Met Police criticised by leading gay rights campaigner for ignoring serial killer warnings
Peter Tatchell says 'it is appalling police did not alert the gay community' after receiving warnings last year
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The Metropolitan Police has been criticised by the country’s leading gay rights campaigner for ignoring warnings that an alleged serial killer may have been murdering young men.
Murder squad detectives have issued a fresh appeal for witnesses to come forward as they continue to investigate the deaths of four men who overdosed on the party drug GHB. The men, aged between 21 and 23, were found dead in or near a churchyard in Barking, east London between June 19 last year and September 14 this year.
The victims are: Anthony Walgate, from Barnet; Gabriel Kovari, from Lewisham, Daniel Whitworth, from Gravesend, and Jack Taylor from Dagenham.
The Independent revealed that the Met Police was told about concerns within the gay community about a possible serial killer being on the loose in east London 10 months before the force launched a murder inquiry.
The website Pink News contacted Scotland Yard after being alerted by a flatmate of Mr Kovari in December last year, but was told there was “nothing suspicious” about the deaths of the first three men. The fourth alleged victim died months later, in September this year. Stephen Port, 40, was arrested last week and appeared before a judge at the Old Bailey today. He is due to stand trial in April. The Met has referred its handling of the allegations to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
It is appalling that the police did not alert the gay community last year that a serial killer could be on the loose
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “The Met Police appeal for information comes a year too late. Four young men are dead. This appeal should have been made in June and August last year after the first two killings. If the police had done that, the killer may have been caught and some of these men might still be alive.
“It is appalling that the police did not alert the gay community last year that a serial killer could be on the loose. Concerns were raised with the police at the time by a friend of one the victims, Gabriel Kovari, but they seem to have been ignored.
“To have three young men found dead in public places in mysterious, unexplained circumstances – all within a mile of each other and within the space of three months – should have triggered alarm bells.
“There needs to be a full independent inquiry into what went wrong.”
Detective Chief Inspector Tim Duffield, from Scotland Yard’s homicide and major crime command, urged anyone with information to come forward “no matter how insignificant”. He said: “We are keen to trace anyone who may have information in connection with these incidents.”