Stephen Port 'raped victim after spiking his wine'

  • Published
Stephen PortImage source, .
Image caption,

Stephen Port has denied 29 charges in total

A man accused of four murders and several sex attacks raped a man who passed out after drinking spiked red wine, the Old Bailey has heard.

The alleged victim, then a teenager, said he had met Stephen Port, 41, via the gay dating app Grindr and went to his home in February 2012.

He said he felt "very dizzy" after drinking the wine, then briefly woke up naked and realised he was being raped.

Mr Port, of Barking, denies 29 charges including four murders and seven rapes.

The charges relate to 12 men over three-and-a-half years.

'Polite and friendly'

The Old Bailey jury heard the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had come to London to meet a friend but when the friend did not turn up he contacted Mr Port.

His first impression was that the accused, who he met at Barking station before being driven to Mr Port's home, was "quite polite, friendly, nothing that would ring any alarm bells to me".

Image source, PA
Image caption,

The bodies of three victims were found in or around a churchyard close to Stephen Port's home in Barking

As they watched a DVD Mr Port offered a small glass of red wine, the court heard.

The man told the court the drink "tasted bitter, which I attributed to it being cheap wine."

The complainant told the court he "noticed a sludge in the bottom of the glass" and that "you could tell it used to be powder".

Mr Port said the wine must have been "off" and offered him another drink, jurors heard.

The complainant said he quickly felt "very dizzy and tired" and had a "very sinister" feeling.

'I didn't feel safe'

He fell asleep on the sofa and the defendant suggested he went to bed, the court heard.

The man next recalled briefly "waking up naked, face down" being raped by the defendant, the court heard.

"I don't recall stopping him. I wasn't in the position to stop him," he said, as he was "only half aware of what was happening."

Image source, .
Image caption,

Stephen Port worked as a chef

When prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC asked whether he had agreed to have sex with Stephen Port, he said: "No I hadn't."

The man woke the next day feeling "frightened because I couldn't remember large portions of the night".

The jury was told: "I knew I needed to get out of there as soon as possible because I didn't feel safe in the situation I was in."

Mr Port behaved as if "nothing had happened", said the complainant.

Later, when he contacted Mr Port via Grindr and accused him of spiking his drink, the accused denied the allegation and was dismissive about threats to visit a doctor to prove it.

The man came forward in 2015 after reading that Stephen Port had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

The trial continues.

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.