Four Lives: where is 'Grindr Killer' Stephen Port now?
Gripping new true-crime drama Four Lives, starring Sheridan Smith and Stephen Merchant, is set to continue on Tuesday night. The BBC series tells the harrowing true story of four young gay men who were murdered between 2014 and 2016. But where is the so-called Grindr Killer now?
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Stephen Port, who was dubbed the Grindr Killer by the press (even though he only met one of the reported victims on the app), was jailed for life back in 2016 after being found guilty of murdering four young men over the course of a 16-month period.
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However, in total, more than ten men were known victims of Port's crimes which also include administering a poison, rape and sexual assault. Anthony Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25, all lost their lives at the hands of Port, who administered them GHB, a date-rape drug, while many more have come forward to reveal that he also attacked them.
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As detailed in the BBC series, it took the police months to connect the killings, despite three of the victims being found in the same location in Barking; they initially chalked them up to drug overdoses and refused to investigate further.
Port was eventually caught after an officer recognised him from CCTV footage of his last victim's final movements. At the time, he was known to the police, having previously served time for perverting the course of justice in the death of his first victim.
Stephen Port was jailed for life back in 2016
After killing Anthony Walgate in his flat, Port moved his body outside before calling the police on his mobile, pretending to be a passer-by before hanging up. Because his account of the death varied, he was jailed for eight months but eventually released - which allowed him to continue his killing spree.
Stephen Merchant plays the serial killer in the BBC series
He was first incarcerated at the high-security facility HMP Belmarsh but has been since moved, and his current location is not confirmed.
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An inquest into whether police actions could have stopped Port was launched in January 2021, which resulted in the BBC series - which began production back in 2020 - being delayed. As recently as this month, the inquest jury declared that there had been "fundamental failings" in the handling of the murders.
Today Port remains behind bars. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order on 25 November 2016, meaning that he will never be released.
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