Daniel Morgan: Release of report delayed by Home Secretary

Private investigator Daniel Morgan, 37, was found with an axe in his head in the car park of Sydenham’s Golden Lion pub on March 10, 1987.

Despite five police inquiries and an inquest, no-one has been brought to justice over the father-of-two’s death, with the Metropolitan Police admitting corruption had hampered the original murder investigation.

The panel examining the case had been due to publish its findings, before being told by the Home Office that no parliamentary time could be found to allow this to happen.

Mr Morgan’s family have described the report’s delay as a “kick in the teeth” and served only to “betray and undermine the very purpose of the panel”.

Now the family have been told they must wait for Home Secretary Priti Patel to read the report before it can be published.

The family of Daniel Morgan outside the Old Bailey in 2011 (John Stillwell/PA)

What has happened until now?

Daniel Morgan, a father-of-two, met his investigatory partner Jonathan Rees for a drink at the Golden Lion on March 10, 1987.

Later that evening he was found dead, next to his car.

His watch was missing, along with notes he had written earlier that evening that had been ripped from his pocket.

He was said to have been close to exposing police corruption.

Jonathan Rees, Glenn Vian and Gary Vian were prosecuted for Daniel’s murder in 2009, but the case collapsed after a string of supergrasses were discredited.

In 2018, the were granted substantial compensation damages from the Met after the trio successfully appealed against the finding of a malicious prosecution case.

In the twenty years following Mr Morgan's death five police inquiries were conducted, all of which failed to lead to a conviction.

Scotland Yard admitted that corruption was a “debilitating factor’’ in the first investigation.

An independent panel was set up by Home Secretary Theresa May in May 2013 after, at a cost of around £30m, tasked with producing a report.

The panel’s remit was to address questions relating to the murder, including police handling of the case, the role corruption played in protecting Mr Morgan’s killer, and the links between private investigators, police and journalists connected to the case.

What next?

The Daniel Morgan Independent Panel said it had been told a publication date would not be agreed until the Home Office reviewed the report to ensure it complied with human rights and did not compromise national security.

It released a forceful statement on Tuesday, saying: “A review of this nature has not been raised previously in the eight years since the panel was established in 2013.

“The panel believes that this last-minute requirement is unnecessary and is not consistent with the panel’s independence.”

But Home Secretary Patel has insisted she is able to read the report for publication, something she claims is “standard practice when it comes to reports of this nature and that is absolutely the right process to follow.”