Stephen Port met his victims on gay hook-up sites before raping or killing them. He was today convicted of four murders, four rapes and four sexual assaults

The Met Police is under investigation for failing to stop the almost identical killings of four young men who were lured to their deaths by a serial killer on gay dating websites.

Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor were all found dead a short distance from the east London home of Stephen Port in 2014 and 2015.

As detectives probe 58 other similar deaths in the capital, it means Port is already just one behind the five children abused and murdered in the 1960s by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley and the five prostitutes killed in Ipswich by Steve Wright on the list of Britain's all-time worst serial killers.

Harold Shipman is at the top of the undesirable list, having killed up to 260 people.

Dennis Nilsen killed at least 15 gay men between 1978 and 1983, Peter Sutcliffe murdered 13 prostitutes under the alias the Yorkshire Ripper and Fred and Rosemary West killed 12 between them.

The men murdered by Port were all in their early 20s, and were given lethal amounts of so-called 'chemsex' drug GHB after meeting the 41-year-old chef.

As Port was convicted of four murders today, Scotland Yard announced 17 of its officers are the subject of a large-scale Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) probe into their handling of the killings.

Seven police officers could face the sack if claims of gross misconduct are proved over the catalogue of failures.

Port was arrested after the first death, but only charged with perverting the course of justice - meaning he carried on killing after a short jail term.

The family of the fourth man to die say they were forced to investigate the crimes themselves and it was they who spotted the similarities between the deaths. They have called for officers to be held accountable and plan to take legal action.

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Port was questioned over the death of Anthony Walgate (left). He was eventually jailed for perverting the course of justice, but not before Gabriel Kovari (right) was also found dead

Port made the death of Daniel Whitworth (left) look like it was connected to that of Mr Kovari. His final victim was Jack Taylor, whose family were angry at the police's investigation

Daniel Whitworth's stepmother Mandy Pearson and father Adam Whitworth speaking outside the Old Bailey

Met Commander Stuart Cundy has refused to comment fully until the IPCC investigation is concluded, but said it appears 'opportunities were missed' in bringing Port to justice.

Scotland Yard will make formal apologies to the families of four murder victims and face potential legal action over their failures.

The jury convicted Port of a total of 22 offences against 11 men, including the four murders, four rapes, 10 counts of administering a substance, and four sex assaults. He was cleared on three counts of rape

The sisters of the final victim Jack Taylor said outside court: 'We felt from the beginning, it was just 'another one' and nothing was taken seriously.

TIMELINE OF POLICE BLUNDERS June 4, 2014: Police find Stephen Port at Barking station in East London with a young man he had drugged who has collapsed. Port admits they had taken illegal drugs but is not arrested. June 19: Anthony Walgate, 23, given drug overdose and raped by Port who dumps body outside his flat and calls 999, claiming he has found an unconscious man. June 26: Port suspected of lying to police and charged with perverting the course of justice. Released on bail. He is not accused of murdering Mr Walgate. August 28: Gabriel Kovari, 22, given an overdose and raped by Port who dumps the body against a graveyard wall. September 20: Daniel Whitworth, 21, given a drug overdose and raped. Port dumps his body against the same graveyard wall. Mr Whitworth is wearing Mr Kovari’s top and is in a bed-sheet which has Port’s DNA on it. October 1: Detective Chief Inspector Tony Kirk tells local paper the three deaths within a mile of each other are not being treated as suspicious. March 23, 2015: Port jailed for perverting the course justice by lying over Mr Walgate’s death. Released on licence in June with an electronic tag. September 13: Jack Taylor, 25, given a drug overdose and raped by Port. Body found next to the same graveyard. October 15: Port arrested on suspicion of four murders and charged. Later charged with attacks on eight other men. Advertisement

'If it had been a woman, there would have been more done. It's ridiculous. We had to fight from the beginning. We kept pushing for an investigation.'

Mr Taylor, who died in September 2015, was the last of the four men found dead not far from the flat where Port brought men he met online.

Port had first come to the attention of police 15 months earlier, when he was seen with a young man who had collapsed at Barking Station. Despite admitting they had both taken illegal drugs, no complaint was made and Port was allowed to leave.

