The brother of murdered former Eastenders actress Gemma McCluskie is to stand trial in November. Tony McCluskie, 35, appeared at the Old Bailey this morning for a trial to be decided.
McCluskie is accused of the murder of his 29-year-old sister in March this year. Her headless torso was found in Regents Canal, Hackney on March 6 after she had been missing for several days. Her arms and legs were also found in the same stretch of canal, although police have said that her head is still missing.
Just hours before his arrest on March 8, McCluskie he had been continuing the search for his sister along with friends and other family members. Neighbours of the family, who lived in Bethnal Green, reported hearing a loud argument at the family home in the week before Gemma vanished.
Gemma McCluskie lived with her brother and her disabled mother, who she cared for full-time. McCluskie appeared in in more than 30 episodes of the BBC soap opera as teenage temptress Kerry Skinner in 2001.
