‘Grindr thief’ guilty of murdering Bond actor Eric Michels
James Bond actor Eric Michels
A thief who targeted victims on gay dating apps has been found guilty of murdering actor Eric Michels with an overdose of the drug GHB.
Gerald Matovu, 26, was convicted of killing 54-year-old Michels following a trial at the Old Bailey.
The jury heard how the pair had met in central London in August 2018 via Grindr, before taking a taxi back to Michel’s house in Chessington, Surrey, where Matovu gave him a fatal dose of the chemsex drug.
He then stole the victim’s bank card details and other belongings.
Michels, who had an uncredited role in Skyfall, was one of 12 men targeted by Matovu and his partner Brandon Dunbar, 24, over a 19-month period.
Matovu had previously admitted selling GHB to serial killer Stephen Port, who had also targeted victims through Grindr and killed them with overdoses.
Gerald Matovu was found guilty following a trial at the Old Bailey (Met Police)
Port was handed a whole life term for raping and murdering four young men and dumping their bodies near his home in Barking, east London, between 2014 and 2015.
In April 2017, Matovu was sentenced to 12 months community service, 150 hours of unpaid work and 40 days of drug rehabilitation.
At Matovu’s murder trial, prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC told how the defendants took advantage of men on Grindr to steal property and bank details.
He said the charges related to 12 gay men who met one or both of the defendants for the purposes of sex.
Matovu and Dunbar were convicted of a string of charges including administering a noxious substance, assault by penetration and theft and will be sentenced at a later date.
