Woman who left postman to die after agreeing suicide pact planned other death deals, court hears

Natasha Gordon on trial over death of Royal Mail worker Matthew Birkinshaw

Leicester Crown Court (PA)

A woman who left a postman to die alone after forming a suicide pact with him, started discussing new death deals under an hour after he was pronounced dead, a court heard.

Natasha Gordon was found by police in a leopard-print coat with matching hat and leggings, after allegedly leaving Matthew Birkinshaw in his Fiat Punto on 17 December 2015.

A jury at Leicester Crown Court heard how the Royal Mail employee, who was pronounced dead at 7.24pm, was found locked in his car and Police Constable James Brophy had to break the window with his baton.

But text messages read to the court between Gordon and two other males at 8.04pm and 9.28pm suggested she was entering further suicide pacts.

One of the officers to attend the scene at Rutland Water in Oakham, Rutland, said Gordon told him Mr Birkinshaw had given her £60 to get home but “asked her not to change his mind”.

Police Constable Gordon Scott, of Cambridgeshire Police, also said Gordon had “every opportunity to explain” her contact to the postman before he was pronounced dead.

He said: “The unknown male had given her £60 to get a taxi home and asked her not to change his mind.

“It was the intervention of her partner that then made her disclose that we should be looking for another person at risk.”

In a call to police on the day, Gordon's partner explained he thought she was going to kill herself.

He said: “She has been in a lot of pain over the last year and it is obviously affecting her mind.”

Police bodycam footage of Gordon's subsequent arrest showed the 44-year-old say: “I only tried to help him.”

In her evidence, Police Constable Anna Pollard said when she was taken to the station, Gordon added: “I don't want to die, that's why I pulled out of tonight.”

A motorist who passed the scene at 1.35pm on 17 December said: “They looked like they had broken down and were waiting to be picked up.

“At the time I thought there was smoke coming from the bonnet.”

Gordon, of Paston Ridings, Peterborough, denies a single charge of encouraging Mr Birkinshaw to take his own life.

PA