Twisted Grindr Serial Killer’s Letters from Prison Expose His Concerns
Letters from Stephen Port reveal his misguided thoughts and the police’s failures in handling his case
Stephen Port, Grindr, East London, Sebastian Murphy-Bates, Murder, Anthony Walgate, Jack Taylor
East London: So, there’s this guy, Stephen Port, who was a real piece of work. He was convicted of killing four men he met on Grindr, and now he’s in prison writing letters. These letters, though, are a bit of a joke. He thinks he’s some kind of genius, but the author Sebastian Murphy-Bates, who got these letters, says otherwise.
Port had this weird obsession with kids’ movies like Transformers, which is just strange for a serial killer, right? He lured his victims online, drugged them, and then assaulted them in his flat. Murphy-Bates is digging into Port’s life and the police’s massive screw-ups that let him keep killing.
In court, Port faced a ton of charges, over 20, including the murders of Anthony Walgate and Jack Taylor. He got a life sentence in 2016, but the police really dropped the ball on this one. If they had done their job, maybe Jack would still be alive today.
Murphy-Bates shares his experience of writing to Port in his book, “Easy Kills.” He wanted to understand what made this guy tick. But honestly, after reading Port’s letters, he realized Port was no genius. They were full of spelling mistakes and childish thoughts. It was like Port was living in his own little world.
Murphy-Bates even pretended to be a young gay man to get Port to open up. He sent a photo, and it worked like a charm. Port was either too clueless to notice or just happy to have someone to talk to. But it was clear that Port’s so-called intelligence was just a figment of his imagination.
The real issue? The police. They should have caught Port way earlier, especially after he killed Anthony. They didn’t even check his devices, which would have shown a history of disturbing stuff. Instead, they let him slip through their fingers, and he went on to kill more people.
Even when they found bodies near his place, they didn’t connect the dots. It took Jack’s sisters pushing the police to finally get them to look at CCTV footage, which led to Port’s arrest. Murphy-Bates hopes his book serves as a wake-up call for the police to do better next time.