Untold: The Daniel Morgan Murder Exposed
Alastair Morgan and Peter Jukes
(Blink Publishing, hardback £14.99)
Reviewed by Paddy French
Alastair Morgan and Peter Jukes
(Blink Publishing, hardback £14.99)
Reviewed by Paddy French
♦♦♦
ONE OF the reasons why the 1987 murder of Daniel Morgan has not been properly covered by Britain’s national media is the fact he was part-Welsh.After nearly two decades involved in this story, I’m convinced Daniel’s Welsh background is a significant factor.
His father John — a native Welsh-speaker from Pontardawe — was wounded and captured at Arnhem in World War 2.
After the war he was commissioned a captain and posted to Singapore.
There he met Isobel and their two sons, Alastair and Daniel, were born in the British colony.
Daniel was premature and there were problems with one of his legs.
John Morgan resigned his commission to bring him back for treatment in the newly-created NHS.
The family lived for many years in Llanfrechfa near Cwmbran.
John, who had worked as a coalminer on his return from Singapore, died of emphysema at 41.
Daniel didn’t reach that age.
He was just 37 when he was axed to death in the car park of a south London pub.
The private investigator was married with two small children.
The prime suspect has always been Daniel’s business partner, Jonathan Rees.
One of the Scotland Yard detectives who investigated the murder, sergeant Sid Fillery, was kicked off the inquiry when it emerged he was a close friend of Rees.
Within a year Fillery retired — and stepped into the dead man’s shoes as Rees’ new partner.
Both were finally charged in 2008 — Rees with the murder, Fillery with attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The case collapsed.
For three decades the scandal was under-reported, especially in the broadcast media.
Just compare the hours of television devoted to another south London murder — that of the black teenager Stephen Lawrence.
One reason for this, I’m convinced, is Daniel’s Welsh connections.
The evidence is compelling: between 1987 and 2004 the only serious television documentaries on the murder were made by the Welsh current affairs strand, Wales This Week.
England — and especially London — has always had a problem with the Welsh.
It’s hard to put your finger on what it is exactly.
Partly, it seems to be indifference — “they’re not the same as us and some of them even talk another (foreign) language” sort of attitude.
For some, though, there’s an active dislike of the Welsh — captured in the saying: “Taffy is a Welshman, Taffy is a thief.”
By the time I joined Wales This Week in 1999, the series had already made several programmes on the murder.
I picked up the baton and went on to make several more programmes.
In 2004 I helped persuade our sister series at ITV London to carry out a joint investigation into the murder — the first time an English broadcaster had taken any interest.
I got to know — and admire — Alastair Morgan and his partner, BBC journalist Kirsteen Knight, for their relentless dedication to securing justice for Daniel.
They’re ordinary people who have dedicated their lives to a single cause at an unimaginable cost.
The results, though, have been extraordinary …
♦♦♦
THE BOOK published today is the fusion of two projects.For many years Alastair has been writing a book on the saga but there never seemed to be a natural end.
For example, the independent inquiry into the murder commissioned by Theresa May in 2013 — and chaired by Baroness Nuala O’Loan — has yet to publish its report.
Then author, screenwriter and playwright Peter Jukes became interested in the murder as a result of his research into the hacking scandal.
Jukes had chalked up a first with his crowd-funded live-tweeting of the dramatic Old Bailey trial of Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks in 2014.
When he realised the prime suspect in the Daniel Morgan murder case, Jonathan Rees, was also a major player in supplying illegal information to the News of the World, he was hooked.
The result is the award-winning Untold podcast — co-produced with Deeivya Meir — which has attracted more than 4 million listeners around the world.
That success — it was iTunes Best Podcast of 2016 — persuaded Peter Jukes and Alastair Morgan that a book was timely.
The result is a forensic account of a scandal that has tarnished the reputation of Scotland Yard, added another sorry episode to the history of the Murdoch press – and shamed the establishment into action.
It reads like pulp fiction — a dark tale of bent cops, murderous criminals,
unscrupulous hacks, self-serving police chiefs and devious politicians.
