Four Lives: Where is ‘Grindr Killer’ Stephen Port now?

BBC’s Stephen Port drama Four Lives came to an explosive conclusion on Wednesday night, as the Grindr Killer was finally found guilty of his crimes.

Stephen Merchant’s portrayal of him was incredibly spooky, appearing to be a fairly normal guy before the truth about his sickening acts came out. But who exactly is Stephen Port, and where is he now?

Stephen Port’s crimes

Spanning between 2014 – 2015, Port drugged, sexually assaulted and murdered four men aged 25 and under. He specifically scoped out his victims through dating and escort apps, namely Grindr and a website called Sleepyboys.

After killing each of his victims, he’d place their bodies close to his home in Barking. He reported the death of his first victim, 23-year-old Anthony Walgate, to the police. Port told them he’d just found a drunk man unconscious.

He tried to pin the death of his second victim, Gabriel Kovari, on his third, Daniel Whitworth. Port planted a suicide note on Daniel “confessing” to hooking up with Gabriel and supplying him with drugs until he overdosed. It was, in fact, Port who spiked both of their drinks with GHB.

What was Port doing at the time?

The serial killer compulsively lied about many aspects of his life – from his day job to his own name. On dating apps, he’d often tell people he worked as a teacher in special education, or that he’d graduated from Oxford. In one case he made up a whole backstory about being discharged from the Royal Navy.

In reality, Stephen Port was a cook who worked in a Stagecoach bus garage. He trained as a chef for two years after finishing his GCSEs, and even appeared briefly on an episode of Celebrity Masterchef.

When was he caught?

Almost an entire year after Anthony Walgate’s death, Stephen Port was arrested and charged for the murders, as well as the sexual assault of several other men. His sentencing didn’t actually take place until November 2016.

Where is Stephen Port now?

Port was found guilty on all 21 charges – which included murder, rape and poisoning. In a rare move for The Supreme Court, he was sentenced to a whole life tariff. This means he’ll stay in prison until he dies, without ever being able to apply for parole.

He’s currently serving his time in HMP Belmarsh, which is based in south-east London.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• This is where you recognise the cast of Four Lives from
• Four Lives: The true story of the real ‘Grindr Killer’ and his victims
• Reactions to the BBC drama Four Lives prove people won’t stay silent on police failings

Featured image via BBC.