Family of axe-murder victim Daniel Morgan 'plan to sue Met Police'

13 December 2021, 07:49

The family of private investigator Daniel Morgan, who was murdered with an axe in a pub car park in 1987, are reportedly preparing to take legal action against the Metropolitan Police over its handling of the case.

Mr Morgan was brutally killed in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, on March 10 1987, and no-one has been convicted of his murder.

In June, an independent panel accused the Met of "a form of institutional corruption" for concealing or denying failings over the unsolved murder.

The 1,251-page report found multiple "very significant failings" during the initial investigation and a "form of institutional corruption" in the way it handled subsequent failed investigations.

The report found the Met Police's first objective was to "protect itself" for failing to acknowledge multiple errors since Daniel Morgan's murder, panel chairman Baroness Nuala O'Loan said.

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Metropolitan Police accused of 'institutional corruption' in Daniel Morgan case

The force's commissioner Dame Cressida Dick apologised to Mr Morgan's family, saying it was a "matter of great regret that no-one has been brought to justice and that our mistakes have compounded the pain suffered by Daniel's family".

The BBC on Monday reported the family had said in a statement they were "saddened - if not surprised" to find out they had been "let down again all concerned".

Read more: Daniel Morgan: Fury as Priti Patel intervenes to delay report into 'corrupt' murder probe

Daniel Morgan Report: 'Very very worrying'

The Morgan family added they had no choice but to file a civil claim against the Met "in order to achieve some semblance of accountability", with the broadcaster reporting a letter of claim had been sent to the force.

The report by an independent panel found that a successful prosecution would now be "most unlikely" for Daniel Morgan's murder due to multiple failings over many years".

The Met also repeatedly failed to take a fresh, thorough and critical look at past failings," the report's author's said.

Speaking to LBC after the report was published, Mr Morgan's brother Alastair Morgan said he felt "vindicated".

He told LBC the report confirmed what he has "known for many, many years - that the first investigation was corrupted".

Mr Morgan also accused police forces of having a "culture of impunity" when it comes to wrongdoing.