![\"Matthew](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Matthew-Birkinshaw.jpg\")
<\/a>The court heard Gordon contacted other men about more deals within hours of Mr Birkinshaw’s death.<\/p>\n
Prosecutor Tim Cray said she was “prepared to say to people she hardly knew” that taking their own life “was the right thing to do”.<\/p>\n
Sentencing judge Mrs Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb told Gordon, from Paston, Peterborough, she was “gripped by self-centredness” and had no “settled intention” to commit suicide herself.<\/p>\n
“I have found you misled [Mr Birkinshaw] into believing you were genuine and firmly intent on committing suicide with him, although you were not fully committed.”<\/p>\n
Gordon, who has a history of depression and has previously attempted to kill herself, denied the charge and said she had no input into his decision to die.<\/p>\n
After they met online, Gordon sent a message to Mr Birkinshaw which said: “I really can’t wait to go tomorrow, I hope you do not change your mind.”<\/p>\n
Mr Birkinshaw then travelled through the night to the defendant’s home.<\/p>\n
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told Gordon: “He was a stranger to you. You took no trouble to find out anything about him. You introduced the method that he used and advised him on how it was to be deployed.<\/p>\n
“He may not have gone through with it if you had not accompanied him.”<\/p>\n
On 17 December 2015, Ms Gordon contacted her partner from Rutland Water to tell him she was going to kill herself.<\/p>\n
He then raised the alarm with the police, who found Ms Gordon in a leopard-print coat with matching hat and leggings.<\/p>\n
It was then later when Ms Gordon disclosed that police should be looking for “another person at risk” – Mr Birkinshaw.<\/p>\n
The court heard that Royal Mail employee Mr Birkinshaw was found locked in the car and a police officer had to break the window with his baton.<\/p>\n
Mr Birkinshaw, who had been in good health and had a stable girlfriend, was pronounced dead at 19:24 GMT.<\/p>\n
The police then investigated Gordon and discovered the messages.<\/p>\n
Mr Birkinshaw’s mother, Margaret, said in an emotional statement in court: “His last words to me were ‘Give me a hug mum, I’ll be back tomorrow.’<\/p>\n
“I’ve asked myself a million times over the past two years ‘Why didn’t I ring him? Would it have made a difference if he’d heard my voice?”<\/p>\n
In a statement issued after the guilty verdict against Gordon, Mr Birkinshaw’s parents urged others who may be struggling to speak to some that has “your best interests at heart”.<\/p>\n
“If this message averts one tragedy, it will mean that something positive has come out of the death of such a beautiful and much-loved son.”<\/p>\n
If this story raised any issues\u00a0<\/i>click here<\/a>\u00a0for details of organisations which offer advice and support or call 0800 066 066.<\/i><\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"