Daniel John Morgan (3 November 1949 – 10 March 1987) was a British private investigator who was murdered with an axe in a pub car park in Sydenham, London, in 1987.

An independent review into the handling of the investigation of Morgan's killing was published in 2021; it found that the Met Police had "a form of institutional corruption" which had concealed or denied failings in the case.

Rees was arrested in April 1987 on suspicion of murder along with Morgan's future replacement at Southern, Detective Sergeant Sid Fillery, and two brothers, Glenn and Garry Vian.

Shortly after the case, the activities of Rees – as a private investigator – became the centre of allegations concerning the conduct of journalists at the now-defunct News of the World newspaper.

In 2006 Morgan's unsolved murder was described by Jennette Arnold, a former Labour Co-op politician who served as chair of the London Assembly, as a reminder of the culture of corruption and unaccountability within the Metropolitan Police.

The profile of the case has been raised by investigative journalist Peter Jukes, who released a podcast and book about the murder in conjunction with Alastair Morgan, Daniel's brother.

[3] He grew up with an elder brother and younger sister in Monmouthshire, Wales, where he attended agricultural college in Usk before spending time in Denmark[when?]

[8] DS Sid Fillery, based at Catford police station, was assigned to the case, but did not reveal to superiors that he had been working unofficially for Southern Investigations.

[6] In December 2000, Rees was found guilty of conspiring to plant cocaine on an innocent woman to discredit her in a child custody battle, and sentenced to seven years imprisonment for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

[9] The judge, Mr Justice Maddison, mentioned the case's vastness and complexity,[9] involving some of the longest legal argument submitted in a trial in the English criminal courts.

Nicholas Hilliard QC, appearing for the CPS, acknowledged the police could not be relied upon to ensure access to documents that the defence might require and the prosecution was fatally undermined as a result.

[9] After the collapse of the Old Bailey trial in March 2011 it was revealed that Rees had earned £150,000 a year from the News of the World for supplying illegally obtained information about people in the public eye.

[15][16] After Rees completed his prison sentence for perverting the course of justice, he was hired again by the News of the World, at the time edited by Andy Coulson.

[15] Despite detailed evidence, the Metropolitan Police failed to pursue investigations into Rees's corrupt relationship with the News of the World over more than a decade.

Rees's activities were described as a "devastating pattern of illegal behaviour", far exceeding those of the other investigators commissioned by News Corporation, who used illicit means to target prominent figures.

The Guardian queried why the Metropolitan Police had chosen to exclude a very large quantity of Rees material from investigation by its Operation Weeting inquiry into phone hacking.

Home Secretary Theresa May acknowledged that there was "no likelihood of any successful prosecutions being brought in the foreseeable future" but said that the independent panel would "shine a light" on the circumstances of his murder and the handling of the case.

[19] Mark Ellison QC published a report on 6 March 2014 into alleged Metropolitan Police corruption in the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

[20] In July 2014 it was announced that Baroness O'Loan would be taking over chairing the inquiry, on the withdrawal of previous chairman Sir Stanley Burnton, and Kate Blackwell QC was appointed as counsel to the panel.

[25] The inquiry was due to publish its report on 17 May 2021, but was delayed further by the Home Secretary, Priti Patel wanting to review it for national security and human rights issues.

[26] On 18 May, the panel refused to hand over the report, claiming that it had already been extensively vetted to ensure it complied with the government's human rights obligations and senior police officers had confirmed it did not pose any national security issues.

Morgan's family objected that the intervention was "unnecessary and inconsistent with the panel's independence" and also suspected the involvement of "Rupert Murdoch's media empire".

[37] In December 2021 Morgan’s family issued a legal claim against the Metropolitan police alleging misfeasance in a public office and breaches of the Human Rights Act.