Toilet murder victim is named
A gay man who was fatally stabbed in a public toilet in Surrey known as a cruising spot has been named as Peter Jeffrey Akers.
The 50-year-old from Wallington was attacked with a large carving knife at around 3pm on Tuesday in toilets near Walton Bridge that police said are “a popular meeting place for men.”
He was taken by air ambulance to St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey where he died at 5.30pm.
A post-mortem has revealed that he died from a single stab wound to the back.
A retired accountant, he lived with his partner of 22 years.
A 29-year-old man from Walton on Thames handed himself in at Newbury police station just before midday yesterday claiming to be responsible for the stabbing.
He was arrested on suspicion of murder and will be questioned by detectives from the Surrey Major Crime Team.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Preston-Heard, said:
“We are still appealing for anyone who was in the vicinity of the attack to contact us as they could hold vital information.
“All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence and detectives do not need to know why callers were in the area at the time.
“A number of people are known to frequent the area such as people walking their dogs, parents with their children, or people going to there specifically to meet other people and we would like to hear from all those who were there between 2.30 and 3.30 yesterday afternoon.”
Any witnesses or anyone with information should call Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222, or speak anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
