Following an inquest into the deaths of the four victims of the serial killer Stephen Port a Coroner’s Report has been published on action to prevent further deaths.
Her Honour Judge Sarah Munro QC was appointed as Assistant Coroner within the East London area to conduct the inquests into the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor. The four young men died in Barking between June 2014 and September 2015.
In her report published today, following the evidence she received during the investigation, she raises a number of matters which “give me cause for concern”. Her Honour says that in her opinion there are risks that future deaths could occur unless action is taken to address them.
One, Her Honour states is, “a lack of ownership and responsibility for the investigations of unexplained deaths may persist in officers who are supposed to be leading investigations.”
Following the publication, Neil Hudgell, solicitor for the families of the four men who were murdered said: “The families remain grateful to the coroner for her detailed consideration of the many issues raised throughout the inquests. It is clear to see from the length of the Prevention of Future Deaths report that there remain very many areas still to be addressed, not just by the Metropolitan Police, but by police forces nationally.
“Among many things the families are particularly interested to see the coroner highlight the failings exposed during the inquests that were not identified by the IOPC in their initial investigation, and eagerly await their response to this. At the heart of their concerns remains a lack of personal accountability and responsibility in the Metropolitan Police.
“Of course, none of the issues identified in the report are a surprise. The families know them inside out, having had to live with them every day for over seven years. However, since the inquests, they have a level of vindication that was previously denied to them and feel closer to justice now than at any point since Anthony, Gabriel, Daniel and Jack were murdered. The fight though is far from over and they eagerly await the police response to this report.”
The Coroner’s Report on action to prevent future deaths is available from the homepage of the Inquests’ website.