Stephen Port

Stephen Port

Independent Office for Police Conduct to Reinvestigate Met Police Inquiry

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has announced that it will reinvestigate the way the Metropolitan Police handled the deaths of Stephen Port's victims. Stephen Port, a convicted serial killer, was found guilty in 2016 of murdering four young men and drugging and sexually assaulting several others. The IOPC will examine whether the police failed to properly investigate the deaths and whether there were any discriminatory attitudes or practices towards the victims.

Background

Stephen Port was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2016 for the murders of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor. The police initially treated the deaths as non-suspicious and did not link them until the family of Jack Taylor raised concerns. The police were criticized for their handling of the case and were accused of failing to properly investigate the deaths due to the victims being gay and working as escorts.

Reinvestigation

The IOPC's reinvestigation will examine the police's initial response to the deaths, the quality of the investigations, and whether there were any discriminatory attitudes or practices towards the victims. The IOPC has said that it will also examine whether there were any institutional failings and whether the police could have prevented the deaths. The reinvestigation comes after the families of the victims raised concerns about the police's handling of the case and called for a new inquiry.

In conclusion, the IOPC's reinvestigation into the way the Metropolitan Police handled the deaths of Stephen Port's victims will examine whether there were any failings in the initial response to the deaths and whether there were any discriminatory attitudes or practices towards the victims. The reinvestigation comes after the families of the victims raised concerns about the police's handling of the case and called for a new inquiry.