Easy Kills

The case of Stephen Port and how police missed the blatant murders of gay men

Stephen Port was jailed in November 2016 after luring four young, gay men through dating apps so he could drug them to death and rape them. Easy Kills tracks Port's life and crimes and questions the role of Barking and Dagenham Police, who were investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as a result. Officers neglected to check Port's electronic devices when the first overdosed body turned up outside his flat in June 2014. They found Port had called 999 trying to pose as a bystander after hiring the young man as an escort. He was not charged with murder, but perverting the course of justice. In August 2014, a second body turned up 400 yards from Port's front door. The young immigrant's corpse showed signs of being dragged. No investigation was opened. Less than one month later, another body turned up in the same churchyard. Port was jailed in March 2015 after being given eight months for perverting the course of justice. He served just under three. Had he served the full sentence, he wouldn't have been free to murder his fourth victim, Jack Taylor. The case has garnered massive national media attention, resulting in a TV drama airing January 2022.