Daniel Morgan killing: Family agrees Met Police settlement

No-one has been convicted of Daniel Morgan's murder

The family of murdered private detective Daniel Morgan has reached a settlement with the Met Police, 36 years after his murder.

Mr Morgan, 37, was found with an axe in his head in the car park of a pub in Sydenham, south-east London in 1987.

The Metropolitan Police has admitted liability for its errors and corruption and is paying undisclosed damages.

No-one has been convicted over the killing, which has led to five inquiries at a cost of some £40m.

Mr Morgan's family believes he was about to expose police corruption when he was silenced.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised and admitted liability, saying the case had been "marred by a cycle of corruption, professional incompetence and defensiveness that has repeated itself over and over again".

He added Mr Morgan's loved ones had been "repeatedly and inexcusably let down" by the force since the beginning.

They were given "empty promises and false hope" as five investigations failed and as the force "prioritised its reputation at the expense of transparency and effectiveness," Sir Mark said.

• Daniel Morgan: Five investigations, not one conviction

An independent panel found in 2021 that the Met repeatedly covered up its failings to protect its reputation and was "institutionally corrupt".

The panel, led by Baroness O'Loan, said it was unlikely anyone would be brought to justice.

Sir Mark Rowley was appointed as commissioner of the Metropolitan Police last year

The commissioner's statement on the settlement said that "no words can do justice to the pain and suffering that has been a feature of the family's lives for more than three decades, as they have fought for justice".

"Their tenacious campaigning has exposed multiple and systemic failings in this organisation.

"I have met with the family and listened to vivid and moving accounts of the devastating impact those failings have had on their lives.

"They have explained how their trust in policing has been eroded. The personal commitment I made to tackling corruption in this organisation when I took over as commissioner has never been stronger."

The killing of Daniel Morgan

Daniel Morgan's family have been fighting for justice for more than three decades

His body was found by a BBC sound producer in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, where he had met for a drink with his business partner, Jonathan Rees, on 10 March 1987.

He was lying face up with an axe embedded in his head. Although a watch had been stolen, his wallet had been left and a large sum of money was still in his jacket pocket.

The pocket of his trousers had been torn open and notes he had earlier been seen writing were missing.

After his death, his business partner at Southern Investigations and local police officer, Sidney Fillery, went on to to reposition the firm, selling police information to Rupert Murdoch's News of the World and to the Mirror Group's titles.

Mr Morgan's family believes he was gathering evidence to expose corruption in the Met Police.

Between 1987 and 2011, the Met and other forces arrested 67 people in connection with the murder. Eight of those arrested had been police officers.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the family's lawyer Raju Bhatt said the nine commissioners in office since the murder had come to represent "consistent failure of courage and integrity".

He added: "A perceived need to protect the organisation from reputational damage has served only to nurture and encourage a culture of impunity.

"Whether or how Sir Mark and his senior leadership choose to face up to that sickness and translate the words of his apology into reality is his challenge.

"What the Met owes this family is a bit of gratitude for exposing a culture of impunity."

The family and the police said the "mutually satisfactory" terms of the agreement would remain confidential.

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]

Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.