Will a 25-Year Old Murder Bring Down Rupert Murdoch?

Daniel Morgan

Hacking celebrity voicemails for lurid gossip is one thing but obstructing a murder investigation, an axe murder possibly committed by crooked cops,  is something else altogether.  It's one of the most fascinating aspects of the ongoing News of the World/Sun enquiry.   This is real Agatha Christie stuff.

25-years ago, British private investigator Daniel Morgan is "found slumped by his BMW in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south London."   Somebody, wielding an axe, murdered Morgan while he was trying to sell details of police corruption.

Even the skeletal timeline in The Guardian is riveting with suggestions of police corruption and the possibility that crooked cops butchered Morgan to protect themselves from exposure.

Now the Leveson enquiry into News International corruption is receiving evidence that News of the World reporters may have played a role in derailing the murder investigation.

"...what were journalists from the News of the World up to when they started monitoring the movements and calls of a police officer investigating the murder of private detective Daniel Morgan?

"...The murder of the private detective who was trying to sell details of police corruption 25 years ago has been investigated five times. It is now believed that News of the World reporters intimidated the investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Dave Cook and his then wife, TV presenter Jacqui Hames. Appearing at Leveson, she said: "I believe that the real reason for the News of the World placing us under surveillance was that suspects in the Daniel Morgan murder inquiry were using their association with a powerful and well-resourced newspaper to try to intimidate us and so attempt to subvert the investigation."' 

"...Labour MP Tom Watson used parliamentary privilege to name police officers in the Morgan case and then offer a free-flowing analysis of the corruption between News International and the police.

"As the media absorbed the news about...  ...Watson's speech and an announcement by the police minister, Nick Herbert, that the Met was carrying out a forensic review of the case, the big news broke. James Murdoch had resigned the executive chairmanship of News International."

The Guardian item speculates that this could finally be the end of Murdoch's reign.  Evidence from the Leveson enquiry already has the FBI exploring international corruption offences by Murdoch's head company, News Corporation.