Families of the victims argued the police response was influenced by homophobia, pointing to dismissive attitudes when loved ones raised concerns about links between the deaths.
Forensic tests were not done on items found with the bodies, including the "suicide note" and a bedsheet, which were later found to have Port's DNA.
A jury ruled that all four men were unlawfully killed.
The deaths of Kovari and Whitworth, along with Walgate and the final victim, Jack Taylor, were subject to a series of inquests that concluded in December 2021. The inquest findings were scathing:
A forged suicide note was placed on Daniel Whitworth's body. The note claimed that Whitworth had accidentally killed Gabriel Kovari while having sex and had decided to take his own life out of guilt.
