London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Cops respond to claims ‘homophobia’ hampered ‘Grindr serial killer’ probe

Cops respond to claims ‘homophobia’ hampered ‘Grindr serial killer’ probe

London’s Metropolitan Police deny that “institutional homophobia” hindered their investigation into a serial killer targeting young gay men. They say their inexperience with the gay scene allowed the killer to go free for so long.
Stephen Port was sentenced in 2016 to life in prison for the murder of four men he met via the dating app Grindr. Port called an ambulance for his first victim, and left the next three in the same churchyard near his flat in the London borough of Barking between July 2014 and September 2015. Despite the similarities between the killings, police initially failed to link them, and rebuffed claims from the force’s own LGBT advisory group that a serial killer was on the loose. By the time he was caught, Port had drugged and raped eight other victims, who survived.

At an inquest on Friday, Metropolitan Police Commander Jon Savell rejected claims “that the men’s sexuality played a part in our response,” the Independent reported. However, Savell did say that his officers had a “lack of awareness” about the dangers of the date rape drug GHB and its use by gay men.

Lawyers representing the families of Port’s victims earlier accused the police of failing to properly investigate the murders due to “institutional homophobia” within the force, something Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball denied.

“We don’t see institutional homophobia, we don’t see homophobia on the part of officers, we do see all sorts of errors in the investigation which came together in a truly dreadful way,” she told the inquest.

Some of these errors, the inquest heard, included the police neglecting to search Port’s laptop for 10 months, during which time he killed his second and third victims. When an officer finally did search the computer, he failed to register Port’s interest in rape pornography as suspicious. The inquest also heard how the Metropolitan Police’s major investigations team declined to take over the case from local officers in Barking and Dagenham, who themselves had failed to notice a previous rape claim against Port.

Detective Inspector Tony Kirk, who led local policing in Barking at the time of the murders, said that his officers dealt with “hundreds of crimes every day,” meaning complex investigations had to “take a back seat.”

Speaking through his lawyer after the inquest, Ricky Waumsley, a partner of one of Port’s victims Daniel Whitworth, called on Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick to resign. “Ricky is shocked to hear the extent of the police incompetence,” the lawyer told reporters. “Ricky continues to believe that there was police prejudice during the investigation.”

Whitworth’s father called the police’s investigation “abominable,” and told Sky News how "time after time after time, from top to bottom in the Barking borough, the performance of the police has been inexplicable.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×