A Romanian couple who drugged men with a powerful sedative before stealing from them have each been jailed for 17 years after admitting responsibility for the deaths of two victims.Adina Mihai, 31, and Madalin Dumitru, 30, admitted the manslaughter of Gary Mouat, 37, from Oxfordshire, and Malcolm King, 80, from Gloucestershire at Oxford Crown Court, BBC reported.The pair also admitted two further charges of administering poison to men who survived the attacks.
How the couple targeted victims
Mihai posed as a sex worker and advertised her services online before arranging to meet men at their homes.Prosecutor Julian Evans KC told the court that Dumitru would drive Mihai to the addresses and wait nearby.Once inside, Mihai would encourage the men to drink alcohol that had been spiked with gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), a powerful sedative.The victims would then lose consciousness, allowing the couple to steal valuables including cash, jewellery, watches and aftershave.Four men were drugged in total. Two died, while two others survived.The court heard that Dumitru remained nearby during the meetings and appeared to have weapons in case there was trouble.
Two men died months apart
King, who had longstanding heart problems and a pacemaker, died in August 2024. His death was initially treated as non-suspicious.The case was revisited after Mouat died almost a year later.Police subsequently linked the two deaths and investigated two other men who had survived after being drugged and robbed.A Rolex watch, jewellery and aftershave were among the items stolen from the victims.The couple were eventually arrested after police stopped a BMW driven by Dumitru, with Mihai in the front passenger seat. Officers found property belonging to some of the victims inside the vehicle.Mihai’s fingerprints were also found on wine glasses left at the men’s homes.
Judge warns about dangers of GBL
Sentencing them at Oxford Crown Court, Mrs Justice Brunner said the amount of GBL given to the victims had been “haphazard”.She told the couple that they should have understood the danger of giving people the drug and leaving them unconscious.“You left each victim alone in a state of deep unconsciousness, and a moment’s thought could and should have led to the realisation that they might never come round.”The judge also said the couple had acted out of greed and should have realised that GBL could cause serious injury or death.
Mihai came to UK from Romania
Mihai, who is from Romania, had previously travelled to Britain and returned in 2023, where she began advertising sexual services online.She used the website VivaStreet to advertise her services and took cash deposits from some men before meeting them.The prosecution said the couple were willing to carry out the scheme for financial gain.
Families speak about victims
Mouat’s eight-year-old son gave a video statement to the court during sentencing.“My daddy was funny, silly, loving and a trickster, we always used to prank each other.”He added:“Why did you have to kill my daddy, you could have just taken the money, he was really kind, he would have given it to you.”Mouat’s son said his father’s death had made his life “really tough” and that he missed him every day.King’s younger sister, Jacky Seagroatt, said losing her brother had “devastated” her.She said the couple admitting responsibility had brought some relief, but not peace, adding that King’s wife had died before seeing justice done for her husband.
