A man and a woman from Birmingham have appeared in court charged with the murders of a father and a pensioner, along with a series of poisoning offences. Adina Mihai, 30, and Madalin Dumitru, 29, both formerly of Sandway Gardens, Saltley, entered not guilty pleas to a total of 19 charges during a hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, April 24.
Murder Charges
The pair are accused of murdering 37-year-old Gary Mouat at an address in Hazeldene Gardens, Banbury, Oxfordshire, on July 13 last year. They face one count each of murder and an alternative count of manslaughter in connection with his death. Additionally, they are charged with one count of administering poison with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH), an alternative count of administering poison, and one count of conspiracy to steal relating to the same incident.
Mihai and Dumitru were also later charged with the murder of 80-year-old Malcolm King at an address in Bagendon, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on August 21, 2024. For this incident, they face similar charges: one count each of murder, alternative manslaughter, administering poison with intent to cause GBH, alternative administering poison, and conspiracy to steal.
Additional Poisoning and Theft Charges
The defendants are also accused of poisoning and conspiring to steal from three other men on separate occasions between July 13 and July 31 last year. For each of these three victims, Mihai and Dumitru face one count of administering poison with intent to cause GBH, an alternative count of administering poison, and one count of conspiracy to steal. This adds a further nine charges to their case.
In total, the pair pleaded not guilty to 19 charges. They were remanded in custody following the hearing and are next due to appear at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday, June 3. The charges result from a joint investigation by Thames Valley Police and Gloucestershire Police.
