UK UK - STEPHEN PORT, Suspected SK of Male Victims, London

[Spy Versus Spy]

Possible police failings during the investigation into the serial killer Stephen Port will be the main focus of new inquests into the deaths of his four victims.

At a pre-inquest review at the Old Bailey, the judge, Sarah Munro QC, sitting as an assistant coroner, promised bereaved relatives and partners a “full, fair and fearless” inquiry.

Andrew O’Connor QC, counsel for the coroner, told the court: “The main focus of these inquests should be the adequacy of the police investigation into Mr Port.”

[...]

It is yet to be decided if the inquests, which are likely to be held in early 2020, will be heard before a jury. Another pre-inquest review will be held in November.

Andrew Petherbridge of Hudgell Solicitors, acting for the victims’ families, said: “It’s clear from today’s hearing that there remains a long process ahead for the families. However, they remain committed to unearthing the truth and are grateful to the coroner for the careful consideration she is giving all matters.”

Stephen Port victim inquests to focus on potential police failings

BBC News - Stephen Port: 'No police penalties' in serial killer case No police penalties in serial killer case

 

[Legally Bland]

BBC News - Stephen Port: 'No police penalties' in serial killer case No police penalties in serial killer case

Thanks.

I'm genuinely shocked by that.

I guess I'll hold fire till next year when the inquest findings and IOPC report are public.

 

[YESorNO]

Coroner promises a 'full, fair, and fearless' inquest into the deaths of Stephen Port's victims

05 July 2019

"Her Honour Judge Sarah Munro QC, assistant coroner for east London, said: "My priority this morning is to express my condolences to the families both present an absent.

"May I emphasize at this early stage that the families will be at the heart of this inquest.

"I will conduct a full, fair, and fearless inquest."

At a pre inquest hearing at the Old Bailey today it emerged that Stephen Port had a legal entitlement to appear at the inquest....

On the scope of the inquest, Mr O'Connor submitted that the focus of the inquest should be the adequacy of the police investigation into Port.

But he added the inquest was unlikely to call up extensive evidence related to the circumstances of the four deaths but that such details should be submitted in a summary form.

On whether a jury should sit during the inquest, Mr O'Connor said by law it was at the judge's discretion whether a jury should sit.

It could also be necessary to call a jury if the coroner were to decide that a death resulted from the involvement of a police officer, the court heard...."

Serial killer Stephen Port has the right to attend his four victim's inquest

 

[YESorNO]

Stephen Port: Who Were The Four Men Murdered By The 'Grindr Killer'?
A pre-inquest hearing for his victims will begin in London today.

07/05/2019

"...The police watchdog is assessing whether any charges of gross misconduct should be brought against officers involved in the initial inquiry which allowed Port – who became known in the media as the ‘Grindr killer’ – to slip through the net. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) findings are set to be published shortly after the inquest is concluded.

On Friday, a pre-inquest hearing into Port’s victims will begin.

In a blog for HuffPost UK, Whitworth’s stepmother Mandy Pearson wrote: “The inquests will not only give us the opportunity to get to the truth about how Anthony, Gabriel, Daniel and Jack died – Port denied any involvement throughout his trial – it will also allow our legal representatives to examine and question those officers involved. It is only right that there is some accountability.”

These were the men whose lives he took – and how he went about covering up their murders...."

HuffPost is now part of Oath

 

[Legally Bland]

Port's drug dealer found guilty of murder by GHB:
_______________

A serial thief who targeted victims through gay dating apps has been found guilty of murdering a businessman with a GHB drug overdose.

An Old Bailey jury convicted Gerald Matovu, 26, of killing Eric Michels, 54, who was found dead at his south-west London home on 18 August.

The court heard the pair met in central London through the Grindr app before taking a cab back to Mr Michel's house.

Matovu had previously admitted selling GHB to serial killer Stephen Port.

Port was given a whole-life term for the murders of four young men he poisoned with lethal doses of the substance and raped after meeting them on Grindr.

'Grindr thief' guilty of businessman murder

 

[Legally Bland]

Gerald Matovu has become the first person since the serial killer Stephen Port to be convicted of murder with a fatal overdose of the drug GHB.

The two killers had different motives - Port was a sexual predator, Matovu a prolific thief - but the same method: trawling gay dating apps such as Grindr, arranging sex, and then rendering their targets unconscious with surreptitious GHB doses.

What can now be revealed is that the pair were also close associates.

Matovu was arrested during the Port homicide investigation, and convicted of selling Port GHB. Matovu had actually drugged and stolen from the serial killer, and is suspected of being present at Port's flat when one of his surviving rape victims was drugged.

[...]

Detectives linked Matovu to the events using mobile phone technology and decided to visit a flat in east London occupied by his lover Brandon Dunbar.

On arrival, they were met by a group of uniformed officers making inquiries in the aftermath of the discovery in the street of a bruised and naked unconscious man.

Matovu was inside, surrounded by stolen items belonging to a series of victims.

The thieves' digital devices contained pictures taken of credit cards and personal documents, which had been used to make various purchases.

