After jurors found that he had failed to properly investigate his murder, he was able to kill again.
An inquest into all of Port’s four victims said Met Police mistakes looking at Anthony Walgate’s murder ‘probably’ contributed to his next Gabriel Kovari’s death.
Judges ruled that Anthony Walgate was a fashion student at 23 who occasionally did escort work.
Mr Walgate was originally from Hull and went to Barking to meet Port. He wasn’t seen again until Port discovered his dead body outside Port’s flat in the early hours on June 19.
Port called 911, changing repeatedly his account about how he got to the young man.
Barking Town Hall is being used by inquest jurors to present their verdicts on the murders of Anthony Walgate (23), Gabriel Kovari (22) and Jack Taylor (25) respectively.
Port allegedly murdered all four of the men between June 2014 – September 2015.
Port, a sex predator, gave four gay young men fatal doses GHB, the date rape drug, and then dumped them near his Barking flat, east London.
Port’s initial victims were Anthony Walgate and Gabriel Kovari (left).
A coroner heard that Port, if police had pursued leads before Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor’s deaths (left), could have been arrested.
He gave them all fatal doses of the date-rape drug GHB. Then he dumped their bodies into public places.
Sarah Munro QC (coroner) has instructed jurors not to conclude that the four men had been “unlawfully executed” given that Port, who was convicted at Old Bailey, is currently serving a full-life sentence for the murders.
The last week has been spent by jurors in retirement, examining whether any police action contributed to the death.
Earlier this week a detective investigating the death of two young men murdered by serial killer Stephen Port wrongly suspected they might be drug addicts.
Peter Sweetman, Detective Sergeant, stated that Port’s final victim Jack Taylor had the appearance and’stature’ of someone using drugs. He also had similar theories about Gabriel Kovari’s death, who was the second victim of the Barking drug-rape predator.
Sweetman claimed that Taylor wasn’t his friend, although he denied knowing that Taylor had been a drug addict. However, he also said that Taylor’s death was not connected to Sweetman’s account despite the similarities in their profiles and the locations they were located.
Port was stopped earlier by inquests.
Pictured: Stephen Port, now 46 years old, received a complete-life sentence in 2016 for his role in the assassinations of Anthony Walgate (23, Mr Kovari 22, Daniel Whitworth (22) and Taylor (25).
Pictured is Mr Kovari’s grave in St Margaret’s cemetery, Barking. Later, Daniel Whitworth’s body was also discovered here
After being heard by the Barking inquest jury, east London, Mr Sweetman spoke to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. At which point he stated about Taylor’s investigation that: “It appeared this might be the type person in terms of appearance and stature who might use drugs.” “Yes,” is my answer.
The Taylor family used to describe Mr Taylor as anti-drugs.
Sweetman also said that Mr Kovari was extremely thin. I thought it possible that he could have been a drug addict.
The inquest jury heard Mr Sweetman tell the court that his thoughts were based on his experience with drug users.
He declared:[Mr Kovari]It was similar in appearance. [drug addicts]In the past, I’ve dealt with them.
“He was extremely thin, didn’t eat much, and taking drugs often suppresses one’s appetite.”
Sweetman claimed he could not connect Mr Kovari’s murder in August 2014 with Mr Taylor’s in Sept 2015. Despite both men having been dumped in the same locations in St Margaret’s cemetery in Barking,
He stated that there were clear similarities but it was not something that struck him at the time.
“Maybe, in hindsight of course, maybe I shouldn’t’ have thought that way. I did not draw the link.
Inquests revealed that Port had met his victims through gay chat sites, before injecting them with fatal amounts of GHB and then disposing their bodies.
Port (now 46) was sentenced to a full-life suspension in 2016 after he was convicted of the murders Anthony Walgate 23/22, Mr Kovari 22/22, Daniel Whitworth 21/25, and Mr Taylor 25/25.