A MAN and woman have been convicted of manslaughter and poisoning, which lead to the deaths of two men from Banbury and Gloucestershire.
Adina Mihai, 31, and Madalin Dumitru, 30, both formerly of Ilford in Essex, were due to stand trial at Oxford Crown Court today, Wednesday, June 24, accused of murder.
However, on the first day of their trial, the Romanian nationals both pleaded guilty to two counts each of manslaughter and counts of administering poison.
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Between August 2024 and July 2025, Mihai and Dumitru targeted men who had been seeking sexual services, taking financial deposits from them before Mihai met them at their homes.
Among their victims was Gary Mouat, a company director from Banbury, who was killed at the age of 37 last July.
The pair secretly spiked the victims' drinks with GBL, which converts into central nervous system depressant GHB in the body, to make them fall unconscious so they could steal from their homes.
Mr Mouat, managing director of Banbury company CN Glass, was killed in his own home on July 30 last year after being administered the drug.
In a joint policing operation, Thames Valley Police and Gloucestershire Constabulary later discovered another man, Malcolm King from Bagendon near Cirencester, was poisoned in the same way and died at the age of 80 on August 21, 2024.
His death was originally not believed to be suspicious due to a pre-existing health condition.
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Mihai and Dumitru were arrested on July 31 last year and charged on August 6 last year, in relation to Mr Mouat's death.
The pair were further charged in relation to Mr King's death, on April 24 this year.
Following conviction, the court remanded the pair into custody, and the judge said they could expect to receive substantial jail sentences when they are sentenced on a date later this year.
Thames Valley Police senior investigating officer, detective inspector Michael Roddy of the Major Crime Unit, said: “This has been an extremely complex and resource‑intensive investigation, involving specialist teams across Thames Valley Police, Gloucestershire Constabulary and partner agencies, so I am proud to have this positive result.
“Adina Mihai and Madalin Dumitru used drugs to incapacitate men who had been seeking sexual services, before stealing from them.
“For Gary Mouat, these actions had fatal consequences, so I am pleased to have got answers for his family and would like to thank them for their support throughout our investigation.”
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Gloucestershire Constabulary’s senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Adam Stacey, of their Major Crime Investigation Unit, said: “Tragically for Mr King, Mihai and Dumitru’s callous and calculated actions had fatal consequences.
“The tireless work of all those involved in the joint investigation left Mihai and Dumitru with little choice but to plead guilty to manslaughter and administering poison in the face of overwhelming evidence.
“Our thoughts are with Mr King’s family, at what must remain an incredibly difficult time for them. We continue to support them with our specialist officers.”
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