An alleged serial killer appeared in court yesterday accused of drugging and murdering four men that he met on gay dating websites.
Stephen Port, 40, allegedly poisoned the men before dumping their bodies in and around a churchyard in Barking, east London, over a 15-month period.
Mr Port, an arts school dropout who trained as a chef, is accused of drugging his alleged victims, all aged in their twenties, with gamma-hydroxybutyrate, which is known as GHB or liquid ecstasy and causes euphoria, followed by drowsiness.
Police have alleged that he killed his first victim last June. A 23-year-old fashion student was found dead close to his flat in Barking.
The alleged killing spree came to an end when he was arrested after the discovery of a dead 25-year-old man in the ruins of Barking Abbey last month.
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He appeared in custody at Barkingside magistrates’ court yesterday, charged with four counts of murder and four counts of administering a poison with intent to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm. He spoke only to confirm his name, address and his date of birth.
The first victim is said to be Anthony Patrick Walgate, 23, who was originally from Hull and had lived in Barking.
He was found dead on the street on which Mr Port lives at 4am on June 19 last year. A second-year art, fashion and design student at the University of Middlesex, Walgate was said to have had dreams of becoming a famous fashion designer.
At the time of his death his mother, Sarah Sak, told the Hull Daily Mail: “He was very funny and had a wicked sense of humour. It was a very dry type of humour.
“Anthony was also a good friend. If he was friends with you, he would be your best mate,” she said.
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Mr Port is also accused of killing a 22-year-old Slovakian man, Gabriel Kovari, who was living in Lewisham, southeast London. Mr Kovari’s body was found by a dog walker near the churchyard of St Margaret’s church on August 28 last year. His family described him as being “full of love and care for others”.
On September 20, the same dog walker discovered the body of Daniel Whitworth, 21, from Gravesend, Kent, near the same churchyard. Mr Kovari’s flatmate, John Pape, told an inquest that he had seen Mr Kovari with Mr Whitworth and that he was meeting men through the gay social networking phone app, Grindr.
A statement from Mr Whitworth’s father, Adam Whitworth, was read to the inquest. He said: “He was an active and intelligent outdoors boy who loved days on his bike exploring leafy byways. Those who knew him were shocked by this terrible news.”
Mr Port is also accused of killing Jack Taylor, 25, a forklift truck driver from Dagenham, Essex. His body was found near the abbey’s ruins close to North Street on September 14.
The deaths were not initially linked, but after further investigation they were referred to the Metropolitan police’s homicide and major crime command on October 14. Deputy District Judge Shlomo Kreiman remanded Mr Port in custody to appear at the Old Bailey tomorrow.
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Mr Port’s parents, Albert and Joan Port, last night said that they were in “shock” at the allegations and did not believe that their son was capable of killing anyone.
They said that their son had been enrolled at art college for a year, but dropped out because they could not afford the fees. He went on to train as a chef and had recently started a new job stocktaking in car show rooms.
They said they only found out that their son was gay when his sister told them two years ago. On Mr Port’s Facebook page he claims to speak Korean and German. It also shows he has posted a number of selfie photographs, images of Transformer cartoons and a black Toyota Celica.
Neighbours at his block of flats in Barking said that he was “quiet” and did not talk to them.
The Metropolitan police last night said that it had referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission over its investigation. In a statement the force said that it had informed the IPCC of “potential vulnerabilities” in its response to the four deaths.