Alleged ‘Grindr serial killer’ Stephen Port faces added rape, poisoning charges
Alleged serial killer Stephen Port is now facing a total of 29 charges, including the murder of four gay men.
41-year-old Stephen Port, of Barking, east London, was charged last year with the alleged murders of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor.
Port allegedly used GHB to poison a number of victims, after meeting them on gay hook-up apps. The four bodies were found in and around the St Margaret’s Churchyard, Barking, between June 2014 and September 2015.
But appearing in court today, Port faced a number of extra charges from eight survivors of attacks alleged to have taken place between 2011 and 2015.
As well as the original murder, manslaughter and poisoning charges, Port will now face seven counts of rape, four of sexual assault, and six more counts of administering poisons.
It brings the total number of charges faced to 29.
Port denied all the charges today during a pre-trial hearing at the Old Bailey.
The trial, previously delayed due to the complexity of the case, is now set to begin on October 4.
In addition to the trial, the Metropolitan Police is facing an investigation from the Independent Police Complaints Commission, 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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