The Metropolitan Police have agreed to pay £2 million to the family of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan, according to reports.
The UK’s largest police force agreed to pay the sum after admitting the original murder investigation 36 years ago was mired in corruption and incompetence, The Times reported.
The payout is one of the biggest in policing history, covers family legal fees and avoids the need for civil proceedings, according to the newspaper.
Mr Morgan, who co-founded PI firm Southern investigations, was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London, on March 10 1987.
We are in advanced stages of discussions with the Met and the family met with the commissioner last week— Daniel Morgan's family
Several subsequent inquiries have been mired with claims of police corruption.
The family said: “We are in advanced stages of discussions with the Met and the family met with the commissioner last week.
“This is a legal process and as such we are unable to go into the specifics of those discussions at this time.”
The initial investigation into Mr Morgan’s death was heavily criticised, with the murder scene not searched and left unguarded, and no alibis sought for all the suspects.
A later probe by Hampshire Police, brought in to investigate amid fears of corruption, was compromised when a senior Met officer was appointed to work with the team.
No-one has ever been brought to justice over the killing.
In June 2021 an independent panel produced a scathing report which accused the Met of “a form of institutional corruption” for concealing or denying failings over the unsolved murder.
The force’s commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is expected to make a public apology this week for “corruption, incompetence and defensiveness” in its response to the murder, The Times reported.
We deeply regret our failure to bring those who murdered Daniel Morgan to justice— Metropolitan Police at time of report
The newspaper also said the commissioner met the family last week where he apologised to them before the settlement was signed.
They are said to have been disappointed that no action has ever been taken against officers in the case and reportedly accused the commissioner of defensiveness.
Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray, who is responsible for professionalism, also attended and apologised for extensive failings, the newspaper said.
At the time of the report’s publication, Ms Gray apologised on behalf of the force to Mr Morgan’s family.
She 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.”
The Met said at the time: “We deeply regret our failure to bring those who murdered Daniel Morgan to justice.”
The force’s then commissioner Dame Cressida Dick later said she did not accept it is institutionally corrupt.
In May, documents relating to the inquiry into Mr Morgan’s death were found in a locked cabinet at New Scotland Yard that had not been used for several years.
A total of 95 pages of material which should have been disclosed to the panel were discovered.
A further 71 pages were identified that would have been provided to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) as part of its subsequent inspection.
The Metropolitan Police declined to comment.
