New members appointed to Daniel Morgan Independent Panel
Professor Rodney Morgan and Samuel Pollock OBE join ongoing review
Home Secretary Theresa May
Home Secretary Theresa May has announced the appointment of two new members to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel.
Professor Rodney Morgan and Samuel Pollock OBE have joined the ongoing review of how police corruption affected the handling of the murder of Mr Morgan, who was killed in south-east London in March 1987.
The Panel, which has been chaired by Baroness O’Loan since July 2014, is also looking into how Daniel Morgan’s family were treated by the police and criminal justice system.
Important work
Home Secretary Theresa May said:
Serious allegations of police corruption have surrounded the investigations into the murder of Daniel Morgan. I have been clear that the Independent Panel should leave no stone unturned in its pursuit of the truth.
On the advice of Baroness O’Loan, I have appointed Professor Rodney Morgan and Samuel Pollock OBE to the Panel.
It is vital that the panel continues its important work.
Professor Morgan is Emeritus Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Bristol. He was chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales from 2004-7 and HM Chief Inspector of Probation for England and Wales from 2001-4.
Mr Pollock, who is the chief executive of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, was previously chief executive in the Office of the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland for 11 years.
Three years ago, the Metropolitan Police acknowledged its “repeated failure” to tackle corruption within the force, which helped protect those responsible for the murder from being brought to justice.
No one has been successfully prosecuted for Mr Morgan’s murder, despite five police investigations.
Earlier this year, the Home Secretary spoke of the importance of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel’s work during her Parliamentary statement about the Ellison Review.
Professor Morgan and Mr Pollock join Baroness O’Loan, Silvia Casale and Mike Kellett on the Independent Panel.
Alleged connections
Under its terms of reference, the Panel is addressing alleged connections between police officers, private investigators and journalists at the News of the World and other media involved in the case.
It is also examining documents from a number of government and non-government organisations, including the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.