Oxford News
Woman posed as sex worker and killed men she drugged
Adina Mihai, 31, and Madalin Dumitru, 30, arranged to meet men seeking sexual services at their homes and drugged them with gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) in order to steal from them between August 2024 and July 2025.
Mihai and male defendant Dumitru took financial deposits from the victims before Mihai met them at their homes, Thames Valley Police said.
The pair pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday via video-link to the manslaughter of Malcolm King, 80, in Bagendon, Gloucestershire, on August 20, 2024 and Gary Mouat, 37, in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on July 12, 2025.
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They also pleaded guilty to unlawfully and maliciously administering poison in the form of GBL to a man on July 13, 2025, and another man on July 22, 2025 – both men’s identities are protected by a reporting restriction.
The court heard that the pair committed the offences following an agreement to “render the individuals unconscious in order to steal property from them” by secretly spiking their drinks with GBL – a substance that converts into GHB when in the body.
Thames Valley Police said once detectives discovered Mihai had poisoned Mr Mouat, the force issued a national bulletin to all other police forces to share the intelligence in case any other unexplained deaths in the country were linked.
Forensic links led to Gloucestershire Constabulary discovering Mr King had also been poisoned, after initially believing his death was not suspicious because of a pre-existing health condition.
Mihai and Dumitru, both formerly of Ilford, Essex, were arrested on July 31 last year, and their guilty pleas meant a trial, due to open on Wednesday, will not take place.
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Mrs Justice Brunner KC told the pair she would be passing “substantial sentences of imprisonment” on them.
The judge added that she would sentence the pair at “some point in late July or early August” at Oxford Crown Court and remanded them in custody.
Police said “no other deaths, poisonings or thefts have been linked to the investigation, at this time”, but they are “keeping an open mind about the possibility of other victims”.
Prosecutor Julian Evans KC told the court: “The offences were committed pursuant to an agreement between the defendants to render the individuals unconscious in order to steal property from them should such property be identified within their respective addresses.
“The pleas are acceptable to the prosecution as a means of resolving the indictment in this case.”
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Mr Evans said the decision to accept the manslaughter pleas followed “contact with families of the deceased men” and consultation with “police forces who have investigated these matters over the course of many, many months”.
Thames Valley Police senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Michael Roddy said it had been an “extremely complex and resource‑intensive investigation”.
The police officer added: “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.”
Gloucestershire Constabulary’s senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Adam Stacey, 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.”
The broadcaster confirmed last week that the popular show will return to TV four years after it was put on pause when co-host Andrew Flintoff was injured in a crash during filming.
The long-running motoring programme launched former presenter Jeremy Clarkson into his current status of stardom, hosting him first as a slot presenter and then as the face of the programme in the 2000s, alongside co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May.
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The trio were replaced by broadcaster Chris Evans and Friends star Matt LeBlanc in 2015, before Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris took over in 2018.
But it was put on hold indefinitely when former cricketeer Flintoff suffered serious facial and rib injuries after being dragged face-down under an open-topped, three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 car for about 50metres at the show’s test track in December 2022.
The BBC apologised and paid compensation to Flintoff after the accident.
Now, the broadcaster has confirmed the show will return, and although the line-up for the comeback has not been announced, some famous faces have been named the bookies’ favourites.
William Hill’s betting said comedian Jimmy Carr and former England rugby star Joe Marler are the two favourites to get behind the wheel as the new show’s hosts.
Carr is the even-money favourite to become one of the new presenters, following reports linking the comedian and known car enthusiast with the role, while Marler is next in the betting at 6/4, with his profile having risen considerably since his appearance on The Celebrity Traitors.
Jodie Kidd is the only other candidate priced in single figures at 4/1, with the model and motoring presenter having previously appeared on Top Gear.
Gordon Ramsay (10/1) is the next best-backed name, while Rowan Atkinson, John Bishop, Bernie Collins, Naomi Schiff and Jamie Chadwick are all 16/1.
Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “The BBC may be keeping its cards close to its chest when it comes to the new Top Gear line-up, but the betting already has a couple of clear favourites.
“Jimmy Carr is the obvious frontrunner at even-money, particularly given the reports linking him with the role and his previous appearance on the show, while Joe Marler at 6/4 would certainly bring a very different flavour to the driving seat.
Jodie Kidd is also an interesting contender at 4/1 given her experience in motoring television, while there’s no shortage of big names further down the market, from Gordon Ramsay and Rowan Atkinson to John Bishop and Jamie Chadwick.”
The BBC’s director of entertainment Ed Havard broke the news at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Thursday, August 27, confirming the that ‘Top Gear is coming back’ but refusing to discuss potential hosts.
He said more information will be coming ‘shortly’.
Liam, whose surname has not been released, is missing from Carterton in West Oxfordshire.
The 27-year-old was last seen in the Snowberry Court area of the town near near Witney, on Sunday, August 31.
Thames Valley Police has issued an appeal asking anyone who sees him to call 999 immediately and not to approach him.
Liam is described as a white man, about 6ft tall, with a medium build, who has dark hair, a shaved head and a beard.
He was last seen wearing a grey t-shirt, black jogging bottoms and black trainers.
An image of Liam was released to help people identify him, and police said he is known to frequent Carterton and Oxford.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “We’re concerned for Liam’s welfare, so if you see him, please don’t approach him but call us immediately on 999 quoting reference 43260452711.”
All Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites will close their doors for the final time in the coming days as part of a major restructure by parent company Whitbread.
Whitbread said in April that it would close its remaining Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites as part of a strategy overhaul.
The business said this would result in 3,800 job cuts, although a spokesperson added that it would try to retain as many staff as possible.
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Included in its strategy, Whitbread said it will sell and lease back many of its freehold properties, and earlier this summer the Brewers Fayre in Oxford Road, Bicester was listed for £950,000.
In addition, The Applecart Beefeater at the Oxford South Milton Interchange was listed for a £600,000 sale.
Following this, Beefeater customers were informed of the date of the restaurant closures in a letter sent to reward club members.
It stated: “As you may have seen, we have recently announced changes to our business, which is resulting in the closure of our Branded Restaurants.
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“This means that on Thursday 10 September 2026 your local Beefeater and all other UK Beefeaters will close.”
The restructure is part of Whitbread’s new five-year growth strategy, which aims to re-focus the business and reduce costs by £250 million.
This includes a shift towards an integrated food and drink model that the company believes is more efficient and better suited to Premier Inn guests.
Dominic Paul, Whitbread’s chief executive, previously said: “We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term.
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“This has been a rigorous process, and we’ve approached all options with an open mind.
“Our new five-year plan builds on our strengths and drives a significant acceleration of our strategy.
“This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business.
“We’re going to go further and faster to deliver a great experience for our guests and high-quality growth and returns for our shareholders.”
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