But it’s all true.
In nearly 400 pages, the book charts the unfolding scandal with Alastair — and his partner Kirsteen Knight — telling the chilling story from their point of view
Peter Jukes takes up the narrative between the sections of their personal testimony.
It’s a format that works well: the style is crisp and the result is an important book about the interaction between organised crime, corrupt police and illegal journalism.
Of course, some of the story still remains untold — after thirty years of twists and turns, it’s clear there’s more to come.
One area, for example, that has never been explored is the role of freemasonry.
Rees and Fillery were masons yet virtually nothing is known about their masonic connections.
The only criticism I have of Untold is the lack of an index — it means the book cannot become the work of reference it deserves to be.
Hopefully, the updated edition promised after the report of the Daniel Morgan Inquiry Panel is published, will add one.
♦♦♦
NOTES1
The sister website to Rebecca — Press Gang — has reported extensively on the murder. See the Daniel Morgan page for more information.
♦♦♦
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CORRECTIONS
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RIGHT OF REPLY
If you have been mentioned in this article and disagree with it, please let us have your comments. Provided your response is not defamatory we’ll add it to the article.
EXCERPTS:
Episode 7 COVER STORIES
http://www.untoldmurder.com/eps/2016/7/12/7-cover-stories
Going undercover into the Number One Corrupt Detective Agency during its heyday as the centre of the dark arts.
8 WATCHING THE DETECTIVES
http://www.untoldmurder.com/eps/2016/7/21/8-watching-the-detectives
The Guardian newspaper is targeted by senior officers, while the lead detective in the fourth murder inquiry finds his family is in the firing line.
9 THE GOLDEN THREAD
http://www.untoldmurder.com/eps?category=Ninth%20Episode
While News of the World try to derail the fifth murder inquiry, a series of protected witnesses provide a detailed picture of the conspiracy to kill Daniel.
10 CARRYING THE BURDEN
http://www.untoldmurder.com/eps?category=Tenth%20Episode
The longest pre trial hearings in British history are soon followed by one of the biggest scandals. But how are Daniel Morgan and phone hacking connected?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More:
Rupert Murdoch c/o The News Building
News UK,
1 London Bridge Street,
SE1 9GF
I write on behalf of my family in connection with the murder of my brother Daniel Morgan on 10th March 1987.
I am sure you will be aware of the history of this matter culminating in the decision by the Home Secretary in May 2013 to appoint an independent panel to look into the many questions arising from the murder.
To remind you, Daniel was a private investigator who was brutally axed to death in the car park of a pub in south-east London. Despite five police investigations, nobody has ever stood trial for his murder. In March 2011, the prosecution of five men, including a former police officer, collapsed at the Old Bailey after police failures in the disclosure of evidence. Following the collapse of the prosecution, the Metropolitan Police admitted that the first inquiry into Daniel’s murder had been “tainted by police corruption”, and that they were responsible for a repeated failure to confront that corruption over the subsequent decades. We have reason to believe that the police criminality in and around the murder extends to the highest echelon of the Metropolitan Police.
You will also be aware of evidence that emerged during the Leveson Inquiry concerning surveillance that was carried out by employees of News International in July 2002 on the police officer responsible for the fourth investigation into Daniel’s murder. We understand that several NI employees were involved in setting up this surveillance, two of whom (Glenn Mulcaire and Greg Miskiw) have since been convicted of unrelated criminal offences. Understandably, we find it difficult to believe the reasons put forward by NI at the Leveson Inquiry for this surveillance – namely that the police officer was suspected of having an affair with a Crimewatch presenter with whom he had appeared on the programme to provide details of the case. My understanding is that a simple Google search would have revealed that he had been married to the woman concerned for several years and they had two children together.
I’m quite sure too that you’re aware of the long-standing commercial relationships between persons suspected of my brother’s murder and the persons involved in setting up the surveillance as named above as well as three other senior NI executives: Andy Coulson, Alex Marunchak and Mazher Mahmood.
