Stephen Port: Families given legal boost after Worboys ruling

Stephen Port, from London, was given a whole life prison term for the murders of four young men

A lawyer representing families of the victims of serial killer Stephen Port has welcomed a landmark ruling holding police liable for serious failings in investigations.

It comes after the Met Police lost an appeal over the handling of the case into John Worboys.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is looking at the Met's investigation into Port.

Andy Petherbridge said the Supreme Court's decision was "significant".

The Met Police has already been criticised over the inquiry into Port and admitted "missed opportunities" to catch the killer sooner.

The graveyard of St Margaret's Church, just yards from Stephen Port's flat in Barking

Port was handed a life sentence after a jury found he had surreptitiously given his victims fatal doses of the drug GHB.

The 41-year-old then dumped the bodies of Anthony Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25, near his flat in Barking, east London, over a period of 15 months.

Mr Petherbridge, who represents relatives of the victims of Port, said civil proceedings against the Met Police "have begun".

"This is a very bad day for the Metropolitan Police Service... But, this is a positive day for victims in their fight for justice," he said.

A total of 17 officers are being investigated by the IOPC over the Port case, seven of whom could face the sack if found guilty of gross misconduct.

The Metropolitan Police said it would not be commenting any further on the Stephen Port case.