London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 27, 2025

Stephen Port: Met Police officer 'utterly failed' in her job

Stephen Port: Met Police officer 'utterly failed' in her job

A Met detective investigating the death of one of serial killer Stephen Port's victims has admitted to an inquest she "utterly failed" in her role.

Det Con Jacqueline Baxter, the designated liaison officer for the family of Gabriel Kovari, told the court she did not even contact them.

She also ignored concerns raised by friends of Mr Kovari, and failed to pass on information to other officers.

Inquests are examining the Met Police's initial investigations of the murders.

(L - R) Anthony Walgate, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor


Between 2014 and 2015 Port killed Mr Kovari, Anthony Walgate, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor, who were all in their early 20s, with overdoses of GHB before dumping their bodies near his flat in Barking, east London.

The deaths were not treated as suspicious until the final murder and it was not until 2016 that Port, now 46, was given a whole life sentence.

John Pape, a friend of Mr Kovari, emailed Det Con Baxter a number of times to suggest the four deaths might be linked, but she "discounted and dismissed" his suggestion that young men were being drugged and exploited, and did not reply to his messages.

Mr Pape told the inquest, being held at Barking Town Hall, that the only explanation for the force's attitude was "institutional homophobia".

Jurors were shown emails setting out actions for Ms Baxter which she had failed to carry out. She also accepted a formal witness statement she made was inaccurate as she failed to mention her full responsibilities in relation to the Kovari case.

Emails she sent to a coroner's officer showed her wrongly stating that "uniformed officers kept this case as it was not deemed suspicious. I just dealt with the burial company in Lithuania".

During questioning, she accepted the case had not only stayed with uniformed police and she had "got the wrong country" as Mr Kovari came from Slovakia.

Stephen Port was given a whole-life prison term for the murders of four young men


Andrew O'Connor QC, counsel to the inquests, said that a member of the public was "reporting a crime, a serious crime, to the police".

Det Con Baxter said she had been "duped" by a fake suicide note, written by Port and placed on Mr Whitworth's body, which claimed he had accidentally killed Mr Kovari. She therefore ignored other information.

Henrietta Hill QC, for the bereaved families, said the officer had "utterly failed" in her role and her conduct "amounts to an outright failure of professional curiosity".

She said the witness had demonstrated "nil compliance" with her family liaison role.

"Yes", the detective said.

Giving evidence, Mr Pape said: "When grieving families, boyfriend and friends are getting close to the truth and trying to raise the alarm 10 months before the Met are even willing to acknowledge the deaths are suspicious, it can't be a funding issue.

"The only thing that makes sense about how disturbingly incompetent this investigation was is prejudice - conscious and unconscious."

He added: "If the lives and deaths of young gay and bi men aren't treated with significance and respect, I think that amounts to institutional homophobia."

The bodies of Gabriel Kovari, 22, and Daniel Whitworth, 21, were found in St Margaret's churchyard in Barking


Mr Pape said he tracked down Mr Kovari's former boyfriend, Thierry Amodio, who was told by another man - later established to be Port - that the victims were drugged at orgies involving older men.

But Mr Pape said police seemed to dismiss his attempts to provide them with information.

Mr Pape said he contacted gay charities, the gay press and campaigner Peter Tatchell to explain his concerns, adding: "I didn't trust the police to link it properly."

He also raised concerns at the first inquest for Mr Kovari, in June 2015. He asked a detective about the first "unexplained death" and whether it could be linked to his late friend.

Det Insp Rolf Schamberger had replied: "To the best of my knowledge, no link was ever established."

Peter Skelton QC, representing the Met, said the various failings were the result of incompetence by the relevant officers.

"Incompetence doesn't always amount to prejudice," he told Mr Pape.

However, the witness replied there had to be a reason why so many people were making "shocking mistakes".

"They just didn't value those four young men," he said.

The inquests continue.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
×