Police probe ‘gay dating app killer’ after world champion dancer dies at £1.2m flat

Police are investigating a suspected gay dating app killer following the death of a world champion dancer 48 hours after a similar attack.

Adrian Murphy, 43, was found dead last week after inviting a stranger he met on social media to a £1.2 million riverside apartment where he was house-sitting in Battersea, South London.

Police believe the Irish dance instructor died after being drugged and robbed by a predator he met online. The culprit is suspected of raping and robbing another man 48 hours earlier.

Scotland Yard appealed for other men to come forward as they revealed that a 24-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl had been held on suspicion of murder. The case echoes that of serial killer Stephen Port, who drugged, raped and murdered four young men he met on the dating app Grindr.

Adrian Murphy who has been found dead. Detectives are appealing for witnesses and information following the suspicious death of a man in Battersea and a linked incident in Walthamstow

Detectives have linked Mr Murphy’s death to the rape and robbery of a 40-year-old man in Walthamstow, east London, who was similarly drugged and found in a ‘comatose state’ after inviting someone he met on Grindr to his home on May 30.

The victim, who has not been named, was found unconscious by a friend and rushed to hospital. His flat had been ransacked and laptops, mobile phones, a wallet and cash was stolen.

On Tuesday, 4 June at 6.38pm police were called by the London Ambulance Service to a block of flats in Lombard Road, SW11 (pictured) where Mr Murphy’s body was found

Mr Murphy was attacked two days later, on June 1. Police believe he may been drugged by the same assailant who escaped with his valuables and cash, leaving his body to lie undiscovered for three days.

Tests have failed to establish the exact cause of death but officers believe the same ‘chemsex’ drug may have been administered to both victims.

Detectives warned there could be other victims who may have been robbed or sexually assaulted after being tricked on gay dating apps.

Yesterday friends and family of Mr Murphy spoke of their shock at his death as they revealed he had previously been the victim of a hoax on the dating app.

Mr Murphy’s best friend, Simon Kime, who discovered his body, said there were no signs of a struggle. He said the dancer’s photo had been used on Grindr without his permission several years ago. He added: ‘I didn’t even know he was on Grindr and am quite surprised at some of the things that are coming out.’

A man and a teenage girl have been arrested in connection with both matters and officers are concerned there may be further offences

Mr Murphy, a seven-times Irish dance champion, had set up a successful company and made appearances on TV shows in the UK, Australia and the US.

A police spokesman said: ‘Both these attacks share similar characteristics. There is a possibility that there may be other victims out there who we would want to come forward.’

A man arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of murder, rape and theft has been released on bail. A 17-year-old girl was arrested on the same day on suspicion of murder and theft, and has been released under investigation.

Detectives said enquiries have linked Mr Murphy’s death to an earlier allegation of rape at an address in E17 on Thursday, 30 May at around 1pm. Pictured, the area where Mr Murphy’s body was found in Battersea and the location of the alleged rape in Walthamstow