They spent money using Mr Michels' bank cards, something Dunbar continued to do even after Matovu was arrested.

The naked man found in the street, who met the pair on Grindr, was injected with GHB, had his buttocks wounded with a blowtorch, was robbed, and then dumped on the pavement outside.

The link between a Grindr murderer and a serial killer

 

[Legally Bland]

From last year:
______________

21 November 2018

The devastated family of a father who died as a result of GHB intoxication said they have lost the 'most important man in our lives' as his alleged murderer faced court.

Eric Michels was found dead at his home in Chessington, south-west London, on August 17, after acute intoxication by the Class C substance.

Alleged sex offender Gerald Matovu, 25, is accused of murdering the 52-year-old and appeared before magistrates today.

Family pay tribute to energy boss father-of-three who died from GHB as alleged killer in court | Daily Mail Online

 

[Legally Bland]

From 2 years ago:
________________

A man who gave drugs to Grindr serial killer Stephen Port has walked free from court.

Gerald Matovu, 23, dealt the twisted murderer Class B drug mephedrone, known as Meow Meow, and GHB between July and August 2015.

[...]

Matovu was sentenced today to 12 months' community service, 150 hours of unpaid work and 40 days of drug rehabilitation.

He had pleaded guilty to the offences at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday March 28.

Man who dealt drugs to killer Stephen Port walks free from court

 

[YESorNO]

Stephen Port: Coroner will not face investigation in fresh inquest

16 July 2019

"Her honour, Judge Sarah Munro, rejected arguments from lawyers acting for the families of the four young gay men murdered by the Barking serial killer that Nadia Persaud, senior coroner for east London, should appear at a fresh inquest.

Judge Munro, acting as assistant coroner for that inquest, wrote: "I am not permitted to explore the conduct of another coroner".

Ms Persaud reached an open verdict into the deaths of Gabriel Kovari, 22, and Daniel Whitworth, 21. Port's final victims were Anthony Walgate, 23, and Jack Taylor, 25, from Dagenham.

Her conclusion was quashed at the High Court after the 44-year-old chef was jailed for life for murder in 2016.

Paul Clark and Dr Anton van Dellen, acting for the families and Daniel's former partner, Ricky Waumsley, urged Judge Munro to examine "shortcomings" in Ms Persaud's investigation at a preliminary July 5 Old Bailey hearing to agree the inquest's scope...."

Stephen Port: Coroner will not face investigation in fresh inquest

 

[YESorNO]

Innocent young Gravesend chef was enjoying life in this photo but days later he was killed
How Daniel Whitworth was murdered by serial killer Stephen Port who nearly got away with it

18 JUL 2019

"When this 21-year-old was pictured enjoying an apple at an orchard, little did he know it was the last photo that would ever be taken of him.

Daniel Whitworth was under the blue skies without a care in the world just three miles from his hometown, peaceful and happy.

He was working at Canary Wharf in London and living with his long-term boyfriend Ricky Waumsley at their home in Nine Elms Grove, Gravesend.

As an aspiring chef, he had his whole life ahead of him...."

Innocent young man was enjoying life in this photo but days later he was killed

This is the last picture Daniel Whitworth posted on Twitter before he was found dead just days later [Image: Twitter])

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

Port's drug dealer found guilty of murder by GHB:
_______________

A serial thief who targeted victims through gay dating apps has been found guilty of murdering a businessman with a GHB drug overdose.

An Old Bailey jury convicted Gerald Matovu, 26, of killing Eric Michels, 54, who was found dead at his south-west London home on 18 August.

The court heard the pair met in central London through the Grindr app before taking a cab back to Mr Michel's house.

Matovu had previously admitted selling GHB to serial killer Stephen Port.

Port was given a whole-life term for the murders of four young men he poisoned with lethal doses of the substance and raped after meeting them on Grindr.

'Grindr thief' guilty of businessman murder

BBC News - Serial killer's dealer jailed for Grindr murder Serial killer's dealer jailed for Grindr murder

@Legally Bland

 

[dotr]

Serial Killer's Drug Dealer Jailed For Chemsex Murder Of Bond Actor

© Yahoo News Australia Eric Michels, who featured in the James Bond movie Skyfall, died from an overdose of the drug GHB

"Michels, who had an uncredited role in Skyfall, was one of 12 men targeted by Matovu and his lover, Brandon Dunbar, 24, over a 19-month period, jurors heard.

Following an Old Bailey trial, Matovu was found guilty of businessman Michels’ murder.

Jurors were not told about Matovu’s past connection with former chef Port, 44, from Barking, east London, who had also targeted victims through Grindr and killed them with GHB overdoses."

 

[Legally Bland]

BBC News - Serial killer's dealer jailed for Grindr murder Serial killer's dealer jailed for Grindr murder

@Legally Bland

Thanks for the heads up. These sentences are never long enough, but 31 years seems longer than most.

 

[Legally Bland]

Families of the victims of serial killer Stephen Port have been assured that everything possible will be done to ensure the long-awaited inquests into their deaths go ahead in the new year despite the coronavirus pandemic.

