DAILY MAIL COMMENT: A dark tale of murder and police corruption

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: A dark tale of murder and police corruption

The macabre case of Daniel Morgan, the private investigator found murdered in a London pub car park with an axe embedded in his head, has been a stain on Scotland Yard’s reputation for more than three decades.

It is a dark and seedy tale of violence, corruption, cover-up and incompetence which the victim’s family have fought tirelessly to unravel, despite being blocked and frustrated at almost every turn.

Now, after 36 years, five police investigations, an aborted murder trial, an independent inquiry and the efforts of eight Metropolitan Police commissioners to duck responsibility, they have achieved at least some satisfaction.

While they are still no nearer seeing anyone brought to account for the murder, they are at least going to receive an apology and a damages settlement reported to be in the region of £2million. It may not be the complete closure they seek but it is a vindication of their long struggle.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley deserves credit for grasping a painful nettle that so many of his predecessors shied away from. He has accepted that corrupt police officers thwarted the original murder investigation and that not enough was done subsequently to find Mr Morgan’s killer.

It is a dark and seedy tale of violence, corruption, cover-up and incompetence which the family of Daniel Morgan (pictured) have fought tirelessly to unravel

Sir Mark has promised to clean up the force after a string of egregious scandals and this is an important part of the Met’s much-needed reset.

He is working to cut the stifling red tape involved in kicking out the ‘hundreds’ of corrupt and unsuitable officers he has identified within the force and has pledged to improve vetting of recruits.

Crucially, he openly acknowledges the huge scale of the damage done to public trust by such outrages as the murder of Sarah Everard and the revolting racism and sexism passed on WhatsApp groups between officers at Charing Cross station.

The vast majority of Met officers do a difficult and often dangerous job with skill and courage every day. Sir Mark must honour their dedication by rooting out corruption and prejudice wherever it lurks.

Facing up to his force’s shortcomings and making amends for its historical failings is the right place to start.

Hope for Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is one of the most heart-breaking and least understood of all major illnesses. Some 900,000 suffer from it in the UK, yet scientists have known little about what causes it and treatments tend to ease symptoms rather than stopping the disease.

However, all that may be about to change. A new drug – donanemab – has been shown to hold back symptoms by up to 60 per cent and is being hailed as the ‘turning point’ in tackling this most cruel of conditions.

It’s the second cutting-edge treatment developed this year, offering hope that it may one day be possible to manage Alzheimer’s in a similar way to diabetes or asthma.

We need to rapidly increase access to positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, which can detect the amyloid plaques associated with early Alzheimer’s (File Photo)

But early diagnosis remains key to successful outcomes and in that regard this country is performing lamentably. 

We need to rapidly increase access to positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, which can detect the amyloid plaques associated with early Alzheimer’s.

The NHS has just 88 of these high-tech machines, among the lowest per capita in the world. It’s simply not enough.

The scientists have played their part brilliantly. It’s time for policy makers to follow their example.

After learning that striking doctors will be doing private and locum work rather than spending their days on the picket line, we now discover that a lead negotiator for the British Medical Association opposes privatisation of the NHS while working with at least seven private health insurance companies. The stink of hypocrisy around this dispute grows more pungent by the day.

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