Two weeks after that, in June 2014, Port made a call to 999 to report a man - Anthony Walgate - outside his block of flats, who he claimed, had 'collapsed or had a seizure or something - or just drunk'.

The men were found dead in the same area over 15 months, but police failed to connect them

Port, pictured in a police interview, denied any wrongdoing, added to the family's pain

Left: A brown bottle containing GBL found in Daniel Whitworth's jeans' pocket. Right: Mr Whitworth's hoodie found with Port's DNA on it. It is discoloured due to forensic testing

Following an investigation, Port admitted he had taken Mr Walgate back to his flat as an escort and they had sex. He was convicted of perverting the course of justice and jailed.

Before he went to prison however, two more young men - Gabriel Kovari, 22, and 21-year-old Daniel Whitworth - were found dead in nearby St Margaret's Church in August and September 2014, 400 yards from Port's home. But the deaths were not investigated as possible murders.

Port had left a fake suicide note in Mr Whitworth's hand, framing him for involvement in Mr Kovari's death and saying he had killed himself because he couldn't live with the guilt.

TIMELINE OF THE KILLINGS June 2014: First victim Anthony Walgate is found dead. Stephen Port is questioned by police. August 2014: Second victim Gabriel Kovari is found dead. September 2014: Third victim Daniel Whitworth is found dead. March 2015: Port is jailed for submitting a false witness statement after Mr Walgate's death June 2015: Port is released on licence from prison after serving part of his sentence'. September 2015: Fourth victim Jack Taylor is found dead. Advertisement

Port also used social media to suggest links between Mr Whitworth and Mr Kovari, although the pair may have never met.

The fourth death came three months after Port was released from prison, when 25-year-old Mr Taylor was found propped up against the wall of Abbey Green, close to Port's flat and St Margaret's Church.

Despite the similarities to the three other deaths in the area over the preceding 15 months, police treated it as non-suspicious because there were no signs of wounds or signs of drug use on his body.

But Mr Taylor's family looked into previous cases and told police of the similarities, forcing the investigation which - after Mr Taylor's body was exhumed - finally saw Port caught and charged with murder.

Mr Taylor's sisters said of the police: 'We do understand it's not them who have taken Jack's life, but if they had done their job, Jack would still be here. Stephen Port would have been stopped.'

Met Commander Cundy admitted that, at the time of the killings, the force's knowledge of issues surrounding 'chemsex', sex whilst on drugs, was 'patchy'.

Mr Cundy said: "Now we have the verdict I am personally writing to each of the families of the four young men who died as well as Daniel Whitworth's partner to express our sincere condolences. The letters, which we are giving them today, apologise to them for those missed opportunities."

As well as the charges in relation to the deaths, Port was accused of sexual offences against eight other men who he drugged at his flat.

A full investigation was launched after the family of Mr Taylor demanded that police act. Key CCTV was then found which showed Mr Taylor and Port on the night of Mr Taylor's death

CCTV also showed Port, pictured, entering drug dealer's house. He gave his victims GHB

Police believe he may have had other sex attack victims, who they are urging to come forward.

Following Port's arrest, Scotland Yard announced it had referred itself to the IPCC in relation to its handling of the case.

A statement said: 'The Metropolitan Police Service has made a voluntary referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission concerning the murder of four men in Barking between 19 June 2014 and 14 September 2015.

'The referral informs the IPCC of potential vulnerabilities in the response by the MPS to the four deaths. We await a mode of investigation from the IPCC.'

