Married father-of-two, 38, appears in court charged with assisting woman accused of murder after burned torso was found 'sawed in half' and stuffed into two suitcases in Forest of Dean - as police raid house 'that looked like abattoir'
- Mahesh Sorathiya is charged with assisting an offender after the grim discovery
- Gareeca Conita Gordon is accused of killing a woman whose body was in bags
- Both appeared before magistrates in Cheltenham today before being remanded
- Neighbours told of shock as police descended on Sorathiya's five-bed home
- DNA testing is being used to identify the victim, thought to be from Birmingham
A married father-of-two and a 27-year-old woman have appeared in court after a woman's body was 'sawed in half', burned and stuffed in suitcases in the Forest of Dean.
Mahesh Sorathiya, 38, from Wolverhampton and Gareeca Conita Gordon, from Birmingham, were in the dock at Cheltenham Magistrates Court this morning after the human remains were found inside two bags on Tuesday night.
No pleas were given as Gordon appeared charged with murder and Sorathiya accused of assisting an offer.
The victim, thought to be a woman from the Lozells area of Birmingham, has not been named pending DNA results.
She could have died as long as a month before the body was discovered, the court was told.
Mahesh Sorathiya, 38, from Wolverhampton, pictured, was held by officers after the human remains were found inside two bags on Tuesday night
Police were last night pictured outside Sorathiya's home in Wolverhampton as neighbours spoke of their shock at the arrest and charge
Police yesterday used sniffer dogs, pictured, as they continued searching through woodland, where the victim's body was dumped
Sorathiya, pictured, was considered a friend to neighbours, who only recently saw him cleaning his car on the driveway
Wearing a grey jumper, Jamaican national Gordon was told she is charged with murdering a so far unidentified woman between April 14 and May 12 at Salisbury Road in Birchfield, Birmingham.
The prosecutor, Kathryn Jones, told the court that the case was too serious to be dealt with by magistrates as Matthew Harbinson, defending, said he would not be applying for bail.
District Judge Joti Bopa Rai remanded Gordon into custody until her next hearing Gloucester Crown Court on May 19 before Sorathiya, also wearing a grey sweatshirt, appeared in a separate hearing.
Ms Jones said: 'The investigation began with a road traffic stop by police in Forest of Dean.
'Ms Gordon was found near a quarry while Mr Sorathiya was located up the road and the suitcases were located nearby.
'Mr Sorathiya told the police that he had dropped Ms Gordon at a remote location with a bicycle.'
She said the body was decomposing when police found it in the suitcases.
The court was told the pair had made a number of trips from the Midlands to Gloucestershire and that the body's remains were charred.
A map, pictured, shows where Sorathiya and Gordon were arrested by police following the grim discovery on Tuesday night
The tradesman, pictured, moved to the home three years ago from Slough, Berkshire, three years ago with his wife, Redha
Police carrying out searches and door to door enquiries in Birmingham. Two people have since been charged in connection with the discovery and murder arrests after body parts were found in the Forest of Dean on Tuesday night
Making a bail application for Mr Sorathiya, defence lawyer Ryan O'Donnell said that his client had received a 'small recompense' for his taxi service to the area.
'Mr Sorathiya was spotted cleaning his car in Coleford's high street with wet wipes,' he said.
'He has a settled home life, even if his wife kicked him out recently for a few days after an argument.'
Ms Jones added: 'Sorathiya must have been aware of what he was doing as body parts leaves residual traces.'
Judge Bopa Rai said that the smell of human decomposition would have been 'disgusting' even if the body had been charred.
The judge refused bail and remanded Sorathiya in custody until the Gloucester Crown Court hearing on May 19.
The court was told that it was likely that any future hearings would be held at Birmingham Crown Court.
Neighbours in Wolverhampton last night told of their shock as police descended on Sorathiya's five-bed home in a quiet residential cul-de-sac.
The tradesman moved to the home three years ago from Slough, Berkshire, three years ago with his wife, Redha.
The Indian couple are said to have two teenage children.
A police search team were yesterday scouring through woodland, pictured, next to Stowfield Quarry in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. A man and woman are due to appear before magistrates in Cheltenham on Saturday
Police carrying out searches and door to door enquires in Birmingham in connection to the discovery. A woman, 27, and man, 38, will appear before Cheltenham Magistrates' Court on Saturday
Police carrying out searchers and door to door enquiries in Birmingham. Officers raided properties in Birmingham and Wolverhampton as they raced to identify the female victim
Police, pictured in woodland next to Stowfield Quarry in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, continue to search for clues today as the murder inquiry entered its third full day. A roadblock was also in place along the A4136
Neighbour Tesman Raju, 74, said: 'It's so shocking. They are a lovely family - I never had a bad word to say about them.
