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Stephen Port told victim's partner 'I hope he wasn't murdered' Stephen Port told victim's partner 'I hope he wasn't murdered'
(about 1 hour later)
A man on trial for murdering four gay men wrote to the boyfriend of one of his victims on Facebook "I hope he wasn't murdered", a jury has heard. An alleged serial killer used a Facebook alias to befriend the boyfriend of a victim and tell him "I hope he wasn't murdered", a jury heard.
Stephen Port, 41, of Barking, told the partner of Gabriel Kovari that he had been to a sex and drugs orgy with a man called Dan. Stephen Port, of Barking, told the man that Gabriel Kovari had been to a sex and drugs orgy before his death in August 2014 with a man called "Dan".
The accused was using an alias, posing as a US student called Jon Luck. A month later Daniel Whitworth, another alleged victim, was found dead in the same Barking churchyard as Mr Kovari.
Mr Port denies 29 counts, including four murders, as well as offences of drugging, rape and sexual assault. Mr Port denies 29 charges, including four murders, rape and sexual assault.
The jury at the Old Bailey was read five months' worth of Mr Port's Facebook messages. The Old Bailey jury was read five months' worth of Mr Port's Facebook messages sent from a fake account in the name of Jon Luck.
He was contacted by Mr Kovari's boyfriend who was trying to find out what happened to him. Posing as a 21-year-old US student from California who had come to London to study, Mr Port corresponded with Mr Kovari's boyfriend Thierry Amodio who was trying to find out what happened to him.
Mr Port admits it was him using the fake Jon Luck Facebook account. The messages, between September 2014 and January 2015, started when Mr Amodio noticed "Jon Luck" was following Mr Kovari on Facebook and wrote to ask whether they had met.
During the interaction with Mr Kovari's boyfriend he wrote: "I hope he wasn't murdered or anything like that." Posing as Jon Luck, Mr Port said he had spent two nights with Mr Kovari and was surprised when told about his death.
Mr Port is on trial for killing four young gay men with drugs including Mr Kovari, and a man called Daniel Whitworth a few weeks later. He said Mr Kovari had accidentally been killed by Daniel Whitworth with a drugs overdose and Mr Whitworth then took his own life because he "could not live with the guilt", the court heard.
Mr Port admits writing the note, but claims it was dictated to him by Mr Whitworth. He also admits using the Jon Luck account on Facebook.
He later told Mr Amodio that "I hope he wasn't murdered or anything like that as that would be awful."
"Jon Luck" said he had been told that Mr Kovari was in touch with Dan on social media and that they went together "to an party/orgy in barking".
The court heard the parties were described as places where young men were drugged and raped by older men.
The following day when Mr Amodio said police had been in touch, "Jon Luck" replied: "I have been expecting them to come to my door any second cuss of my DNA and my messages on his phone."
When Mr Amodio said the police had been in touch as Dan was found dead, "Jon Luck" replied: "OMG your joking," and added: "please don't let them arrest me".
The messages also revealed "Jon Luck" probing Mr Amodio for information about the police investigation into his boyfriend's death.
But when Mr Amodio encouraged "Jon Luck" to contact detectives, he always refused to do so.
The trial continues.