A gay man was stabbed to death in a public toilet in Surrey, Britain, on Tuesday, in an area Police says is known as a popular meeting place for men who have sex with men.

A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said the victim, retired accountant Peter Jeffrey Akers, 50, was found in Walton Lane, Walton-on-Thames. Akers was gay and lived with his male partner in Wallington, Surrey, and the couple had been together for more than 22 years, BBC reports.

Police recovered a large carving knife from the scene and a post-mortem examination showed that Akers died from a single stab wound to the back.

The police has arrested a 29-year-old man in the case.

Senior investigating officer, Det Ch Insp Mark Preston-Heard, urged anyone who was in the vicinity of the attack to come forward.

"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 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," he said.

Tuesday's murder is the last in a string of violent crimes against homosexuals in Britain over the last few years.

Last update: 02-20-2008 19:42