Axe-murder relatives to meet police

The family of a private detective found dead in a south London car park 25 years ago will meet police and prosecutors later, to discuss failings in the investigation into his murder.

Daniel Morgan's body was discovered, with an axe in his head, in Sydenham in 1987. But no-one has ever been convicted of his murder.

Despite five police enquiries, the case remains one of the longest unsolved murder cases on Scotland Yard's books.

Three men were cleared of killing Mr Morgan in March last year, leading to apologies from lawyers and the police.

The family is expected to ask about what they describe as a "deeply corrupt" relationship between the Metropolitan Police and journalists from the now-defunct News of the World.

Mr Morgan is believed to have been close to exposing connections between the two when he was murdered.

They will also quiz lawyers and officers about supergrass evidence.

Scotland Yard has admitted that the first inquiry into the killing was hampered by police corruption. The Morgans will demand to know how subsequent investigations were affected.

Mr Morgan's brother Alastair said: "All of the available evidence indicates that Daniel was murdered because he was about to expose serious police corruption and that after his murder his private detective agency, Southern Investigations, became the hub of industrial-scale police/press corruption.

"This was the beginning of a deeply corrupt relationship between the Metropolitan Police and News of the World journalists.

"We want to know how this interfered with the five subsequent investigations into the murder and the political response to allegations of police involvement in Daniel's murder."