The mother of a private investigator murdered two decades ago yesterday said
it is her dearest wish for a newly revealed team to solve the crime.
A squad of 20 detectives has been quietly working on Daniel Morgan’s death
for the past two years, the Metropolitan Police have just announced.
And they claim they are on the brink of a major breakthrough into the murder
of the 37 year old who was found in a pub car park with an axe buried in his
skull.
But his mother Isobel Hulsmann, from Hay-on-Wye, Herefordshire, said there had
been so many false dawns in the case down the years, she had to remain sceptical
about the latest claims.
“We are always hopeful of course, but it has been such a long time,”; the
78-year-old said yesterday. “After 20 years I don't know how excited I can get
anymore. There have been so many people along the way who had been unhelpful and
untruthful.”
“There have been so many downs and not many ups. But my dearest wish is that
they solve this. Nothing would be more wonderful in my life. I’m getting older
and I desperately want closure.”
Improvements in technology, particularly in the area of DNA, were giving new
leads to investigate, a police spokesman said.
“This has been a very sensitive and necessarily secretive investigation but
the fact that we are still actively pursuing the murderers of Daniel Morgan
demonstrates how we will not shy away from getting justice,” said Dave Cook, who
is in charge of the investigation.
“This inquiry has used all available advances in investigative and forensic
techniques and we are committed to ensuring every possible lead is pursued.”
Mr Morgan was a partner in a private investigations business which employed
off-duty police officers.
His family allege he was about to expose corruption in the police force when
he was killed in Sydenham, London, in 1987. Despite four previous inquiries and
three internal reviews over the his death, no-one has been prosecuted.
Mrs Hulsmann and her other son Alastair have a led a vociferous campaign to
get justice for Mr Morgan.
