How Much Did Rebekah Brooks know about the Daniel Morgan Murder

Opening segment Crossposted from Byline – do chip in and support my column on the criminal media nexus there if you can

Rebekah Brooks worked at News of the World for all but two years from 1989 to 2003. How much did she know know Southern Investigations and police inquiries into their role in the murder of Daniel Morgan?

We can all make mistakes.

In my last piece I erroneously said there was only one mention of the Daniel Morgan murder in the News of the World. In 1989, soon after the CPS dropped charges  against him in a second murder investigation, the Sunday tabloid published an interview with Jonathan Rees, Daniel’s former partner.

The interviewer, News of the World’s crime editor Alex Marunchak, failed  to mention that he had by then formed a successful business relationship with Rees and his private detective agency, Southern Investigations.

Fast forward eleven years, and there’s one more mention of Daniel on April 16 2000 .

Head of Police Watchdog Under Investigation – More Links Between Stephen Lawrence and Daniel Morgan Murder

Crossposted from Byline – do chip in and support my column on the criminal media nexus there if you can

News that the first head of the Independent Police Complaints Commission is under investigation for providing ‘misleading information’ during the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry is of great concern to the family of Daniel Morgan

Yesterday the Sunday Times confirmed a Bellingcat report from 8 June that the IPCC is investigating its former head of investigations Roy Clark for providing ‘misleading information’ during the Macpherson Inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1998

“Documents obtained under freedom of information laws reveal that he is at the centre of the investigation into allegations that senior police officers had failed to hand over key information to Macpherson.

How the Guardian was Got At but the News of the World Got Away With It

Crossposted from Byline – the No 1 Journalist Crowdfunding site. Please chip in to support my work there.

15 years ago the Met’s Operation Two Bridges exposed a lucrative illegal trade between corrupt police officers, private investigators and Fleet Street. Nothing was done. But what happened to two Guardian journalists who were writing about police corruption at the same time?

As Joe Public has revealed on Bellingcat, ‘How The Metropolitan Police Covered-Up For Rupert Murdoch’s News International’ senior Metropolitan police officers knew back in 1999 that there was a phenomenal trade in illegal information atNews of the World which predated phone hacking.

A secret probe in the premises of Southern Investigations, ostensibly part of a third inquiry into the murder of former founder Daniel Morgan, caught many connections between the corrupt detective agency and senior Fleet Street journalists.

WITHERING HEIGHTS | PRESS GANG

LAST NIGHT Press Gang finally clarified the exact nature of the police investigation into Mazher Mahmood.

In a statement the Met told us its inquiry into Mahmood — known as Operation Silverhawk — was concerned only with the Tulisa Contostavlos trial.

The investigation, by the Special Enquiry Team of the Specialist Crime and Operations division, is not looking at any other cases:

” … at this stage the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] has not been asked to investigate any further matters.”

Asked if Mahmood had been questioned, the spokesperson added:

“We do not discuss the identity of people interviewed under caution.”

Yesterday the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that three planned criminal trials with Mahmood as a key witness had been abandoned.

The CPS also identified a further historical 25 cases where criminal convictions secured as a result of evidence provided by Mahmood were open to challenge.

However, the Met statement makes it clear that Mahmood’s role is not being investigated in any of these cases.

In November 2012 we wrote to the Met to ask them to investigate our allegation of serial perjury by Mahmood in many of the criminal cases he gave evidence in.

The Met acknowledged the letter but never responded.

The Press Gang investigation into Mazher Mahmood continues …

via WITHERING HEIGHTS | PRESS GANG.

UPDATED: Hacking Trial 2: Wallis Responds to charges: “needlessly vindictive… the ire has been turned on me”

Neil Wallis has just responded to these new charges:

Neil Wallis (Photo credit: jon_cronshaw)

 I’m devastated that more than 3 years after my initial arrest, this swingeing indiscriminate charge had been brought against me. My family and  I have already paid a huge price for the police’s very public attention. Perhaps it is inevitable that after being such an outspoken critic of the collateral damage and pain caused by this needlessly vindictive and enormously costly investigation, the ire  has been turned on me for something that occurred at NI of which I knew nothing and which I have always said was wrong Regrettably, legal reporting restrictions prevent me commenting further on this sad day.

Eariler from  from the CPS

On December 2013, the Metropolitan Police Service submitted evidence for charging advice to the CPS in relation to Operation Pinetree, an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to hack phone messages by journalists at the News of the World. Additional evidence in the case was provided in June 2014. The file asked for charging advice on eight suspects; all were formerly employed at the News of the World. On 16 July 2014, the CPS announced that six of those individuals would face no further action whilst the evidence in relation to two further suspects remained under review. That review has now concluded.

Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 10 Dec

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Summary
	The Prosecution Case Continues
		Back at the Hacking Trial
	Timeline – Jordan-Barber
		Counsel for Rebekah Brooks cross examines DC Briddon
		Further Prosecution questions to DC Briddon
	Witness – Michelle Light (Head of telephony at the Royal Household)
		Prosecution Counsel questions Michelle Light
		Counsel for Clive Goodman cross examines Michelle Light
		Counsel for Andy Coulson cross examines Michelle Light
	Witness – Jonathan Spencer (Deputy Controller of Lord Chamberlain’s office)
		Prosecution Counsel questions Jonathan Spencer
		Counsel for Clive Goodman cross examines Jonathan Spencer
		Counsel for Andy Coulson cross examines Jonathan Spencer
		Further Prosecution questions to Jonathan Spencer
	Witness Statement – Peter Smith (Head of IT and Telecoms for Royal Household)
		Prosecution Counsel questions read Peter Smith Statement
	Witness – Michael Godfrey (Former Metropolitan Police Officer)
		Prosecution Counsel questions Michael Godfrey
		Counsel for Clive Goodman cross examines Michael Godfrey
	Witness – Gregory Gillhan (Retired Police Officer)
		Prosecution Counsel questions Gregory Gillhan
		Counsel for Clive Goodman cross examines
		Further Prosecution questions to Gregory Gillhan