Bond actor ‘killed by chemsex drug overdose after meeting fraudster on Grindr’

A James Bond actor was killed by an overdose of chemsex drug GHB, after hooking up with a fraudster who would drug victims in order to steal from them, a court heard.

Eric Michels, 54, who had an uncredited role in Skyfall, was allegedly murdered by Gerald Matovu, 25, at his home in Bolton Road, Chessington, in August last year,

Over a 19 month period, Matovu and his lover Brandon Dunbar, 23, took advantage of 12 gay men, their Old Bailey trial heard.

Opening the trial, Jonathan Rees QC said: ‘The prosecution say that the defendants, often working together, took advantage of hook-ups, dates, arranged with other gay men through apps, such as Grindr, to steal their property and take photographs of their bank cards and other identification documents for the purposes of fraud.’

‘In the course of their activities, a number of their targets were drugged to facilitate these dishonest activities and one of those, a 54-year-old male, was killed by an overdose of a substance called gamma hydroxybutyrate – GHB.’

The prosecution claims that one or both of the defendants would meet up with the men, with a view to having sex, but they ended up being the victims of their ‘criminal enterprise.’

Nine of the men met both defendants, while the remaining three only met Matovu, the court was told.

Ten of them had property stolen, and all but one had photographs taken of their bank cards and other personal documents for later use in fraud, jurors heard.

Eight men were drugged in order to knock them out, five of which had their drinks spiked and one had drugs injected into his anus without his consent, Mr Rees said.

Two men had property stolen or photographs taken of documents by Matovu while they were showering with Dunbar, it was claimed.

Matovu, from Southwark, south London, and Dunbar, of Forest Gate, east London, deny a string of charges.

Matovu denies murder, six counts of administering a poison or noxious substance to endanger life, one count of assault by penetration and one count of causing actual bodily harm.

Dunbar has pleaded not guilty to five counts of administering a poison with intent to endanger life, one count of assault by penetration and one count of ABH.