THE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES TO CATCH STEPHEN PORT - Port first came to attention of police on June 4, 2014 when he was questioned by British Transport Police after being found with a collapsed man at Barking station. Despite admitting that both he and the man had taken illegal drugs, no allegations were made against him and he was allowed to leave. - Port phoned police reporting a man - Anthony Walgate - was 'drunk or had a seizure' outside his flat on June 19, 2014. He was later found to have lied to police but charged and jailed for perverting the course of justice. Port wrote a fake suicide note for Mr Whitworth. Police failed to investigate a line which stated: 'BTW. Please do not blame the guy I was with last night' Sunglasses found on Mr Kovari had Port's DNA on. Police failed to treat the death as murder - Two more young men, Gabriel Kovari and Daniel Whitworth, were found less than a mile from Port's home in 2014, before he was jailed. In a bid to cover his tracks, Port wrote an apparent suicide note for Mr Whitworth which stated: 'Do not blame the guy I was with last night'. Police made no attempt to trace the 'guy', who was Port. - Website PinkNews contacted police in January last year after a former acquaintance of one of the victim's raised concerns about a possible link between the three deaths. - A fourth man, Jack Taylor, is found dead in almost the exact place where Mr Kovari and Mr Whitworth were found. Again, the death is treated as non-suspicious due to the lack of wounds or signs of drug abuse. Advertisement

The bus station cook who appeared on Masterchef before becoming a serial killer who used dating sites to meet 'twinks' he would drug unconscious, rape or murder

Speaking from the front room of their small, semi-detached home in the days after their son's arrest, Joan and Albert Port expressed complete disbelief at the shocking crimes he had been charged with.

'I am still shaking,' said his 74-year-old mother, Joan. 'He is too quiet. He has been led astray,' added Port's father Albert, a 73-year-old former council worker.

But during the course of the trial, the true personality of Stephen Port has emerged, one which was very different from the quiet, innocent man portrayed by his mother.

The jury heard how Port was obsessed with having sex with unconscious young men and would trawl the internet for 'drug-rape' porn.

He lusted after so-called 'twinks' - young, boyish-looking men - because he liked, in his words 'their energy, the life, the youth'.

He grinned in the dock as disturbing footage of him having sex with an unconscious young man was played to horrified jurors.

Stephen Port set up a series of accounts on gay hook-up sites to meet his younger victims

Port falsely claimed to have graduated from Oxford and said he was a special needs teacher

Port was said to have been a shy, quiet schoolboy from a traditional working class family, growing up in a modest home in Dagenham, Essex.

He left school, aged 16, with GCSEs in maths, art and English before enrolling in art college. But his father couldn't afford the fees and Port instead trained to become a chef, getting his first job aged 18.

Port's mother had a problem with his sexuality, his sister Sharon (pictured) told his trial

Port came out as gay in his mid twenties and his older sister Sharon said: 'My mum had a problem with it. She was a bit old school.'

He moved away from his family home in 2006, when he got his one-bedroom ground floor flat in Cooke Street - where the four men deaths - on a part-buy, part-rent scheme.

He bizarrely developed what a former boyfriend called 'a love bordering on obsession' with Transformers and would make regular trips to Toys R Us to stock up on the children's toys.

Port said his blonde toupee gave him 'more confidence' and appetite for sex.

He would work out in the gym and parade his fake hair and toned body on dating apps as well as male escort sites including Sleepy Boys, where he would charge £150 per hour.

At the time of his first crimes, Port was working as a chef and catering manager at the Stagecoach bus garage in West Ham and even appeared on TV show Masterchef at one point.

But he was sacked when he went to prison after lying to police over the death of Anthony Walgate.

He begun to register on more and more gay hook-up sites. On some, he falsely claimed on some to have graduated from Oxford and said he was a special needs teacher.

Port had some strange habits, jurors heard, and collected Transformers toys into adulthood

He had a ordinary working class upbringing, but his mother had a problem with his sexuality

Port said his drug use began in 2013, when he took stimulant mephedrone, also known as Miaow Miaow, with his partner at the time.

After about six months, Port moved on to GHB, and explained: 'It would knock you out for an hour. You would wake up feeling intensely horny and you would just want to have sex for hours.'

As his tastes grew for sex with unconscious men, he started to surreptitiously slip drugs into the drinks of men who wouldn't consent to such activity.

Giving evidence in court, tall Port could barely make eye contact with jurors or lawyers as he mumbled his story or replied with single words.

With his bald head bowed, he fingered court papers in the witness box as he searched for answers to questions he could not answer.

Police admit there are many questions about his crimes to which only he has the answers.

