Stephen Port pictured on his Facebook page
Stephen Port pictured on his Facebook page Facebook

An alleged serial killer accused of murdering four men he met through gay dating websites is facing additional charges of drugging and raping eight other victims, it has been revealed. Stephen Port, 41, is alleged to have used the drug GHB, also known as liquid ecstasy, to poison his victims after luring them to his flat before dumping their bodies in east London.

He was due to stand trial in October 2015 accused of the murder of Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, Jack Taylor, 25 and Anthony Patrick Walgate between June 2014 and September 2015, but proceedings were delayed as police investigated the possibility of more unsolved crimes committed by the former chef.

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Port has now been charged with a string of other attacks against men alleged to have taken place between 2011 and October 2015, bringing the total number of allegations against him to 29.

Port appeared at the Old Bailey to deny four counts of murder, 10 counts of administering a poison with intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity, seven counts of rape, and four counts of assault by penetration against 12 alleged victims in total. He has been remanded in custody until his trial on 4 October.

Walgate's body was found in Cooke Street, Barking on 19 June 2014. Slovakian-born artist Gabriel Kovari, from Lewisham, was found dead by a dog walker near the churchyard of St Margaret's Church, North Street in Barking, on 28 August 2014.

Less than a month later trainee chef Whitworth from Gravesend, Kent, was also found dead near the churchyard on 20 September. The body of forklift truck driver Taylor, from Dagenham, was found near the Abbey Ruins close to North Street on 14 September 2015.

Met Police officers originally said they were not treating the men's deaths as suspicious, but launched a murder investigation following the discovery of Taylor's body, resulting in Port being arrested at his flat in Barking.