A gay serial killer was free to murder three more young men despite being questioned and later jailed over the death of his first victim, a court heard today.

Stephen Port, a 41-year-old chef, is on trial accused of poisoning four men he met through gay dating websites.

The Old Bailey heard today that Port's first alleged victim, 23-year-old Anthony Walgate, was found dead in a street near his flat in Barking in east London in 2014.

Port was questioned over his involvement and was later jailed for perverting the course of justice, the jury heard today.

But prosecutors say he killed two more victims before going to jail and another young man after he was released.

Stephen Port, pictured (left) in court and (right) before his arrest, is accused of four counts of murder. A court has heard he was jailed after the first man died, but still killed three others

The jury was told how Port was arrested after Middlesex University fashion student Mr Walgate was found dead outside his block of flats on 19 June 2014.

Port eventually told officers in interviews he had taken Mr Walgate back to his flat as an escort and they had sex.

He claimed the alleged victim had taken drugs and said he had moved him outside after he collapsed so suspicion did not fall on him.

Port then told officers he had lied because 'if he's dead, they're gonna think I murdered him' and that he 'chickened out' of telling the truth.

Port first alleged victim was Anthony Walgate. He was later questioned over his involvement in the student's final hours

But Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC said: 'This was not a case of Mr Walgate unintentionally taking an overdose.

'The considerable lengths to which the defendant went when attempting to cover up his association with Mr Walgate will reveal the guilt he felt about what happened.

'He persisted in his lies to the police about his knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Walgate. This landed him in prison.'

Mr Rees explained: 'As a result of his confession to providing a false witness statement, the defendant was charged with perverting the course of justice to which he later pleaded guilty.'

Port is alleged to have killed two more men, Slovakian Gabriel Kovari, 22, and 21-year-old chef Daniel Whitworth, from Gravesend, in Kent, whose bodies were found in August and September 2014.

Mr Kovari, also known as Gabriel Kline, was 22 when he moved into Port's one-bedroom flat in August 2014, the court heard.

On the morning of 28 August, his body was found slumped against the wall of the graveyard by a dog walker.

Mr Walgate was found dead not far from Port's flat in Barking, east London in 2014

He was wearing sunglasses - later found with traces of Port's DNA - and there was a small suitcase and another bag containing his belongings and papers.

'As with Anthony Walgate, the body was in a seated position with the upper clothing riding up to reveal the stomach as might be expected if he had been dragged to that location,' Mr Rees said.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS SET OUT BY PROSECUTORS 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

'As in the case of Anthony Walgate, there was no sign of his mobile telephone.

'The location where Mr Kovari's body was discovered was some 500m from the defendant's address.'

Mr Rees said: 'In March 2015, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, he was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment and having served part of that sentence, he was released on an electronic tag in early June 2015.'

Port is said to have killed again just three months later, in September 2015, when forklift truck driver Jack Taylor, 25, was found near the same churchyard.

The court heard yesterday that Port, who himself worked as a gay escort, lured the young men to his flat after meeting them on gay dating websites.

He allegedly spiked his victims drinks with GHB – a drug known as liquid ecstasy – and had sex with them while they were out cold.

Over a 15-month period, Port dumped three of the bodies next to a local church and left one outside his flat, the jury was told.

Port is accused of having killed his fourth victim, Jack Taylor, after being released from prison

He propped three bodies up in a sitting position and planted drugs on them to make it look as if they died from accidental overdoses, it was said.

Port, who described himself as 70 per cent gay, faces 29 charges, including four counts of murder, four alternative counts of manslaughter, seven allegations of rape, ten of administering a substance and four sexual assaults.

He denies all the charges. The trial continues.

Killer put fake suicide note in the hand of one victim and pretended to be a pornstar as part of cover-up, court told

Stephen Port allegedly left a fake suicide note in the hand of his third victim in a 'wicked' bid to frame him for the killing of another man.

The 41-year-old is said to have launched an 'elaborate cover-up' to hide the murder of his second victim, Gabriel Kovari, in August 2014.

Port told a friend the Slovakian had moved to Spain and died as a result of infection.

He then posed as an American ex-pornstar, Jon Luck, on Facebook in chats with Mr Kovari's partner, Thierry Amodio, who lived in Spain, it is claimed.

During the chats he allegedly laid the groundwork to implicate Daniel Whitworth, hos alleged third victim in Mr Kovari's death.

Gabriel Kovari (left) died in 2014. Port is accused of implicating another of his alleged victims, Daniel Whitworth (right), in Mr Kovari's death

The prosecutor said the conversation 'shows just how manipulative and cruel' Port can be.

Mr Rees said: 'This was a wicked attempt by the defendant, posing as Jon Luck, to try to frame Daniel Whitworth for causing the death of Gabriel Kovari and make it seem Daniel Whitworth had subsequently taken his own life because he could not live with the guilt.'

THE SAME DOG- WALKER FOUND TWO OF PORT'S ALLEGED VICTIMS The court heard today that the same woman discovered two of Port's alleged victims on separate dates, while she walked her dog. Prosecutor Mr Rees told the jury today: 'One of the extraordinary features of this case, on the morning of 20 September 2014, just over three weeks after she had come across the body of Gabriel Kovari, Barbara Denham was again walking her dog through the graveyard in Abbey Green when she came across another body of a young man in almost exactly the same location as where she had found Mr Kovari.' The apparent link between the two deaths was only established later. Advertisement

Jurors heard Mr Whitworth was found by a dog walker in September 2014 after he was murdered by Port. He was clutching a supposed 'suicide note' in his left hand.

The note read: 'I am sorry to everyone, mainly my family, but I can't go on anymore, I took the life of my friend Gabriel Kline, we was just having some fun at a mate's place and I got carried away and gave him another shot of G.

'I didn't notice while we was having sex that he had stopped breathing. I tried everything to get him to breathe again but it was too late, it was an accident, but I blame myself for what happened and I didn't tell my family I went out.

'I know I would go to prison if I go to the police and I can't do that to my family and at least this way I can at least be with Gabriel again, I hope he will forgive me.

'BTW Please do not blame the guy I was with last night, we only had sex then I left, he knows nothing of what I have done. I have taken what g I have left with sleeping pills so if it does kill me it's what I deserve.

'Feeling dizey [sic] now as took 10 min ago so hoping you understand my writing.

'I dropped my phone on way here so it should be in the grass somewhere. Sorry to everyone. Love always Daniel P W.'

Two of Port's alleged victims were found near St Margaret's Church, Barking

The prosecutor said the note was an attempt to make it look as if Mr Whitworth had taken an overdose to kill himself because he blamed himself over the death of Mr Kovari.

The court heard police did not investigate the note, check Mr Whitworth's movements prior to death or attempt to trace 'the guy I was with last night'.

But the prosecutor said the note was a 'sham', adding: 'The prosecution say that the suicide note was a clear attempt on the part of the defendant to conceal his part in the deaths of the two men.

'And as with his earlier victims, the defendant had taken and disposed of Mr Whitworth's mobile phone lest it could be used to establish a link with him.