Pictured: Port's computer. He set up scores of online profiles on gay hook-up websites

He appeared in court without the blonde wig he used to attract potential lovers online

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Duffield, who led the investigation, said: 'I've got 28 years experience in the police force, much of which has been spent investigating homocide and serious crime, but I think Stephen Port is one of the most dangerous individuals I have encountered. He's a voracious sexual predator.

'He is obsessed with surrepticiously drugging young, often vulnerable, men for sexual purposes and rape. From what we've seen, this is a highly devious and manipulative individual.

'Throughout the investigation and during the course of the trial, he's never once shown any shred of remorse for his victims or their families.'

THE EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT SERIAL KILLER STEPHEN PORT APPEARED ON TV ALONGSIDE CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF STARS This is the moment serial killer Stephen Port appeared on TV alongside the stars of Celebrity Masterchef. The now 41-year-old, who faces life in jail, made meatballs with JLS singer JB Gill and actress Emma Barton, who plays Honey Mitchell in EastEnders. He was seen wearing a blonde toupee and chef's whites, also grins at the camera while working at West Ham Bus Garage last year. Port helped the celebrity chefs make pasta and meatballs for more than 100 hungry bus drivers in an episode broadcast in June 2014.

Port was seen smiling in the background behind his boss during an episode of the hit show Port appeared alongside JLS star JB Gill and soap actress Emma Barton on the show Advertisement

'Nothing was taken seriously': Family of Grindr poisoner's victim slam police after blunders meant they had to fight for justice as his body was exhumed

The family of Stephen Port's final victim say the serial killer could still be free if they had not starting investigating themselves.

Grieving relatives also believe Jack Taylor, 25, would still be alive had officers properly dealt with the deaths of the other young men Port killed.

Mr Taylor's body was discovered on 14 September last year, just 36 hours after he met Port near Barking station after chatting to him on Grindr.

Despite three other similar deaths in the area in the previous 15 months, detectives thought Mr Taylor was the victim of a self-administered overdose and failed to link his case with those of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari and Daniel Whitworth.

Mr Taylor's sister Donna and Jenny said: 'It would have been put down that Jack had an overdose and Port wouldn't have been stopped because they wouldn't have looked into anyone else.'

Jack Taylor's sisters Jenny (left) and Donna (right) with mother Jeanette (centre) speaking out side the Old Bailey. They say they had to insist his death was properly investigated

Mr Taylor, a forklift truck driver who lived with his parents Colin and Jeanette in Dagenham, Essex, was said to have 'loved his job' working nights for a company called London City Bond.

He was found propped up against the outer perimeter wall to the graveyard of Abbey Green, close to St Margaret's Church in almost the exact same location to where the bodies of Mr Kovari and Mr Whitworth were discovered around a year before.

All four young men died within a 15-month period of drug overdoses shortly after meeting Port and were found without their mobile phones near Port's flat.

CCTV showed Mr Taylor walking through Barking with Port before his death

By the time of Mr Taylor's death, Port had served four months of an eight-month prison sentence for lying to police over the death of Mr Walgate, who was dumped outside his block of flats.

Yet Jack's death was treated as non-suspicious by the Metropolitan Police as there were no obvious marks or wounds on his body and signs of drug abuse.

His sisters said 'We felt from the beginning, it was just 'another one' and nothing was taken seriously.

'If it had been a woman, there would have been more done. It's ridiculous. We had to fight from the beginning. We kept pushing for an investigation.'

The sisters continued: 'It's frustrating as you're talking about someone's life. How often does a young person pass away and they can't explain it.

'If you're going to say it's unexplained, you have got to say it's suspicious... this is somebody's life, somebody's son.'

Donna and Jenny claim police were 'very dismissive' of their concerns, but the family 'kept on and on and on' at them to investigate the case.

They carried out their own research and discovered the striking similarities between each of the young men who had died.

Mr Taylor was the last of four men found dead not far from Port's Barking flat block

The sisters said: 'We read up, found out they were all found without phones. It was similar - too similar.

'We went online, found out where they were from and what their local paper had written about them at the time to see if there was any similarities. And everything was very similar.'

Jack's body was exhumed in December last year, following Port's arrest, and his family blamed the botched police investigation for putting them through more pain.

