The mother and brother of Daniel Morgan, a private investigator axed to death in Sydenham in
March 1987 are to join the Metropolitan Police in an appeal for witnesses to come forward. Isobel
Hulsmann and Alastair Morgan will be laying flowers at the Golden Lion in Sydenham High Street, the
scene of the murder, at 1 p.m. on Saturday 10th March 2007.
Alastair Morgan describes the crime:
“20 years ago today, my brother was viciously murdered on this spot, probably by a man who was paid
to commit this crime. We believe that Daniel lost his life because he had innocently uncovered
evidence of serious crime and police corruption. The men behind for this cowardly act have never
been brought to justice.
For many years my family’s relationship with the police has been characterised by distrust and
hostility. In our opinion, the Met leadership’s reaction to this situation was pitifully inadequate
for many years. It was this that spurred our determination to keep on fighting through what has been
a terrible ordeal for all of us. However, thanks to the outstanding work carried out by the team now
investigating Daniel’s murder, this situation has changed radically. We have total trust in this
investigation.
The wall of silence that has surrounded this crime has also been breached. We are deeply grateful to
a number of witnesses who have recently come forward and given the police vital assistance. They
have done my family, the police and the public a great service.
It is in everyone’s interests that the greedy, brutal individuals who planned, paid for and carried
out this crime are brought before the courts to answer for their actions in the full light of day.
To this end, we urge anyone who has any further information about this murder to contact police on
020 7230 5925”.
Police:
I would like to reiterate the appeal, and reinforce that we are as committed as ever to catching
Daniel’s murderers.
Historically several men have been previously arrested for the murder, I’m not prepared at this time to
confirm or deny they are suspects.
Enquiry is continuing, we are however reaching the closing stages and expect a decision re charges
in the near future.
Given the extraordinary circumstances of Daniel’s murder, the family have been briefed throughout of
significant developments.
Yes there have been and are continuing allegations of police corruption regarding this
investigation. These matters are being treated seriously and will continue to be investigated.
Our primary concern at this time remains the successful prosecution of those responsible for
Daniel’s murder.
Detective Chief Superintendent David Cook said:
“Daniel’s character has been subject of much speculation over the years and from my perspective has
been much maligned, perhaps by those seeking to divert attention away from their own role. He was a
hard working individual and a loving father of two children. He was killed, we believe, because he
was about to expose serious criminality potentially linked to corruption. Those who committed this
act were driven by greed and are in my view dangerous to society and need to be brought to justice.
As much as it was Daniel’s desire to expose them, it is mine to bring them to justice and that can
only happen with the continued support from members of the public.
A lot of assistance has been given in recent months by people coming forward to give us both
information and evidence. That demonstrates to us that the conspiracy of silence that surrounded his
death is coming to an end.
I know that within South London, the identity of those responsible is one of the worst kept secrets
but there has been a reluctance to reveal the details to Police. I would however like to think that
with the passage of time, having gained the confidence and support of Daniel’s family, we can do the
same with those members of the public who have a desire to assist.
I therefore appeal to any person who may have either information or evidence to come forward and
assist further the investigation”.
David Cook
Detective Chief Superintendent
Contacts:
Police incident room: 020 7230 5925
