Former EastEnders actress killed over sink row

The trial of Tony McCluskie, who stands accused of murdering his sister actress Gemma McCluskie, began today at the Old Bailey.

The court heard how the siblings had clashed over an overflowing sink resulting in the murder.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC told how the pair had been at odds over “the defendant’s habitual use of cannabis – and its most toxic form, skunk” for some time, reports BBC News.

However, Aylett went on to reveal how “the last straw” came in March last year when Mr McCluskie had left taps on at the flat he shared with his sister.

“Unsurprisingly, Miss McCluskie was exasperated by this. She had had enough. Later, while she was out, her friends heard her arguing on the telephone with her brother about what had happened.” – Aylett.

The prosecutor added that when Gemma had asked her brother to move out he killed her, cut up her body and dumped it in Regent’s Canal in East London.

Mr Aylett said that the the defendant then led police on a “wild goose choose” after reporting his sister missing but was caught out after investigators discovered that a man matching his description had taken a minicab to the canal the day after Miss McCluskie’s disappearance. Blood was found in the vehicle, while relatives of McCluskie confirmed it was him from CCTV images.

Tony McCluskie has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, however denies murder. The trial continues.

Gemma McCluskie appeared in over 40 episodes of the BBC soap EastEnders as Kerry Skinner.