YOUR LOCAL NEWSLETTER | 22 September 2021 Barking Town Hall to host inquest into deaths of Stephen Port victims An eight-week inquest into the deaths of four men murdered by serial killer Stephen Port is set to begin on Monday 4 October at Barking Town Hall. The long-awaited inquest will examine the Metropolitan Police’s initial response to the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor, who were drugged, raped and killed by Port between 2014 and 2015. Port was sentenced to life in prison at the Old Bailey in November 2016 for the murders of the four men. The inquest was originally scheduled to take place at the Old Bailey. Due to the number of people involved and the need for social distancing, we have offered the Town Hall as an alternative venue to ensure the families of the four victims do not face any further delays and can get the answers they so desperately need from the inquest. The inquest will be open to journalists and members of the public. For more information visit www.eastlondoninquests.org.uk. The inquest will understandably cause distress and upset in the local community as details of the four victims’ deaths are disclosed and you are likely to see reports of the inquest in the news. If you are affected in any way, we have pulled together an information booklet with details of local agencies who can offer support and advice. Once the inquest finishes, the East London Coroner’s office will continue to use Barking Town Hall and part of the Adult College for non-jury hearings until March 2022, while Walthamstow Magistrates’ Court is being redeveloped. Celebrating our amazing young people at the Youth Parade On Sunday (19 August) in partnership with Studio 3 Arts, we hosted the seventh annual Youth Parade, where we celebrated the borough’s inspirational young people and the positive contribution they make to our community. 300 young people took part in the parade, which took place in Barking this year and made its way from Abbey Green to Barking Park. Even in the pouring rain, we had nearly 2,000 of you lining the streets and cheering on local performance, dance and community groups that took part in the parade, as it made its way through Barking Town Centre. The parade also hosted a specially curated line-up from Studio 3 Arts which included dance duo Homebros, local rapper Idris Miles, singer Logann Knight, performances from local dance groups and a dance battle competition called ‘7 to Smoke’ featuring talented young dancers who took part in Studio 3 Arts’ ‘3Style Fridays’. There was also a free family fun day at Barking Park, which included dance, arts and sports workshops, free inflatables, a climbing wall, trampolines, pedal karts and many more family fun activities throughout the day