Met Police forced to call fire brigade to bust open their own safe … and find notorious murder case files they had LOST
THE MET Police was forced to call the fire brigade to bust open their own safe, The Sun can reveal.
Sensitive files on a notorious axe murderer lay hidden in the secure cabinet for nine years until it was opened by the London Fire Brigade in January this year.
Private eye Daniel Morgan was murdered in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, South London, in March 1987.
The confidential documents were not made available to an inquiry panel which spent seven years investigating.
Five separate police investigations were carried out into the murder, which the Met has admitted was tainted by corruption.
Documents on the Morgan case were kept in a padlocked cabinet at New Scotland Yard but the key went missing in 2014.
It was not until January this year that the disappearance of the key was noticed and the London Fire Brigade was called in to break the cabinet open.
One source said: ‘’Inside the cabinet there were files on the Daniel Morgan murder which should have been handed over to the panel sitting at that time.
‘’Most of the documents were admin but it is very embarrassing.’’
The panel chair, Baroness Nuala O’Loan, has been informed of the discovery of the documents.
In addition, the Met has referred the matter to constabulary inspectors which placed the force into special measures last June over separate failings.
Daniel’s brother Alastair Morgan was notified by the Met last night after earlier being told by The Sun about the safe bungle.
Mr Morgan told The Sun today: ‘’It is extremely disappointing that the Met have not told us about this before now.
‘’I am deeply concerned about what was in the safe and my first thought was there was something to hide.
‘’It was grossly irresponsible to mislay these files. I find it staggering.’’
The Morgan inquiry was ordered by then Home Secretary Theresa May in 2013 and published in June 2021.
It accused the Met of ‘’institutional corruption’’ with a culture of suppression and said former commissioner Dame Cressida Dick had acted with a lack of candour forward the panel when they asked for access to computer records.
Daniel, 37, was found with a Chinese-made axe embedded in his head in the dimly-lit pub car park.
He had more than £1,100 in cash on him and two packets of crisps he was taking home to his two young children.
A Rolex watch he was wearing when he was found later went missing
Police investigated Daniel’s partner Jonathan Rees over his murder.
Mr Rees has always denied any involvement in the murder.
He and three South London criminals, brothers Glen and Gary Vian and Jimmy Cook were charged in 2008 with Daniel’s murder following the fifth police investigation.
Former Met sergeant Sidney Fillery, who worked on the original inquiry team and later replaced Daniel as Mr Rees’ partner in Southern Investigations, was charged with perverting the course of justice.
But the charge against Mr Fillery was dropped and the case against the others fell apart in March 2011 when formal not guilty verdicts were returned after evidence from three supergrasses was ruled inadmissible.
The defendants were all subsequently awarded pay-outs by the Met.
The Met has apologised to Daniel’s family over the key bungle.
A total of 37 documents were found and the force said they had identified 95 pages which should have been disclosed to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel.
Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray said: “We fully acknowledge how unacceptable and deeply regrettable this situation is.
“We are working to understand what has taken place and any impact. We apologise to the family of Daniel Morgan and to the Panel.”
Who killed Daniel Morgan?
DANIEL Morgan was found murdered in a car park with an axe lodged into his skull 33 years ago.
But who killed the private investigator? Here’s all you need to know.
Who murdered Daniel Morgan?
Despite the gruesome murder in a pub car park in 1987, Mr Morgan’s killer hasn’t been found.
Five different police inquiries were conducted – none of which led to any convictions due to a lack of evidence.
In 2009, five men were arrested and brought to trial for the case, but after dismissing key witnesses, the Director of Public Prosecutions abandoned the case in March 2011 and the men were acquitted.
The investigation has cost over £30million – and no witnesses have been found nor has anyone been convicted.
Mr Morgan’s family believed that the Met Police were to blame for obstructing the case and failing to properly investigate.
What happened to Jonathan Rees, Glenn Vian and Garry Vian?
Jonathan Rees, Morgan’s former business partner, and brothers Garry and Glenn Vian were charged with Morgan’s murder in 2008, along with a fourth man – James Cook.
In March 2010 the four, who had been on remand, were granted bail after their custody went beyond the set limit.
In mid-2010 Cook was discharged.
In 2011 a key piece of evidence was compromised and proceedings collapsed.
Glenn and Garry were then formally acquitted along with Rees.
In 2013 then-Home Secretary, Theresa May set up an inquiry into the Met’s handling of Morgan’s death.
Four years later Rees and the Vian brothers sued the police for damages – but their claims were thrown out by a judge.
However in 2018 the Court of Appeal’s civil division ruled in favour of the three men.
A High Court then ruled that Garry Vian would receive £104,000, and Rees and Glen would receive £155,000.