UK: Gay chef kills 4 men he met on Grindr, suspected in 58 more murders

London: UK's Metropolitan Police Service department has come under scanner after being slammed for failing to spot a potential serial killer who drugged and murdered four young men he met on gay networking sites.

Met police had found four bodies at a distance from the accused, Stephen Port's home in East London. Port, 41, had invited the victims to his flat and spiked their drinks or injected them with drugs so he could have sex with them while they were unconscious, and later killed them.

Four of his victims died of overdoses and Port was accused of dragging their bodies outside, planting bottles of the party drug GHB on some of them and writing a fake suicide note for another.

Detectives are now probing 58 more cases in which victims were killed in similar ways and they are now investigating Port's possible involvement in those murders.

Seven police officials could face suspension if they are found guilty of failing to investigate the murders.

Port was arrested after the death of his first victim. However, he was only handed a short jail term. He attacked his second victim soon after his release.

He was also accused of sexually assaulting or raping another eight victims who survived.

Port faces 29 charges relating to 12 men between February 2012 and October 2015, including the murders of four men in their 20s.

All four died in "strikingly similar" circumstances, and in each case, Port was accused of lying to police about his involvement with the victims.

The court had heard how Port was attracted to smaller men with boyish looks, known as "twinks", who he met on social networking sites such as Grindr.

He also allegedly used the sites to buy a range of drugs, including poppers, Viagra, Meow Meow -- a synthetic stimulant -- and GHB and GBL, chemically similar substances which can induce euphoria but can also have strong sedative effects.