Plea of 'serial killings accused' over poisoning murders delayed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-35321079

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A man accused of poisoning and murdering four men in east London will now enter his plea in court in April.

Stephen Port, 40, of Barking, allegedly met the men on gay websites and invited them home where he is said to have poisoned them with the party drug GHB.

The men, in their 20s, were found in or near a churchyard in east London.

At Kingston Crown Court a judge extended his custody after being told a "large amount of outstanding work" was causing delay.

Mr Port, of Cooke Street, is charged with four counts of murder and four counts of administering a poison with intent to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm.

He was due to enter his plea on Friday but this has been pushed back to 15 April when he will appear at the Old Bailey. A provisional trial date was fixed for October.

Prosecutor William Emlyn-Jones said: "There is a very large amount of outstanding work given the scale of this inquiry."

Mr Justice Singh extended the custody time limit for Mr Port saying: "Given the unusual circumstances of this case I'm satisfied the criteria for extending custody is met in this case."

A police inquiry was launched after four men died over a period of 14 months.