Two sentenced to 17 years for honey trap murders
Two people were sentenced to 17 years in prison for drugging and killing victims in honey trap robberies.
The Full Story
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Two sentenced to 17 years for honey trap murders
A couple who drugged and robbed men they met through escort ads have been jailed for 17 years each. Adina Mihai and Madeleine Dumitru targeted men seeking sexual services, spiking their drinks with the powerful sedative GBL before stealing high-value items. Two of their victims died.
The pair operated a lethal trap. Mihai posed as an escort to lure victims, while Dumitru provided transport. They used GBL, which can be extremely toxic, to render their targets unconscious. Their first known victim was Malcolm King, an 80-year-old property developer from Gloucestershire. He was found dead at his home in August 2024. Phone records linked the pair to his doorstep. Mihai laced his wine with GBL, which turned to GHB in the body, and stole his Rolex watch while he lay incapacitated. He suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after. His death was initially deemed non-suspicious due to a pre-existing health condition.
A year later, the death of Gary Muat, a 36-year-old married father of one, revealed the pattern. He had also contacted Mihai online. CCTV caught the pair at a petrol station after driving from Ilford. Dumitru brought a bottle of wine to lace with drugs, while Mihai remained in the car. Swabs from the rim of wine glasses inside Muat's home matched Mihai. Toxicology tests revealed GBL, leading police to track how the honey trap was set up.
The pair were arrested in July last year. A small bottle of GBL was found in their car, along with pawnbroker loan agreements. They later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and two charges of maliciously administering a poison with intent to injure. These charges relate to two other men who were poisoned but survived. One was drugged in the Midlands and woke up to find his Rolex missing. Another man, who cannot be named, also survived.
In court, the judge said: "If you had stopped for a moment to consider the risks, as you should have done, you would have realised that you were creating a high risk of serious injury or death every time you administered that drug." The judge accepted they did not intend to cause physical harm beyond temporary unconsciousness, but the consequences were fatal.
The court heard a recorded statement from Muat's nine-year-old son, who said: "Why did you have to kill my dad? You could have just taken the money. He was really kind. He would have given it to you. My heart feels so empty. Sometimes it hurts so much. I feel like I have to reboot it."
Malcolm King's family also read victim impact statements. His daughter said they stole the family's future. His sister said: "What haunts me every day is not only that Malcolm died, but the way he died. His life was unlawfully taken by the actions of these people."
Prosecutors fear there may be other victims. They have encouraged anyone affected to come forward, saying the defendants are now in custody and pose no further risk. The value of the goods and cash stolen remains unknown.
Both were sentenced to 17 years in prison for what the judge called an "unusual and depraved crime."
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | ITV |
|---|---|---|
| After the first death, the pair continued their criminal activity by drugging another man in the Midlands. | · | |
| Malcolm King's death was initially treated as non-suspicious. | · | |
| Prosecutors expressed concern that there may be additional victims. | · | |
| The pair entered guilty pleas to manslaughter and two charges of maliciously administering a poison. | · | |
| The pair used the powerful sedative GBL to spike drinks and render victims unconscious. | · | |
| The sedative GBL was reported to be extremely toxic and to have caused the victims' deaths. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This report focused on the investigation and the emotional impact on the victim's family, particularly the recorded statement from Gary Muat's nine-year-old son. It also highlighted the judge's warning about the dangers of GBL and the fact that the pair continued their crime spree after the first death.
- “If you had stopped for a moment to consider the risks, as you should have done, you would have realised that you were creating a high risk of serious injury or death every time you administered that drug.”
- “Why did you have to kill my dad, he said. You could have just taken the money. He was really kind. He would have given it to you.”
- “They will now each spend 17 years in prison for their unusual and depraved crime.”
This report emphasised the couple's method, the victims' families' emotional statements, and the police investigation. It also noted that Malcolm King's death was initially deemed non-suspicious and that the pair pleaded guilty to manslaughter and poisoning charges.
- “Behind the smiling social media facade lay a predatory plot that left two men dead.”
- “Deep unconsciousness was necessary for the theft operation to succeed so that your victims would not be roused by noise or touch, leaving you free to search their homes and steal from them.”
- “What haunts me every day is not only that Malcolm died, but the way he died. His life was unlawfully taken by the actions of these people.”
Broadcast Timeline
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