Alleged serial killer Stephen Port remanded in custody over gay murder charges
A London man has been remanded in custody, after being charged with the murders of four men in Barking.
40-year-old Stephen Port, of Barking, east London was charged this week with the alleged murders of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor.
Port allegedly used GHB to poison a number of victims. The four bodies were found in and around the St Margaret’s Churchyard, Barking, between June 2014 and September 2015.
He appeared via videolink at the Old Bailey today from Pentonville Prison for an initial hearing, which lasted just ten minutes.
Port was remanded in custody, with a plea hearing set for January and a trial date set for April.
He faces four counts of murder, and four counts of administering a poison with intent to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm over the deaths.
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it will refer itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission following the arrest, over allegations it initially failed to spot a link between the deaths.
A statement previously 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. A man has been charged in relation to the murders.”
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