Woman admits Forest of Dean body in suitcases murder
A woman has admitted murdering another woman whose remains were found in suitcases in woodland.
Gareeca Gordon, 28, pleaded guilty to killing Phoenix Netts, 28, between 14 April and 12 May last year. After the murder, she carried out a series of "detailed, organised actions" to suggest Ms Netts was alive, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Gordon, who appeared via video link at Bristol Crown Court, had been due to stand trial on Monday. Police discovered Ms Netts' remains beside a quarry near Coleford in the Forest of Dean on 12 May 2020 after a member of the public reported suspicions about a vehicle, due to its erratic driving. Officers located the car, which had been on the A4136 near Coleford that evening, and spoke to two people, a man and a woman, who were then arrested. Gordon was seen by officers standing close to Stowfield Quarry with two large suitcases containing Ms Netts' remains. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Gordon murdered Ms Netts in the shared accommodation property where they both lived. She then tried to make out that Ms Netts was still alive, contacting friends and family of the victim with messages, emails and calls, pretending to be her and indicating that she was leaving the area to move to London. Gordon also purchased a circular saw to dismember the body and made several visits to the Coleford area before her arrest, the CPS said. Lesley Milner, of the CPS, said: "Gareeca Gordon committed a truly gruesome crime and tried to cover her tracks. She has now accepted the totality and consequences of her actions." Judge Peter Blair QC, the Recorder of Bristol, said Gordon, who is in custody at HMP Eastwood Park, would be sentenced on 4 May. Following the death of Ms Netts, from Birmingham, her family released a statement through West Midlands Police. They said they were "devastated with what had happened". Last year, a judge dismissed a charge against a second defendant in the case, Mahesh Sorathiya, from Wolverhampton, who had been accused of assisting Gordon. Related Internet Links HM Courts & Tribunals Service