Trial set to start for alleged Barking serial killer
Two bodies were dumped in the grounds of St Margaret's Church - Credit: Archant
An alleged serial killer accused of drugging and murdering four men he met on gay dating websites will go on trial at the Old Bailey from this morning.
Stephen Port, of Cooke Street, Barking, has been charged with four counts of murder and four counts of administering a poison.
The 41-year-old has also been accused of six further counts of administering a poison, seven of rape and four sexual assaults against another eight men.
He has previously pleaded not guilty to all the charges, which allegedly took place between 2011 and 2015.
Mr Port also faces four alternative charges of manslaughter for each of the murder counts, which he also denies.
He allegedly met the men on gay websites and invited them to his house, where he is said to have poisoned them with the party drug GHB.
Four of his alleged victims, all in their 20s, suffered overdoses and were dumped in or near a churchyard in east London.
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The trial is expected to last up to 10 weeks.