In all the circumstances – including the corruption at the heart of the first investigation into my brother’s murder as admitted by the Metropolitan Police – you must understand that the activities of these NI journalists and executives have caused us enormous concern. This has been exacerbated as we have learned about their close links with senior police officers overseeing investigations into Daniel’s murder.
The work of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel is almost entirely dependent on disclosure and I am appealing to you today – on the 28th anniversary of my brother’s murder – to ensure that News Corporation discloses all relevant material in confidence to the Panel.
Daniel’s murder, the police corruption and the ensuing years of failed investigations have been agony for the whole family. Daniel’s children have grown up without a father and my mother is now 86 years old. We need to know the truth about what happened to Daniel and why. You are in a unique position to help us finally lay Daniel to rest.
We feel that information released should include:
• News International emails deleted in 2010, but reconstructed in seven 'datapools' by the software company Stroz Freidberg, and available for search on the Nomad system;
• Any relevant News International paperwork, formerly stored at the Crown archives; and
• The results of any internal investigations, such as the interviews carried out by lawyers from Linklaters in 2011-2012.
Finally, I would also ask you to urge any of your employees or former employees who have information about the murder or activities of Southern Investigations to contact the panel.
I look forward to hearing from you with your positive response to this letter.
Yours sincerely
Alastair MorganNote: Today’s Press Release is here.
Daniel Morgan Murder | True Crime
If you have been mentioned in this article and disagree with it, please let us have your comments. Provided your response is not defamatory we’ll add it to the article.
MUST SEE! "UNTOLD: THE DANIEL MORGAN MURDER" - LISTEN TO PODCAST + WATCH
EXCERPTS:
Episode 7 COVER STORIES
http://www.untoldmurder.com/eps/2016/7/12/7-cover-stories
Going undercover into the Number One Corrupt Detective Agency during its heyday as the centre of the dark arts.
8 WATCHING THE DETECTIVES
http://www.untoldmurder.com/eps/2016/7/21/8-watching-the-detectives
The Guardian newspaper is targeted by senior officers, while the lead detective in the fourth murder inquiry finds his family is in the firing line.
9 THE GOLDEN THREAD
http://www.untoldmurder.com/eps?category=Ninth%20Episode
While News of the World try to derail the fifth murder inquiry, a series of protected witnesses provide a detailed picture of the conspiracy to kill Daniel.
10 CARRYING THE BURDEN
http://www.untoldmurder.com/eps?category=Tenth%20Episode
The longest pre trial hearings in British history are soon followed by one of the biggest scandals. But how are Daniel Morgan and phone hacking connected?
Listen to entire 2 season podcasts:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More:
Rupert Murdoch c/o The News Building
News UK,
1 London Bridge Street,
SE1 9GF
10th March 2015
Dear Mr Murdoch
The Daniel Morgan Independent Panel and News UK
I write on behalf of my family in connection with the murder of my brother Daniel Morgan on 10th March 1987.
I am sure you will be aware of the history of this matter culminating in the decision by the Home Secretary in May 2013 to appoint an independent panel to look into the many questions arising from the murder.
To remind you, Daniel was a private investigator who was brutally axed to death in the car park of a pub in south-east London. Despite five police investigations, nobody has ever stood trial for his murder. In March 2011, the prosecution of five men, including a former police officer, collapsed at the Old Bailey after police failures in the disclosure of evidence. Following the collapse of the prosecution, the Metropolitan Police admitted that the first inquiry into Daniel’s murder had been “tainted by police corruption”, and that they were responsible for a repeated failure to confront that corruption over the subsequent decades. We have reason to believe that the police criminality in and around the murder extends to the highest echelon of the Metropolitan Police.
You will also be aware of evidence that emerged during the Leveson Inquiry concerning surveillance that was carried out by employees of News International in July 2002 on the police officer responsible for the fourth investigation into Daniel’s murder. We understand that several NI employees were involved in setting up this surveillance, two of whom (Glenn Mulcaire and Greg Miskiw) have since been convicted of unrelated criminal offences. Understandably, we find it difficult to believe the reasons put forward by NI at the Leveson Inquiry for this surveillance – namely that the police officer was suspected of having an affair with a Crimewatch presenter with whom he had appeared on the programme to provide details of the case. My understanding is that a simple Google search would have revealed that he had been married to the woman concerned for several years and they had two children together.
