Homosexual chef gave four men fatal doses of party drug then raped them, court hears
Stephen Port allegedly targeted young men on gay social network sites during a 15-month killing spree who he knocked out and raped, some of them fatally
A GAY chef spiked four men with deadly doses of drugs before having sex with their unconscious bodies and dumping them, his murder trial heard yesterday.
Stephen Port, 41, trawled gay social network sites for targets and invited them to his home during a 15-month killing spree, the Old Bailey was told.
One alleged victim was found outside Port’s block of flats while the other three were discovered next to a wall of a nearby churchyard.
The four men, who were all under 26, died of an overdose featuring high levels of the party drug GHB.
Three of them had a bottle of it “planted on them”, jurors heard.
They were also told how “in each case, the defendant lied to the police about his knowledge of and involvement with the deceased”.
Port’s first alleged murder victim was fashion student and gay escort Anthony Walgate, 23, in June, 2014. He was found after Port offered him £800 for sex. Anthony had joked with a pal he might “get killed”.
Port — who was a gay escort himself — is said to have written a false suicide note found on the body of third victim, 21-year-old chef Daniel Whitworth.
He was discovered, like Slovakian Gabriel Kovari, 22, and forklift driver Jack Taylor, 25, in and around a churchyard 440yds from Port’s flat in Barking, East London.
Three victims were found “propped up” in a sitting position while all of their phones were gone.
Jurors were told how Port was obsessed with porn featuring men and women being raped while stupefied with drugs.
Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC said the defendant “filmed himself having sexual intercourse with other males who were unconscious”.
He said: “All the offending behaviour was driven by one main factor, the defendant’s appetite for sex with younger, gay males while they were unconscious through drugs.”
Before seeing Anthony, Port did web searches for “drug-rape” and “gay teen knocked out and raped” and browsed items about men charged with sex crimes, jurors heard.
Mr Rees said: “All of this material indicates that not only did he derive sexual gratification from viewing images concerning this particular sexual practice but that he practised it himself and was concerned about being caught.”
After Port was arrested for the murders of the four men another alleged victim came forward.
The man claimed he was spiked with drugs and raped by Port when he was “asleep” after going to his flat in 2012 when he was aged 19.
Another alleged victim said he went to Port’s flat and was “knocked out” after being given a drink before waking up naked.
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Mr Rees added: “The explanation for why he should have wanted either to administer high levels of GHB and other drugs to the deceased, or caused them to have taken such drugs, is found in the evidence of the offences committed against those who are still alive.”
Port denies charges involving 12 males including four murders, four alternative charges of manslaughter and administering a poison with intent to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm.
The trial, set to last eight weeks, continues.