'Jack died in September. If they had looked into it at the time, Jack wouldn't have had to be brought back up in December.

'Jack shouldn't have had to go through that again. We shouldn't have had to go through that again.'

Donna, Jenny and their parents sat through every day of Port's six-week Old Bailey trial.

He was discovered propped up against a wall of Abbey Green, near St Margaret's Church

The mother of Port's first victim, Anthony Walgate, also criticised the police over the investigation, saying she was made to wait for information.

Speaking after his death, Sarah Sak told the Hull Daily Mail: 'Straight away I told police that I was 150 per cent sure it will not have been drink or drugs.

'He wouldn't touch beer. He would drink cocktails or wine. That was his thing.'

She said the 'police have shown our family no compassion whatsoever', adding: 'It is appalling. We have had to chase them for information.'

STEPHEN PORT'S TRAGIC VICTIMS: ANTHONY WALGATE Mr Walgate, 23, was a popular fashion student at Middlesex University at the time he became serial killer Stephen Port's first victim. Originally from Hull, he was renting a room in a shared house in Golders Green, north London and dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. Mr Walgate's mother, Sarah Sak, described her son as a fit and healthy young man who would go to the gym two or three times a week. She last spoke to him before flying to Turkey on holiday. She said: 'He was really happy. He had struggled with uni to begin with, but he had just started to get it. He was excelling.' University friend China Dunning said: 'The last time I saw him, he was discussing his plans of doing a Master's degree.' Mr Walgate was openly gay and occasionally worked as an escort, advertising his services on gay website, Sleepyboys. Port, 41, booked him for an £800 overnight stay. Mr Walgate told his friend Ellie Green where he was going, joking: 'In case I get killed'. Advertisement

STEPHEN PORT'S TRAGIC VICTIMS: GABRIEL KOVARI Mr Kovari, 22, also known as Gabriel Kline, died at the hands of serial killer Stephen Port in August 2014. Originally from Slovakia, he had come to London to make a better life for himself. A letter from his brother and mother read out at the inquest into his death said: 'He was full of love and care for others and loved the company of his friends. 'He had been a very inquisitive and special child gifted in arts. 'He had excellent relationships with all his relatives and the desire to prove himself to the world.' Mr Kovari had a long-term boyfriend, Thierry Amodio, who lived in Mallorca, but was known to meet men on hook-up apps including Grindr, where he began chatting to Port. Mr Kovari first visited Port's flat on 18 August 2014 and moved in on 23 August, describing his landlord to a friend as 'kinda different'. Port boasted he had a 'new Slovakian twink flatmate' and, around the time Mr Kovari is believed to have died, told a friend he was 'taking good care of him hehe'. Advertisement

STEPHEN PORT'S TRAGIC VICTIMS: DANIEL WHITWORTH Daniel Whitworth, 21, was the youngest of serial killer Stephen Port's victims. At the time of his death, he was living with his partner, Ricky Waumsley, in Gravesend, Kent. Mr Whitworth had worked as a chef at restaurant One Moorgate Place in the City before being transferred to ISS head office in Canary Wharf. Mr Whitworth was due to start work in another restaurant in Sevenoaks, Kent, and his boyfriend said: 'He was so excited to be working at this new place. 'He would do anything to work, he was so passionate as a chef, he used to love cooking at home and he loved his job.' A statement from Mr Whitworth's father, Adam Whitworth, described his son as a happy man who loved gardening. 'He was an active and intelligent outdoors boy who loved days on his bike exploring leafy byways,' it said. 'Those who knew him were shocked by this terrible news.' Daniel was last seen leaving work on the afternoon of 18 September 2014, telling colleagues he was going to meet some friends in Barking. Advertisement

STEPHEN PORT'S TRAGIC VICTIMS: JACK TAYLOR Jack Taylor, 25, was the last young man to die at the hands of serial killer Stephen Port. He had spent the night of 12 September last year drinking at the Trades Club in Dagenham before chatting to Port on Grindr. Mr Taylor's sisters Donna and Jenny described their popular brother as 'very family oriented' and said he had a lot of close friends. 'Even though he was our younger brother, he was more like our older brother because of the way he looked after us,' they said. They said Mr Taylor will be remembered as 'bubbly, caring and hard-working'. Around 300 people attended his funeral The sisters said Jack's murder 'absolutely devastated us', adding: 'It's torn our family to pieces.' His death was initially treated as 'non-suspicious' and around 300 people attended his funeral. Advertisement

The Grindr murders: Police warning over 'hook-up' apps and 'chemsex' drugs after series of gruesome killings

Gay and bisexual men who use apps to meet strangers for sex have been warned about personal safety fears following the conviction of serial killer Stephen Port.

