Suspected serial killer Stephen Port has been remanded in custody after briefly appearing in court accused of murdering four young men.
The 40-year-old chef from Barking allegedly poisoned the men with an overdose of the "date-rape drug" GHB after meeting them on the gay dating app Grindr.
Art student Anthony Walgate, 23, Slovakian-born artist Gabriel Kovari, 22, trainee chef Daniel Whitworth, 21, and 25-year-old forklift truck driver Jack Taylor were all found dead in a 15-month period.
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The four murders were only linked together by the Metropolitan Police weeks after Taylor's body was found near the Abbey Ruins close to North Street, Barking, on 14 September this year.
Port appeared at the Old Bailey court via video link from Pentonville prison today. Port, who normally wears a wig to conceal his baldness, was dressed in a green jumpsuit with no wig. He spoke only to confirm his name, Sky News reports.
A plea and case management hearing has been set for January with his trial due to begin in April.
Meanwhile, questions have been raised about police conduct in the wake of the first alleged murders.
Scotland Yard was informed about fears within the gay community that a serial killer was on the loose nearly a year before a murder inquiry was launched, The Independent reports.
Nick Duffy, the UK editor of the gay website Pink News, told police about these concerns in December last year, but was reportedly told that there was "nothing suspicious" about the three deaths.
The force has since referred its handling of the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Barking serial killer suspect accused of poisoning victims
19 October
A 40-year-old man from east London has been charged with the murder of four young men, all of whom died from an overdose of the "date-rape drug" GHB.
Stephen Port, of Cooke Street, Barking, was remanded in custody after appearing at Barkingside Magistrates Court in Ilford today, and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.
He is accused of murdering 23-year-old art student Anthony Walgate; 22-year-old Slovakian-born artist Gabriel Kovari; 21-year-old trainee chef Daniel Whitworth; and 25-year-old forklift truck driver Jack Taylor.
All four were found dead over a 15-month period, close to St Margaret's Church (pictured above) in Barking, and were said to have been contacted via gay websites, reports Sky News.
Walgate, from Barnet, was found collapsed on Cooke Street on 19 June 2014 and pronounced dead at the scene. Kovari, from Lewisham, and Whitworth, from Gravesend in Kent, were discovered by the same dog walker near the church's graveyard in August and September last year. Taylor, from Dagenham, was found near the Abbey Ruins behind the church on 14 September this year.
Port has also been charged with administering poison with intent to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm.
Dressed in a "grey prison-issue tracksuit", he listened "without expression" as the prosecuting lawyer outlined the charges against him in court today, reports the Barking and Dagenham Post.
GHB (gammahydroxybutrate) is a class C drug with sedative and anaesthetic effects that can cause unconsciousness, coma and death. It is said to be particularly dangerous when used with alcohol.
