The new ITV drama series explores the phone hacking scandal and murder of a private investigator
Brand-new true crime drama The Hack debuts on ITV 1 tonight, providing a glimpse into the News of the World phone hacking scandal that rocked the country in the early 00’s. The story intertwines with that of a notorious unsolved murder of a private investigator in Croydon back in 1987.
David Tennant takes on the role of investigative journalist Nick Davies, teaming up with Robert Carlyle as former Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook. In the drama, DCS Cook is central figure in the investigation of the real-life unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.
The series explores the intersection of both stories and the quest of both men to uncover the truth. But who was Daniel Morgan, and why was his killer never caught?
Who was David Morgan?
Mr Morgan, a private investigator, was brutally killed on 10 March 1987 in the car park of a Sydenham pub after being struck with an axe to the back of his head. Shortly before his murder, Mr Morgan, a father of two, had been enjoying a drink at the Golden Lion with his business partner from Southern Investigations, Jonathan Rees.
When the 37-year-old’s body was discovered next to his car, detectives noted that a watch had been stolen, but £1,000 in cash left untouched in his pocket suggested that robbery was not the motive.
What were conspicuously missing from his pocket were notes he had been seen writing earlier. It emerged that Daniel had allegedly been investigating corruption within the Met Police and was on the verge of uncovering damning evidence.
While a match was reportedly found to some DNA discovered on the victim’s trouser pocket, no further information has been released regarding this piece of evidence. Later in the year, a man named Detective Constable Alan ‘Taffy’ Holmes, who was purportedly working with Daniel to expose police corruption, was found to have committed suicide under unusual circumstances.
What happened during the investigation?
Six people were arrested on suspicion of Mr Morgan’s murder, including his partner Rees, Rees’s two brothers-in-law Glenn and Garry Vian, two Met Police officers, and DS Sid Fillery who was originally assigned to the case having not disclosed that he was also secretly working for Southern Investigations. However, no charges were brought and all six were released.
Staff at Southern Investigations were called to give evidence at an inquest at Southwark Coroners Court in 1988, and they alleged that they had witnessed the relationship between Morgan and Rees deteriorate. Accountant Kevin Lennon alleged that Rees had told him his ‘friends at Catford nick’ would arrange for Morgan to be murdered, which was denied by Rees, according to The Guardian.
Rees was arrested again in February 1989 and this time charged, however the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. Charges were brought again against Rees, the Vian brothers and a builder in 2008, but the case once again collapsed due to a lack of reliable evidence.
The contentious investigation, costing £30 million, encompassed police corruption, the phone-hacking scandal, covert operations and five independent enquiries, yet the case remains unsolved. It has become the most probed unsolved murder in the Metropolitan Police’s history.
What has happened since?
In 2023, the family of Mr Morgan proposed to bring claims related to his murder and the subsequent investigation into his death against the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
However, following a mediation process in July 2023, the parties have managed to “agree a mutually satisfactory settlement […] including an admission of liability on behalf of the Commissioner in respect of the conduct of his officers in response to the murder”.
A spokesperson for the Met added: “At the request of the family of Daniel Morgan, all other terms of the settlement are confidential to the parties. Accordingly, the parties will not be making any further comments to the media about the terms of settlement or the mediation.”
In 2023, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley stated: “I unequivocally and unreservedly apologise for the failure of the Metropolitan Police Service to bring those responsible for the murder of Daniel Morgan to justice. From the earliest stages, his family have been repeatedly and inexcusably let down by the Metropolitan Police.”
He continued: “This case has been marred by a cycle of corruption, professional incompetence, and defensiveness that has repeated itself over and over again. Daniel Morgan’s family were given empty promises and false hope as successive investigations failed and the Metropolitan Police prioritised its reputation at the expense of transparency and effectiveness.”
Sir Mark added: “No words can do justice to the pain and suffering that has been a feature of the family’s lives for more than three decades as they have fought for justice, a fight which no family should have to endure. Their tenacious campaigning has exposed multiple and systemic failings in this organisation.”
He continued to describe the ‘devastating impact’ on Mr Morgan’s family: “I have met with the family and listened to vivid and moving accounts of the devastating impact those failings have had on their lives. They have explained how their trust in policing has been eroded. The personal commitment I made to tackling corruption in this organisation when I took over as Commissioner has never been stronger.”
Episode one of The Hack is on ITV 1 tonight (Wednesday, September 24) at 9pm.
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