Richard Pendlebury and Stephen Wright have written about the Daniel Morgan murder. They made only a dozen mistakes.
The cost of the Morgan debacle, thus far, is in excess of £140 million (not £16 million).
Publication of the long delayed inquiry was to be after Easter, it now seems certain to be mid May.
The role of John Yates was central to the tale of police corruption, mendacity and ineptitude which dogged the five major investigations.
Motives – only two hold any weight. Adultery (Morgan was a noted cuckold) and drugs. Adultery first – the love triangle of Jonathan Rees, Daniel Morgan and Margaret Harrison was explored and dismissed. Margaret had been having an affair with Daniel, it ended, she then subsequently began seeing Jonathan Rees. They never made any secret of being a couple. The police did not delve into “Aussie Paul” whose partner was in an affair with Morgan, and who also boasted of owning an axe. Now to Fintan Creaven. New Scotland Yard delays hinged on the need for a scapegoat (Jonathan Rees) and to draw flak from the police itself, Creaven was serving in the Metropolitan police, in the Sydenham area, in March 1987.
The “police corruption” Morgan was looking at was an overtime scam in Catford, hardly a murder motive.
The drugs link is firmer ground, but Peter Jukes theory of “Miami Vice” and the IRA, off the Norfolk coast, in speed boats is asinine, as is the Nikolaus Chrastny subplot. Far more likely was a range rover, repossessed in Malta, which connected to the Bonnicci cartel.
Now to the Belmont robbery – there was tension between Morgan and Rees over a robbery eleven months earlier, the problem was exacerbated by a non payout from an insurance company.
Operation Two Bridges – the bugging of “Southern Investigations” by half Jamaican, ex psychiatric patient, ex Det Con Derek G Haslam, now under witness protection, near Shouldham. The bugging provided absolutely no evidence of any part by Rees, or anyone else, at “Southern Investigations” in the Morgan murder. The audio tape however has one voice deleted, that of Haslam.
Operation Abelard II – documents and photographs went missing and Haslam signed his statement as “David Haslam” his white half brother, who was involved in a Tory party scandal, in Orpington.
Mention of ex Det Ch Supt Dave Cook (Mr Jacqui Hames) and the “News Of The World” surveillance. As reported on Goggzilla a few days ago, in a world exclusive, Dave Cook and his wife were being watched – Jacqui had begun an affair with her ex husband, Michael, chief of the vice squad.
Finally, Fillery. a stash of child abuse images, from Haslam’s own stock were planted on Sid Fillery’s computer. Chief Constable of Norfolk is Simon Bailey, ACPO lead on child abuse, also a “worshipful brother” at the same lodge as Haslam and his son, P.C James Haslam of Downham and Kings Lynn. Both Haslams illegally accessed the Police National Computer. No arrests have been made thus far. One wonders why that is?
Ciaran Goggins 