Top pathologist joins hunt for gays' killer: New post-mortem examinations to be carried out on four victims

ONE OF the country's top pathologists has joined the investigation into the five homosexual serial killings in London.

Ian West, head of forensic medicine at Guy's Hospital, will today carry out new post- mortem examinations on four of the victims. The fifth, Christopher Dunn, has been cremated.

Dr West conducted a post- mortem examination in Israel on Robert Maxwell in 1991. Investigations by Dr West into the Maxwell case played a key role in leading insurance investigators to believe that Maxwell's death was suicide rather than an accident.

Dr West spent Friday and Saturday visiting the scenes of the London murders. He will be the first pathologist to carry out a detailed comparison of the bodies. The original examinations were carried out by different people because the victims were killed in different parts of the capital.

Police said yesterday that the final days of Mr Dunn, 37, and the other four victims, Peter Walker, 45, Perry Bradley, 35, Andrew Collier, 33, and Emanuel Spiteri, 42, remain largely a mystery. They appealed for witnesses to help fill in the gaps. Above all, the police would like to know of anyone seen going to the victims' addresses.

Late last night Detective Chief Superintendent Ken John, co-ordinating the investigation, renewed his appeals for a man who has contacted police about the murders to talk to him.

He said he felt the caller wanted to talk to him, but sensed the man might be cautious about telephoning after media reports about earlier calls. He urged him to use another means of contact.

Meanwhile gay rights activists expressed anger that police in Sutton, Surrey, have ceased investigations into the death of Michael Moores, 42, a homosexual, after 11 days.

Mr Moores died from massive injuries to his skull on the morning of Sunday 23 May after allegedly falling on a walkway in Sutton town centre on the way home from a pub.

He was known locally for making advances to men in the lavatories of public houses, and a few months ago was badly beaten up outside a Sutton pub.

Peter Tatchell of OutRage, a gay rights group, said: 'The police appear to only give a lot of attention to gay murders that attract sensationalism and mass publicity such as the recent serial killings.' Police believe Mr Moores' associates may be reluctant to come forward.

Sergeant Chris Gould, who led the investigation, said: 'We spent a lot of time on the case and we spoke to a lot of people, but we have had to close the inquiry because there is literally nowhere else to go.'