Stephen Port: Families pay tribute to murdered men as inquests begin

Families of the victims of serial killer Stephen Port have expressed their heartbreak as inquests began into their deaths.

Anthony Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25, were all murdered by Port between June 2014 and September 2015.

In 2016, Port was given a whole life prison term after he was convicted of their murders.

The inquests will examine if police errors cost some of their lives.

Jurors will consider whether opportunities were missed to uncover what happened earlier as the police did not link their deaths until after the fourth man, Jack Taylor, was murdered.

On the first day of the inquests, moving tributes to the men were read out by their loved ones.

An aspiring police officer, Mr Taylor's sisters Donna and Jenny said the family was heartbroken without him.

"He was the centre of our world. We miss his laugh, his humour, his personality, his love for his family and everything about him.

"We will never stop fighting for you Jack and we all love and miss you more and more every day."

A statement read out on behalf of Daniel Whitworth's grandmother Barbara Whitworth said: "Daniel was my pride and joy and I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss him.

"He had his whole life in front of him and it seems so unfair that he was taken from us at such a young age."

His stepmother Mandy, read a tribute on behalf of her husband Adam: "I miss him enormously and I will never get over his loss. Rest easy, my son Daniel."

Daniel's partner, Ricky Waumsley, said: "I absolutely adored him" and described Daniel as "literally my world".

"Of course, I love my family, but he was my first boyfriend and my first love. He meant a great deal to me. I still do miss him a lot."

He said at the time of his death, Daniel was excited to be offered a new position at a spa resort in Sevenoaks, Kent, and that they were thinking about marriage.

Sarah Sak, Mr Walgate's mother, spoke about her close relationship with "my boy", describing how they spoke several times a week after he moved to London from Hull.

She said that, after moving to the capital, she could see the "cygnet becoming the swan, he seemed to blossom and find out who he really was, and he could dress and act however he wanted".

"For the last seven years, every time I talk about my son I call him Anthony. I never called him that - it was always Ant - but I still cannot bring myself to call him that, as it is so personal and to me it would mean my boy is really gone forever, and I now realise forever is a long, long time."

A statement read out on behalf of Adam Kovari - Mr Kovari's brother - who was watching via a videolink in Slovakia, said he was a "very smart, talented, kind person with a passion for drawing and languages".

"My brother was an exceptional, and ambitious young man that I am sure would be leading an amazing life today, if he had a chance. He made a mistake of trusting people too much. This cost him life, but it should not have."

The inquests continue.