |
| He said the last thing he remembered was her coming at him with a knife. | He said the last thing he remembered was her coming at him with a knife. |
| But the prosecution said he killed his sister after she lost patience with him and asked him to leave the flat in Pelter Street, Shoreditch, where they lived. | |
| The final straw came when McCluskie left taps running and a sink overflowed in March last year, the jury heard. | The final straw came when McCluskie left taps running and a sink overflowed in March last year, the jury heard. |
| The Old Bailey heard that on 2 March McCluskie lugged a heavy suitcase to a local cab firm and was seen taking it towards the canal. | |
| When the cab driver asked what was in his bag he said it was a sound system. | |
| 'Zest for life' | |
| Miss McCluskie's torso was found a week later when the case snapped open, and her limbs were found in plastic bags a week later. | |
| But her head was not found until six months later when it too was discovered in the water. | |
| Mr Justice Fulford told McCluskie: "I have no doubt that you killed your sister because she was furious with you for letting a sink overflow in the bathroom. | |
| "I unhesitatingly reject your account that she had used bad language towards you or that she had belittled you in the past. | |
| "Gemma McCluskie was a young woman with a huge zest for life. She was a warm-hearted woman who was loved by a great many people." | |
| He said McCluskie had set about "in a cold-blooded way" to conceal what he had done. | |
| "Your hope must have been that she would never be found," the judge added. |