A man's been jailed for at least 31 years for murdering a former Bond film actor in Surrey. 

Gerald Matovu met up with Eric Michels after chatting on the gay dating app Grindr in August last year.

He then gave his victim a fatal dose of GHB at his home in Surrey before making off with his bank card details and belongings.

Michels was one of 12 men targeted by Matovu and his lover, Brandon Dunbar, who was sentenced to 18 years in jail. 

In total Matovu was sentenced for 39 offences and Dunbar for 23.

The court heard that, over a period of 19 months, Matovu and Dunbar targeted 12 gay men by arranging to meet them through apps such as Grindr.

Ten of those men then had property stolen and 11 had photos taken of their bank cards.

Other personal items were also stored on a laptop for later use in fraudulent activities.

Eight of the men were drugged, it is believed with GBL (which converts to GHB when it is in the body), to the point of unconsciousness so the pair could steal from them.

Mr Michels died after being given a fatal dose.

Detective Inspector Mark Richards, Specialist Crime, said:

The pair had a well-rehearsed plan to take advantage of men they met through social networking sites and apps such as Grindr to steal their property. This was their overwhelming motive, rather than sexual assault. Matovu was described in evidence as a hustler, a liar and a thief - apt words.

“Their method in the majority of cases was to drug their victim with enough GBL to render them unconscious so they could then search their homes, selecting items of interest and photographing bank cards and personal documents for subsequent fraudulent use. They did this at their leisure, sometimes spending hours at an address.

“But Mr Michels was different - Matovu gave him a fatal dose of GBL. Despicably, while Mr Michels lay dead or dying, Matovu raided his address of many of his belongings, leaving his devastated family to find his body the following day.

“Just three days later Matovu and Dunbar targeted another man at Dunbar’s flat. When he was no longer of use to them, it is suspected they dragged his prone naked body out into the street and abandoned him on a pile of rubbish bags."“