'I saw them all just the other week cleaning their car on the driveway. There didn't seem to be a problem.
'I considered them to be friends. When their father died, they knocked on my door and I went to their funeral. We got on well with them.
'The son is a nice guy. He didn't have a bad word to say about anyone. All the family is nice to talk to.
'It's such a shock to see the police here.'
A Mercedes remained parked in the drive of the house.
Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: 'They are a well off family. It's a nice house to live in and there's usually a white Range Rover outside.
'There have been detectives going in and out all day. Police officers have been knocking on doors asking questions but they're not telling us much.'
The property in Birmingham – the suspected murder scene - was described as being 'like an abattoir'.
A source close to the investigation told The Sun: 'It was like a bloodbath, they found a circular saw and the woman had been cut up the middle'.
It was also suggested that attempts had been made to burn the body.
Sorithiya and Gordon were charged by Gloucestershire Police last night, having earlier been given an extra 36 hours to question them.
Officers, yesterday, for the third day in a row, continued to search the scene of the arrests - a quarry near the village of Staunton.
A huge area of the countryside was cordoned off, though no other body parts have been found in the woodland as originally feared. Sniffer dogs were also utilised by officers on Friday, with trained spaniels seen searching through the area in the afternoon.
A roadblock was in place along the A4136 between Monmouth and Coleford as forensic officers swooped on the area. Three tents were erected at the entrance to Stowfield Quarry, which is accessed via the B4228.
A resident living near the quarry told how a strange burning smell hung around in the air just before the two people were arrested.
The man said: 'It was an unusual smell of burning, it definitely wasn't a bonfire because I burn a lot of wood on my property and it was nothing like it.
'I noticed it about 9.30pm on Tuesday night. It was actually strong enough for me to smell inside the house. I actually came outside to see what it was. I've never smelt anything similar around here.
West Midlands Police carrying out door to door enquiries. The force earlier said a post-mortem examination was found to be inconclusive and further examinations were ongoing to establish the cause of death
A road closure was still in place yesterday as police remained at the scene, pictured, after a torso was found in a suitcase. Police thanked local residents and drivers impacted by road closures for their patience throughout the investigation
'The wind usually blows from the South West but on Tuesday it was coming from the North East direction - the area near to the quarry where the police are now. I couldn't see anything, no fire or smoke, it was just the smell.
'What it was, I can't tell you but it was strange.'
Police also searched a container yard, near to the Regalrouge Dogue de Bordeaux grooming parlour.
A Gloucestershire Police spokesperson said on Friday afternoon: 'A post-mortem examination yesterday was found to be inconclusive and further examinations are ongoing to establish the cause of death. DNA testing is also ongoing to identify the female victim.
'Searches have continued today around the area of Stowfield Quarry, near Coleford and some road closures remain in place in the surrounding area.'
Police thanked local residents and drivers impacted by road closures for their patience throughout the investigation.
Gemma and David Greenway, who breed dogs and run a grooming salon, rang the alarm after spotting a man entering a lorry trailer yard near their home on the outskirts of Coleford, and were left 'shaken' by the horrific find.
The quarry is on Staunton Road and the closed section also contains a fishery, a former sawmill which now contains storage units, several houses and a campsite.
'I'm just so glad that David spotted him acting suspiciously and reported it,' Mrs Greenway, 37, told a local Facebook site.
One resident said on Thursday: 'The tents weren't there when I went out this morning but they had appeared by the time I got back. I don't know what's going on but they say I can't even walk along the road. Somebody said they had found a body and the police say the road will be closed all day.'
Forensic tents, pictured. The quarry is on Staunton Road and the closed section also contains a fishery, a former sawmill which now contains storage units, several houses and a campsite
Another resident who lives within the cordon earlier said: 'I don't know what's happening.
'I didn't notice anything until I drove down the road and came to the road block. I asked if I could go through and they said yes but I might not be able to get back in again. One of the officers said the road might be closed for a few days so it must be serious.'
The main A4136 from Cinderford to Monmouth was blocked off at the bottom of the hill at Monmouth and there was a further roadblock at the Coleford traffic lights.
The roadblock at the lights was stopping traffic from Monmouth and Staunton turning right into Coleford or heading past the fishery to Berry Hill and beyond.
Both blocked-off sections of road would have caused chaos on a normal working day and key workers had to find detours through the lanes.
Senior Investigating Officer DCI John Turner said on Thursday afternoon: 'The nature of this incident is distressing and we're working around the clock to fully understand what has happened.
'Someone's life has been lost and our priority is to identify the victim and get answers for her family.
'Searches have taken place in the surrounding area for evidence gathering and contrary to media reports no remains have been found as part of these searches.
'Our Major Crime Investigation Team is working in collaboration with the West Midlands Police homicide team to carry out further enquiries.'
No comments: