Port, having already killed Anthony Walgate in June 2014 (and received a suspended sentence for perverting the course of justice in that investigation), attempted to disguise the subsequent deaths.
Stephen Port, a chef living in Barking, used dating apps (particularly Grindr and Fitlads) to lure young men to his flat, where he drugged them with fatal doses of the date-rape drug GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate).
Despite the similarities—both victims were young gay men, both were found in the same spot, both died of GHB overdoses, and both had their mobile phones missing—police treated the deaths as "unexplained" rather than suspicious. Inquest Findings and Police Failings
Families of the victims argued the police response was influenced by homophobia, pointing to dismissive attitudes when loved ones raised concerns about links between the deaths.
Stephen Port was sentenced to a whole-life order in November 2016, meaning he will never be released. The case spurred intense scrutiny of police procedures in the UK and led to the BBC drama Four Lives , which detailed the failings of the investigation.
A young man from Slovakia looking for work as a translator, Kovari met Port online in August 2014 and moved in as his flatmate. Days later, on August 28, 2014, his body was found propped up against a wall in the graveyard of St Margaret’s Church, near Port's home.
A chef from Gravesend, Kent, with no connection to Barking, Whitworth met Port on a dating app in September 2014. On September 20, 2014, he was found dead in the exact same spot as Gabriel Kovari, propped against the same churchyard wall. The Cover-Up and Fake Suicide Note
The coroner found that "fundamental failings" by the Metropolitan Police probably contributed to three of the four deaths.