Deaths in Barking

A man in Barking, Stephen Port, has been arrested last weekend and charged with four counts of murder concerning the deaths of four men in their 20s. Port has not been bailed and will remain in custody. He appeared in the Old Bailey today and the trial is likely to be in April 2016.

The LGBT Advisory Group has been advising the MPS since last Thursday when the police began to suspect a link among the four deaths in Barking. We are actively working with both the borough police and the Homicide Command.

We have been helping the police with LGBT-related issues around the investigation of the four deaths. We are also helping the MPS address the wider implications that arise from this case, including care for victims of sexual assault. We are working with the MPS to establish further community channels for people who may be affected by this case or other similar cases, including referral to agencies who can provide support and anonymous reporting.

We recognise that this case has a serious impact on community confidence in the MPS. We welcome the voluntary referral by the MPS to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

From the MPS witness appeal:

Anyone with information can contact the Met’s incident room on 020 8358 0400, or you can anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

If you don’t wish to speak to the police, you can contact hate crime charity Galop via their website or on 020 7704 2040.