The coroner found that "fundamental failings" by the Metropolitan Police probably contributed to three of the four deaths.
The deaths of Kovari and Whitworth, along with Walgate and the final victim, Jack Taylor, were subject to a series of inquests that concluded in December 2021. The inquest findings were scathing:
A forged suicide note was placed on Daniel Whitworth's body. The note claimed that Whitworth had accidentally killed Gabriel Kovari while having sex and had decided to take his own life out of guilt. gabriel-and-daniel-case
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
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. The coroner found that "fundamental failings" by the
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
This detailed piece outlines the case of Gabriel Kovari and Daniel Whitworth, two of the four victims murdered by Stephen Port in Barking, East London, between 2014 and 2015. The case is widely recognized not only for its brutality but also for the critical failings of the Metropolitan Police in identifying the pattern of killings. The Victims and the Pattern The note claimed that Whitworth had accidentally killed
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.