Stephen Port: J'Accuse

A prominent gay rights campaigner has accused Scotland Yard of failing for over a year to connect the deaths of four young gay men who were drugged and murdered before their bodies were dumped in and around a churchyard in east London.

Peter Tatchell said the force was told 10 months ago about concerns within the gay community over a possible serial killer on the loose – but the police did not appear to have formally linked the deaths until a fourth man was found dead in similar circumstances last month.

Tatchell said he was contacted last December by a friend of one of the victims who was “disturbed” that he had not heard back from police despite raising concerns that the deaths may be linked. “To have three young men found dead in public places in mysterious, unexplained circumstances – all within a mile of each other and within the space of three months – should have triggered alarm bells,” Tatchell said...

The Guardian.

One notes Peter has claimed this today, not when the story broke on Monday, but after Pink News reported yesterday;

PinkNews can disclose that it was first made aware of allegations of a link between a number of the deaths in December 2014, and reporters carried out preliminary investigations over the next month.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was treating the deaths as separate incidents with “nothing suspicious” to link them, and was not looking for anyone else in connection with them. After contacting the police at the time, PinkNews took the decision not to print a story about the claims... 

This story was followed-up and reported in the Standard and elsewhere as; 'Mr Kovari’s former flatmate had reportedly contacted Pink News to alert them to the fact that the former artist had been using the dating app Grindr.'

But well done to the normally publicity-shy Saint Peter for informing The Guardian etc about his central role in this tragedy today.

Tatchell adds; 'It is appalling that the police did not alert the gay community last year that a serial killer could be on the loose.'

One may wonder why it seems that Mr Tatchell - a man who will usually send out a press release to announce his every bowel movement - also did not.

As ever, I'm sure there's a perfectly innocent explanation for this.