[...]

Some 8,000 pages of documents had already been disclosed, including from the original police investigations, police watchdog statements and statements from family members, he said.

An inquest jury will examined whether prejudice played a part in how police initially responded to the deaths of the four men, the coroner has already ruled.

Inquest into Stephen Port's victims set to begin in new year

 

[Filly]

Never had I heard of this case until just reading about Nielsen.

Young, handsome, ambitious, happy guys with their bright lives before them. This creep just stamps them out!

May you all be just as bright and happy on the other side young men.

 

[LadyL]

wow thanks Filly for 'bumping' the thread up
there's so much to read that I've had to skip quite a few posts
just wondering @Legally Bland if the other people seen/heard were ever prosecuted?

 

[Legally Bland]

wow thanks Filly for 'bumping' the thread up
there's so much to read that I've had to skip quite a few posts
just wondering @Legally Bland if the other people seen/heard were ever prosecuted?

I don't think they've been identified. But SP's drug dealer got a suspended sentence for his dealing and then went on to kill someone with GHB. Don't know if you saw these posts about it:

BBC News - Serial killer's dealer jailed for Grindr murder Serial killer's dealer jailed for Grindr murder

@Legally Bland

Serial Killer's Drug Dealer Jailed For Chemsex Murder Of Bond Actor

© Yahoo News Australia Eric Michels, who featured in the James Bond movie Skyfall, died from an overdose of the drug GHB

"Michels, who had an uncredited role in Skyfall, was one of 12 men targeted by Matovu and his lover, Brandon Dunbar, 24, over a 19-month period, jurors heard.

Following an Old Bailey trial, Matovu was found guilty of businessman Michels’ murder.

Jurors were not told about Matovu’s past connection with former chef Port, 44, from Barking, east London, who had also targeted victims through Grindr and killed them with GHB overdoses."

 

[LadyL]

I don't think they've been identified. But SP's drug dealer got a suspended sentence for his dealing and then went on to kill someone with GHB. Don't know if you saw these posts about it:

thanks I did see that
I wonder if he was one of the others heard on video

 

[Legally Bland]

Tuesday

The delayed inquests into the deaths of four young men who were victims of the serial killer Stephen Port open on Tuesday, as the lawyer for their families said the hearings marked a key step in their “quest for accountability”.

Delayed inquests in deaths of Stephen Port’s victims open


Wednesday

The serial killer Stephen Port had an “incessant” obsession with watching drug rape material and messaging men on hook-up sites, inquests into the deaths of four of his victims have been told.

One laptop seized by police contained hundreds of thousands of lines of messaging about sex, and drug-taking, said DI Mark Richards, the case officer on Operation Lilford, which was launched after the four deaths were eventually linked.

[...]

Asked if police could be certain Port had not murdered more people, Richards said: “We had to be 100% sure that he hadn’t killed anyone else”. He added that “extensive inquiries” had been made and police had reviewed 58 or 59 other deaths to see if there was any connection, but had found none.

Serial killer Stephen Port obsessed with , inquests hear


Thursday

Giving evidence to the inquests of four young men murdered by Port, Antony Neil said he was called at 4.05am on 19 June 2014 to a report that a man was suspected to have suffered a seizure or was drunk.

The paramedic said he could see the man was dead. There was postmortem pooling on the abdomen. The body was cold, which meant he had been dead for “quite some time”, Neil told the jury. He described the body as “positioned cross-legged, in an unnatural position”, not consistent with a possible seizure.

Believing the death to be suspicious, he covered the patient with a blanket to preserve any crime scene and requested the Metropolitan police attend, he said.

“The way it was positioned, it did not add up to the call I was given and because it was a young male, that’s why it appeared suspicious to me. If someone had a seizure they would not be sat upright with their legs crossed. I have never seen that in my career,” he told the jury.

Paramedic saw death of Stephen Port’s first victim as suspicious, inquest told


Today

The serial killer Stephen Port was identified as a “significant witness” and police knew of a previous male rape allegation against him within hours of the body of his first murder victim being found, an inquest has heard.

Notes made by Ch Supt Andy Ewing, borough commander at Barking and Dagenham police, on the morning Anthony Walgate’s body was found, read “caller previous sex assault”, referencing an allegation found on the police national computer (PNC).

[...]

Learmonth remained at the scene for four and a half hours, but told the inquest he was not made aware that checks on the PNC had revealed an allegation of non-consensual anal rape against Port following an incident in 2012 in which he was accused of giving the victim poppers and alcohol.

“That’s an important matter, isn’t it?” said Andrew O’Connor, counsel to the inquests.

“Yes it is,” Learmonth replied.

“If it is right that information was discovered that morning, that was a significant piece of information about the person who had called 999,” O’Connor said. Learmonth replied: “Yes, I agree.”

Stephen Port identified as ‘significant witness’ after first murder, inquest hears

 

[Spy Versus Spy]

BBC News - Stephen Port: Detective believed first victim had been murdered Stephen Port: Detective believed first victim had been murdered