A couple who preyed on men seeking sexual services, drugging them before stealing from them, have been jailed for the manslaughter of two victims and the poisoning of two others. Adina Mihai and Madalin Dumitru were each sentenced at Oxford Crown Court to 17 years in prison after admitting the manslaughter of Gary Mouat, 36, of Oxfordshire, and Malcolm King, 80, of Gloucestershire, along with two counts of administering poison to men who survived the attacks.
The pair entered their guilty pleas on the opening day of their trial in June 2026, having originally faced 19 charges each. According to a national broadcaster's report, the remaining charges were dropped after Mihai and Dumitru admitted the four counts. The same report states that sentencing had been expected at a later date, with the pair held in custody following their pleas — a detail that differs from the account of an immediate 17-year sentence described elsewhere.
How did the couple carry out the attacks?
Prosecutors said Mihai and Dumitru targeted men looking for sexual services between August 2024 and July 2025, taking deposits before Mihai arranged to meet victims in person. Once contact was made, drinks were spiked with gamma-butyrolactone, known as GBL, a substance that converts into GHB inside the body and can incapacitate a person, allowing the pair to rob them, according to the broadcaster's coverage of the case. The two men who survived being poisoned cannot be identified because of reporting restrictions.
Who were the victims?
Malcolm King, 80, from Gloucestershire, was one of two men killed as a result of the drugging. Separate reporting from an international news outlet identifies King as a British businessman who had previously worked as a fixer for former Steinhoff chief executive Markus Jooste. Gary Mouat, 36, of Oxfordshire, was the other man who died. Mihai and Dumitru are reported to have been living in Ilford, London, in the period before the offences took place, according to the broadcaster's account.
What happens next?
Some reporting indicates the couple's sentencing hearing, at which the remaining charges were expected to be resolved, was anticipated for late July or early August 2026. This account differs from other coverage stating both defendants had already received 17-year sentences at Oxford Crown Court, and both versions are presented here pending further clarification.
Key Facts
- Adina Mihai and Madalin Dumitru were jailed 17 years each at Oxford Crown Court over the manslaughter of two men.
- Victims Gary Mouat, 36, and Malcolm King, 80, died after being drugged as part of a robbery scheme targeting men seeking sexual services.
- The couple admitted four charges, including two counts of poisoning surviving victims, after originally facing 19 charges each.
- Malcolm King had previously acted as a fixer for former Steinhoff chief executive Markus Jooste, according to international reporting.
- Some reports say sentencing was still pending as of the guilty pleas, with a hearing anticipated for late July or early August 2026.
