A former Met police officer says a colleague shared a picture of a Kent man murdered by serial killer Stephen Port on a WhatsApp group.

He claims to have been based at Barking station which investigated the deaths of four young men including Gravesend chef Daniel Whitworth between 2014 and 2015.

Among general allegations of homophobia in the force, he alleges an officer took a picture of Daniel's body, lying wrapped in a sheet in a graveyard.

He says this was then circulated to a WhatsApp group of officers called 'Hunters and Gatherers'.

Lawyers from Hudgell Solicitors, who are representing the families of all four men murdered by Port, have called upon Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to launch a criminal investigation.

Solicitor Neil Hudgell said: "These fresh allegations about the alleged behaviour of Met Police officers involved in the investigations into the deaths of Port’s victims are hugely distressing and have repulsed the families of the four young men he killed.

"On the back of the recent report from Baroness Casey, which highlighted not only institutional homophobia within the force but also its own reluctance to accept its prevalence, this allegation of officers sharing a picture of Daniel’s body on a messaging platform is particularly disturbing.

"This is a matter which cannot be ignored and must be fully investigated by the force as a potential crime itself.

"I have written to the Met Commissioner to ask that a full police investigation be launched into what appear to be acts of criminality.

"I have also invited him to refer the force to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) for their consideration as part of the ongoing re-investigation of the force's initial handling of this matter."

Last year an investigation was ordered into the way the Met Police initially handled the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor.

Basic errors by a string of detectives left Port – who used the gay dating app Grindr to meet men – free to carry out a series of murders in Barking, East London, as well as drugging and sexually assaulting more than a dozen other men.

Before and after an inquest into their deaths, the men's families, friends, and members of the LGBTQ+ community stated their belief that homophobia, discrimination and assumptions about lifestyles played a part in the failings in the initial investigations.

A jury subsequently found that "fundamental failings" – including failing to carry out basic lines of inquiry and not sending evidence for forensic testing – by the police were likely to have contributed to three of the men’s deaths.

Last week Baroness Casey raised her concerns over the lack of evidence demonstrating a culture of openness at the Met.

She said this raised concerns over its "ability to tackle homophobia where it exists".

Mr Hudgell has also supported the families of Port’s victims in calling for a public inquiry into the force’s failings.

He said: "Given Baroness Casey’s finding of institutional racism, sexism and homophobia in the Met, the widespread bullying and discrimination within the organisation, the ever-declining trust of the public, and the force’s lack of accountability and transparency, there must now be a public inquiry in which senior figures are called to answer questions.

"The government must step in and oversee proper change if public faith in this force is ever to be restored."

Former Dartford Grammar student Daniel Whitworth was the third young man to be given a fatal dose of a date rape drug by Port.

His family paid tribute to their "pride and joy" and spoke of their pain over his death initially being treated as suicide.

Alongside his family, Daniel's partner Ricky Waumsley, has campaigned tirelessly for answers from the Met over its failings and welcomed then police chief Cressida Dick's resignation.

Met Police commander Jon Savell said: "The deaths of these four young men is a tragedy and we are deeply sorry there were failings in our police response. Again, I give my own and the Met’s heartfelt apologies.

"We have not previously been informed about the alleged sharing of this image. I urge anyone with information about this to make contact and tell us what they know.

"We know that trust in us has been impacted and that is why we have asked the independent charity Crimestoppers to manage our anti-corruption and abuse hotline."

If you have information about a police officer or member of staff who works for the Met and is corrupt, abusing their position and power, you can call the hotline on 0800 085 0000.