Stephen Port: Families of serial killer’s victims receive pay-outs from Met Police over investigation failings

The families of three of the young gay victims of serial killer and rapist Stephen Port have received compensation from the Metropolitan police over investigatory “failings.”

Scotland Yard said on Monday that it had settled civil claims with the relatives of Anthony Walgate and Gabriel Kovari and the partner of Daniel Whitworth.

Port, also known as the “Grindr killer”, was jailed for murdering the three men and a fourth victim, Jack Taylor, in 2015.

A spokesperson for the Met said in a statement: “The Metropolitan Police Service has settled civil claims from the families of Anthony Walgate and Gabriel Kovari as well as the partner of Daniel Whitworth.

“We have previously apologised to the families for the police failings in this matter and understand the impact these have had and the distress caused. We apologise again now.

“Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families as always.”

The relatives of Mr Taylor and Mr Whitworth have yet to settle.

A spokeswoman for Hudgell Solicitors, representing the families, said: "No permission was sought from either family about making the settlements public, and there remain two families still to settle.

"We perhaps shouldn’t be surprised by the Met’s insensitivity to these families, but we would have expected far better."

Families criticised the police response, and an inquest last year at Barking town hall, in east London - yards from where the killings occurred - found “basic failings” in the force’s actions.

Jurors concluded police failings “probably” contributed to the deaths of Port’s second, third and fourth victim, after officers failed to link the men’s deaths.

Port lured his victims to his Barking flat via dating apps, and drugged them with an overdose of GHB before raping them and dumping their bodies nearby.

Police failed to link the deaths, look into key evidence including a forced suicide note, or search Port’s laptop - despite his arrest in relation to Walgate’s death.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is reinvestigating the Met over its initial handling of their cases.

The watchdog said there is evidence that the original investigation into the conduct of officers was “materially flawed”.

It added that “new information” had come forward at the inquest last year into the deaths of the four men.

Families of the four men believed that homophobia played a part in the failings but officers had denied accusations of prejudice and homophobia, blaming mistakes on being understaffed and lacking resources.