Seven Dials signs 'searing' book by Stephen Port murder victim's mother

Seven Dials has acquired a "searing account" of a mother's relentless fight for justice for her son who was murdered by serial killer Stephen Port.

Amanda Harris, publisher, originally acquired world rights for A Life Stolen by Sarah Sak from Clare Hulton at the Clare Hulton Literary Agency. It has been edited and published by publishing director Vicky Eribo. The book will be published in hardback, e-book and audiobook on 17th February 2022.

It tells the story of Sak's son, Anthony Walgate, who on 19th June 2014 was murdered by serial killer Stephen Port after they met on dating app Grindr. Two years later Stephen Port was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey.

Inquests into the deaths of Port's victims between June 2014 and September 2015 have been taking place to determine whether any of them could have been saved if police had acted differently. On 10th December the inquest jury ruled failings by the Met Police contributed to the deaths of Port's final three victims. 

The inquest at Barking Town Hall was told police had ignored multiple chances to uncover that Port had been responsible for murdering Walgate, with the result being the later deaths were preventable. The jury found a murder team should have taken over that first inquiry. The inquests also heard about a long series of failures in the four investigations, including a lack of proper police checks and a failure to send evidence to be forensically examined.

Seven Dials said of its book: "The case received extensive press coverage both because of the horrific nature of the crimes and because the police refused to investigate Anthony's death despite the bodies of Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor being found in near identical circumstances. It was not until Scotland Yard's crime squad took over that Stephen Port was arrested, charged, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Sarah's courage and perseverance helped to achieve justice for her much-loved son and now she campaigns for better policing, to recognise and link crimes, support families, counter homophobia and raise greater public awareness of the dangers of dating sites and apps. This book is Sarah’s story of her devastating loss, love and relentless fight for justice for Anthony; a powerful and searing account, told in full for the first time."

The pair's story also features in the upcoming three-part BBC1 drama "Four Lives" starring Sheridan Smith as Sarah Sak and Stephen Merchant as Stephen Port.

Eribo said: "I am in awe of Sarah’s enduring strength and courage, both in fighting for justice for Anthony and in telling this story. It is a devastating case, and every mother’s worst nightmare, but the strength Sarah has displayed throughout is remarkable – and an inspiration to read. We are truly honoured to have had the opportunity to work with Sarah on telling her story."

Sak added: "The Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy has stated that the Met have made many changes to the training and policies for police officers. However, we have yet to see whether these changes will give confidence to the LGBT community to report any future sexual assaults or rapes. The Met must guarantee that all reports of assaults, whether male or female, will be treated equally, with due diligence and respect. I hope that telling my story in full will continue to shine a cautionary light on what happened to my son and keep pressure on the police to make the necessary improvements. This is the only way to prevent another Stephen Port."