I’m quite sure too that you’re aware of the long-standing commercial relationships between persons suspected of my brother’s murder and the persons involved in setting up the surveillance as named above as well as three other senior NI executives: Andy Coulson, Alex Marunchak and Mazher Mahmood.
In all the circumstances – including the corruption at the heart of the first investigation into my brother’s murder as admitted by the Metropolitan Police – you must understand that the activities of these NI journalists and executives have caused us enormous concern. This has been exacerbated as we have learned about their close links with senior police officers overseeing investigations into Daniel’s murder.
The work of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel is almost entirely dependent on disclosure and I am appealing to you today – on the 28th anniversary of my brother’s murder – to ensure that News Corporation discloses all relevant material in confidence to the Panel.
Daniel’s murder, the police corruption and the ensuing years of failed investigations have been agony for the whole family. Daniel’s children have grown up without a father and my mother is now 86 years old. We need to know the truth about what happened to Daniel and why. You are in a unique position to help us finally lay Daniel to rest.
We feel that information released should include:
• News International emails deleted in 2010, but reconstructed in seven 'datapools' by the software company Stroz Freidberg, and available for search on the Nomad system;
• Any relevant News International paperwork, formerly stored at the Crown archives; and
• The results of any internal investigations, such as the interviews carried out by lawyers from Linklaters in 2011-2012.
Finally, I would also ask you to urge any of your employees or former employees who have information about the murder or activities of Southern Investigations to contact the panel.
I look forward to hearing from you with your positive response to this letter.
Yours sincerely
Alastair MorganNote: Today’s Press Release is here.
for much more, see: source: http://www.justice4daniel.org/index.shtml
Listen to entire podcast, as it unfolds:
http://www.untoldmurder.com/
.....................................................................................................................................
Related:
Untold The Daniel Morgan Murder
.....................................................................................................................................
Related:
Untold The Daniel Morgan Murder
- Chris Hannan
- 7 videos
- 180 views
- Last updated on 18 Jun 2016
Daniel Morgan Murder | True Crime
Uploaded on 25 Nov 2011
Controversy still surrounds the 1987 murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan. True Crime writer Ian Hitchings gives his views on the case http://www.ianhitchings.com/ and also in his recent blog http://murderofdanielmorgan.blogspot....
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17 Feb 2017 - Three men charged with the 1987 murder of the private detective Daniel Morgan have lost their case that police maliciously tried to get them convicted. A fourth man has won part of his claim for damages. The Morgan case is mired in claims of police and media corruption. Morgan's former business partner, ...UNTOLD: The Daniel Morgan Murder
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The Daniel Morgan Murder. Private Detectives. Corrupt Cops. Rupert Murdhoch's News of the World.Murder of Daniel Morgan - Wikipedia
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27 Nov 2017 - A woman who campaigned for 30 years for justice after her private investigator son was found dead with an axe in his head in a London car park has died. No one has ever been convicted of killing Daniel Morgan after his body was discovered in March 1987. It is believed he had been about to expose ...Daniel Morgan murder: Ex-detective wins damages from Met - BBC ...
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17 Feb 2017 - A former Metropolitan Police detective has won damages against the force after he was unfairly accused of perverting the course of justice. Sidney Fillery was accused of the crime following the murder of private detective Daniel Morgan, who was found with an axe in his head outside a London pub in 1987.Daniel Morgan murder: Family makes Leveson appeal to PM - BBC ...
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4 Jan 2017 - The brother of a murdered private detective has urged the prime minister to continue with the second part of the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics. The family of Daniel Morgan, found with an axe in his head in a car park in 1987, believe he was about to expose police corruption when he died. His brother ...Three who faced Daniel Morgan axe-murder charges begin damages ...
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Buy UNTOLD: The Daniel Morgan Murder Exposed by Peter Jukes, Alastair Morgan (ISBN: 9781911274605) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
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