'Justice done' for murder victim

Mark Malone was warned he faced an automatic life sentence

The family of a man who was stabbed in a public toilet in Surrey have said "justice has been done" after his murderer was found guilty.

Mark Malone, 30, of Clement Road, Walton-on-Thames, was convicted at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, but still has to be sentenced.

He attacked 50-year-old Jeff Akers in Walton-on-Thames in February.

Mr Akers, 50, died in hospital after he staggered from the toilet with an eight inch (20cm) knife in his back.

His parents said they had lost a "wonderful, caring and loving son".

Richard Akers, Jeff's brother, said: "It has been a long and unforgettable journey for us as a family to deal with, to reach a guilty of murder verdict.

"Justice has been done."

He added: "I have lost my big brother and my children have lost a fun and loving uncle.

"Our thoughts are also with his friends who will miss Jeff as much as we will. This tragic incident has changed their lives as well."

'At rest now'

He said Surrey Police family liaison and victim support officers had been a "tower of strength" for the family.

"Jeff is at rest now and our thoughts are with him forever more," he said.

"May he rest in peace."

Mike Drew, Jeff's partner, added: "Justice has been done and although it will not bring him back, we all feel a sense of relief.

"Jeff was a very kind, generous, loving and caring person and the world is a poorer place without him."

Mr Akers, 50, originally from Barry, south Wales, had lived with his partner, Mike Drew, for 22 years, in Wallington, south London.

Malone is due to be sentenced on 5 December.

Jeff Akers died in hospital after being stabbed in the back

During the trial, Ann Cotcher QC, prosecuting, said: "It was a totally unprovoked attack by Mark Malone and the only possible motive homophobia, a dislike of homosexuals."

The court heard that the toilet was a well-known meeting place for homosexuals.

Malone, a married father, had earlier been seen in the area waving a knife, the court was told.

Eventually Malone handed himself in, and claimed he knew the toilet was a popular spot for gay men "but that he had no issues with the gay community and that he himself was not an angry person".

After the hearing, Det Ch Insp Mark Preston-Heard, said: "This was a vicious, unprovoked homophobic attack by Mark Malone on a harmless, innocent man."