Jurors at inquests into the deaths of four men murdered in Barking have been warned not to look for scapegoats when examining police investigations.

Stephen Port, now 46, took the lives of Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, Jack Taylor, 25, and Anthony Walgate, 23, between 2014 and 2015.

Port drugged them with fatal doses of drug GHB raped them then dumped their bodies near his home in Cooke Street. He was sentenced to life in November 2016.

Her Honour Judge Sarah Munro QC told jurors: "There is a very simple, very tragic reason why we are hearing the inquests into the deaths of these four, young men together. Each of them was murdered by a man named Stephen Port."

Jurors heard Port will not appear at the inquests, but that at the end of his Old Bailey trial Judge Justice Openshaw signalled that the "competency" and "adequacy" of the police investigation would be left for others to examine.

"It is that issue that will be the focus of the evidence we shall hear together," Judge Munro told jurors.

The inquest is to investigate whether the killer could have been stopped earlier, but Judge Munro reminded the jury Port was responsible for the deaths.

Police witnesses are to give evidence, including the detective inspector whose investigation led to Port's conviction.

Judge Munro warned jurors consideration of the various police responses must be "fair and balanced".

She said: "If there were shortcomings in the way the police investigated, we must consider these shortcomings dispassionately and resist the temptation to look for scapegoats.

"You must be very careful to look at the evidence as it was understood at the time. Beware the wisdom of hindsight.

"We will have to consider whether had the investigation been carried out earlier, the lives of those who died later might have been saved."

Mr Walgate was found outside Port's flat with Mr Kovari and Mr Whitworth's bodies discovered in the grounds of St Margaret's Church in summer 2014.

Police linked the deaths of Mr Kovari and Mr Whitworth, but did not connect them to Mr Walgate.

Mr Taylor's body was found in September 2015 near where Mr Whitworth and Mr Kovari were discovered.

Port was arrested after a police officer working on the investigation into Mr Walgate's death happened to identify Port as the man caught on CCTV walking with Mr Taylor.

The inquests are expected to last up to 10 weeks.