Friends of killer Stephen Port’s victim think police made overdose assumption – My London

Friends of the first victim of serial killer Stephen Port believe police wrongly assumed he had overdosed because he was a gay sex worker and therefore “stereotyped” him.

The body of Anthony Walgate, 23, was found outside some flats in Barking in the early hours of June 19, 2014, after being given a fatal overdose of the drug by Stephen Port.

This was the first of four drug-related murders of young men carried out by Stephen Port over a 16-month period.

Port went on to kill Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25, and inquests are examining whether any of them could have been saved had police acted differently.

China Dunning, who was friends with Anthony Walgate, told the inquest today: “I was convinced that Anthony’s death was suspicious. I just knew that he hadn’t taken drugs himself and overdosed.

“[Police] received [my concerns] professionally but I was also aware that maybe they might have come to the assumption that he was young, gay, a sex worker, and I just thought that they would instantly assume ‘yes, he does drugs as well’, or he would be willing to, or he would take the risk.

“I wanted to convince them that they shouldn’t have that stereotype.”

Kiera Brennan, who was part of the same circle of friends, also told the court that she “felt strongly” that Port had caused Mr Walgate harm in the weeks after his death.

She said the police saw Mr Walgate as “a young boy shagging people for money” and that “when they found out he was an escort they wrote him off.

“I don’t think it was actively against gay people,” she added.

“But I do think there was an unconscious bias and assumptions made because of Anthony’s sexuality, because of the job that Anthony was doing.

“I definitely think that had an impact on how things were conducted or not conducted.”

Mr Walgate would sporadically work as an escort and had arranged to meet Port, who was using the false name Joe Dean

The police were first called about Anthony Walgate’s death after the alarm was raised by Port himself, who initially said he had discovered Anthony Walgate making a “gurgling” sound.

In his 999 call, Port claimed not to know what happened to Anthony Walgate but later told police they met for a sexual relationship, inquest jurors heard.

Port was later convicted in March 2015 of lying to police about the circumstances of Anthony Walgate’s death, but by that time he had already killed his next two victims Gabriel Kovari, 22, and Daniel Whitworth, 21, the jury was told.

When Anthony’s friends and family attended court for Port’s sentencing for perverting the course of justice, they urged an officer present to examine Port’s laptop but were told that the procedure was expensive.

Jurors were read a statement in which friend Miss Dunning recalled telling the detective: “We said this guy is dodgy as f***. He’s done something to Anthony.”

His other friend Miss Brennan told the court: “We were saying things like there is obviously correspondence between devices, Port must have a laptop, a mobile phone. You must go and get that.

“Why would you not go get that?”

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