Bark & co Solicitors: Met to review Daniel Morgan murder over claims of News of the World link

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/29/met-review-daniel-morgan-murder

Scotland Yard is carrying out a full forensic review of the Daniel Morgan murder 25 years ago amid allegations that the News of the World under Rebekah Brooks attempted to subvert the inquiry into the killing.

The revelation came as Nick Herbert, the police minister, told MPs a judicial inquiry into the murder was under consideration. The death of Morgan, a private detective who was killed with an axe to the head, has for two decades been mired in allegations of police corruption involving a detective agency using officers to provide information to sell to tabloidnewspapers.

Speaking at an adjournment debate brought by the Labour MP Tom Watson, Herbert said it was a serious issue, and that the corruption and the lack of justice for the family needed to be addressed. He said the home secretary was considering a judicial inquiry but another option of an outside force being brought in with the oversight of a QC was also being considered by himself and the home secretary.

Bark & Co Solicitors London: Met Police review Daniel Morgan murder over News of the World link

http://www.barkco.com/News/Met+Police+review+Daniel+Morgan+murder+over+News+of+the+World+link

Bark & Co has been instructed by Glenn Vian since the mid-2008.  Not guilty verdicts were entered against MrVian and the other defendants, following complex and fiercely fought challenges to the Crown’s case during protracted pre-trial legal argument.  The initial investigation into the murder of Daniel Morgan in 1987 was deeply flawed, and many compelling leads were not pursued properly or, in some cases, at all.  The level of public resources expended in this most recent investigation is simply breathtaking.  The Police bought the house next door to Mr Vian, in order to conduct thousands of hours of intrusive covert surveillance upon him and his family.  They released false stories to the press in an effort to trigger incriminating conversations.  When these efforts failed to produce any cogent evidence, a case was built against these defendants using “supergrass” witnesses, and considerably flawed Serious Organised Crime & Police Act (SOCPA) agreements.  It will come as no surprise to right thinking people to learn that those of the worst character, facing many years in custody for crimes including drug trafficking and attempted murder, will say anything in order to secure a massive reduction in their sentence and/or substantial financial benefits.   The position is very much worse where, as in this case, aSOCPA witness is told in advance what the case theory is, and simply has to repeat it to gain his reward.  Thedefence has, in the course of pre-trial legal arguments, been able to discredit the Crown’s case so that, one by one, the evidence of these witnesses has been excluded by the trial Judge or abandoned by the Crown.  The recent legal arguments which preceded the collapse of the case were led by our defence team, based on a document found in the unused material by a solicitor of this firm.