The Met Police has apologised to the family of private detective Daniel Morgan, who was murdered in 1987.
The force has reached a settlement and admitted liability for failings in its investigation of his death.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said Mr Morgan’s loved ones had been “repeatedly and inexcusably let down” by the force since inquiries began.
He added the case had been “marred by a cycle of corruption, professional incompetence, and defensiveness”.
The family were given “empty promises and false hope” as five investigations failed and as the force “prioritised its reputation at the expense of transparency and effectiveness,” Sir Mark said.
Mr Morgan was found with an axe in his head in the car park of a pub in Sydenham, south-east London.
No-one has been convicted over the father-of-two’s killing, since which there have been five inquiries and an inquest, at an estimated cost of more than £40m.
An independent panel found in 2021 that the Met repeatedly covered up its failings to protect its reputation and was “institutionally corrupt.”
The panel, led by Baroness O’Loan, said this meant it was unlikely anyone would be brought to justice.
The commissioner’s statement on the settlement said that “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.
“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.”
The family and the police said they would not disclose the terms of the agreement.
Source: bbc.co.uk
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