Police stressed that users should meet in a public place for the first time, not someone's home, be careful about what they eat or drink in case it has been spiked with drugs, and tell someone else where they are going.

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Duffield, who led the successful investigation into Port's string of killings and sex attacks, said: 'From my perspective, the advent of social media platforms has made it really, really easy to hook up with people anonymously.

'Although the vast majority of interactions that users will have will be completely safe, people need to know that they should take precautions to keep themselves as safe as they possibly can.'

Police have issued a warning to those using so-called 'hook-up' apps like Grindr

Port met his victims via social media. Investigators found at least 25 accounts that he had used with different names, and had to examine 100 media devices as part of the inquiry.

The horrifying deaths also shone a light on so-called chemsex - where gay or bisexual men take disinhibiting drugs as part of sexual encounters.

Scotland Yard Commander Stuart Cundy warned there is a 'fine line' between what is thought to be 'safe' use of the drug GHB, and death.

He said: 'There is such a fine line between using it for heightened sexual acts, through to unconsciousness, through to death. It is a real fine balance.

'GHB is a dangerous drug. For those that use it, they will understand that there is always that fine line. In the case where it's not just been taken once, it's been taken again, so what might be considered a safe dose at one point is then added to by taking it at some point in time later, you need to be a very proficient medical expert to truly understand what would be safe and what wouldn't be safe.'

DARK SIDE OF THE WEB: HOW A SERIES OF PREDATORS HAVE USED THE INTERNET TO SNARE THEIR VICTIMS The conviction of serial killer Stephen Port has raised the issue of online dating safety. Here are some other recent examples. - Stefano Brizzi, 50, is facing life in jail for strangling Pc Gordon Semple during a sex game gone wrong at his Southwark flat after hooking up on Grindr. - Ben Bamford, at the time aged 17, was found guilty at Lewes Crown Court of murdering high-ranking HM Revenue and Customs official Paul Jefferies, 52, who he met on Grindr. He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years. Stefano Brizzi (left) strangled Pc Gordon Semple after meeting him on Grindr. Ben Bamford murdered a civil servant he met through the same app - Former teacher Gary Pearce, from Sidcup in Kent, was jailed for five years last September for grooming a 14-year-old boy he met on Grindr. - Met Police officer Pc James Evans, 26, was jailed for four years in August after having sex with a child rape victim he met online. He exchanged dozens of 'sex talk' messages with the vulnerable 15-year-old schoolgirl on the Tinder dating app. - In July, Miles Donnelly, 35, admitted murdering 44-year-old single mother Usha Patel who he met on dating website Oasis. He killed her in a 'drunken rage' at her home in north west London. Single mother Usha Patel was murdered after meeting her killer on a dating site Oasis - In February 2015, psychology graduate Darren Scott, 26, was convicted of the attempted murder of a rich friend he met on Grindr. He repeatedly stabbed his victim at his £2million home in Mayfair, central London. - American fake FBI agent Sammy Almahri, 45, was jailed for life in November for murdering Cardiff woman Nadine Aburas, 28. The couple met via the internet dating site MuslimMatch.com in 2013. - In September, maths teacher Christopher Stephenson, 32, from York, was jailed for 20 months after having a sexual relationship with a pupil. The pair began communicating online in the summer of 2007 after she 'poked' him on Facebook. - Paedophile rapper Daniel Rodriguez, also known as Grymey D, groomed schoolgirls on social media before filming himself having sex with them. The 28-year-old from Hackney, who was jailed for 16 years, used Instagram, Facebook and Blackberry Messenger to contact girls who he invited to his home. Advertisement



