On the 25th anniversary of the murder of a private investigator found with an axe in his skull outside a pub, his family is still fighting for justice.

Daniel Morgan, a father of two, was last seen alive meeting with his business partner at Thornton Heath company Southern Investigations Jonathan Rees in The Golden Lion March 10, 1987.

Hours later he was found in the pub’s car park, having sustained four axe blows to the head.

In the intervening years five police investigations have failed to convict his killer, the last collapsing in March last year after the prosecution case admitted to series failures in evidence disclosure.

Scotland Yard acting commissioner Tim Godwin admitted police corruption was at the heart of the reasons behind the collapse of the trial.

Mr Morgan’s elder brother Alastair has waged a constant campaign to expose both his brother’s murderers but also what he believes has been a systematic effort by the metropolitan police to cover-up corrupt actions by their own officers.

He said: “From what we know about Daniel’s movements over the weeks before his death it seems obvious he was about to blow the whistle on large scale police corruption. I have lost all faith in the Metropolitan Police ever bringing his murderers to justice. What I want now is a judicial inquiry so I can have access to all the evidence myself.”

The Morgan family’s bid for justice was given a boost on February 29 when Labour MP Tom Watson elected to debate the case in Parliament, drawing strong links between Mr Rees, who has previously been acquitted of Mr Morgan, The Met Police and the News of the World.

In response Nick Herbert, minister for policing, said the home office has not ruled out the possibility of a judicial inquiry being launched.

Alastair added: “The seeds of the hacking scandal that is unravelling at the Leveson Inquiry were planted a quarter of a century ago in a car park in south-east London where my brother was murdered.

“This was the beginning of a deeply corrupt relationship between the Metropolitan Police and News of the World journalists.”

Daniel Morgan was born in Singapore, the son of Isobel and Daniel, a soldier in the parachute regiment.

Returning to the UK shortly after his birth to seek treatment for his club foot, Daniel grew up dividing his time between the family home in Wales and a specialist hospital in Hampshire.

An avid rugby fan, a fond memory Alastair shares of his brother was watching Newport defeat the might All Blacks in 1963.

He said: “He played even though his right leg below the knee was very fragile. He went through his childhood with one foot two sizes smaller than the other.”

Following his schooling Mr Morgan trained in agriculture, spending two years in Denmark, before moving to South London and signing up as a private investigator.

Alastair said: “There were aspects he didn’t like about it. I remember him telling me of incidents he was threatened carrying out bailiff work , but he learned the trade and found it exciting. There is a negative association nowadays with private investigators but it wasn’t so much like that then.”