A podcast recounting decades of failed investigations into the unsolved murder of a private detective has hit number one on the iTunes chart.

Untold: The Daniel Morgan Murder has been billed as the British counterpart to award-winning investigative podcast Serial.

The true detective story has been at the top spot twice, most recently after the release of its third episode on June 16.

Described as "the most investigated in murder in British history", five separate Met Police investigations have failed to lead to any convictions for the Sydenham murder.

Mr Morgan, of Thornton Heath, was found with an axe in his head in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in 1987.

The 10-episode podcast was launched following a £10,000 crowdfunding campaign by producer Peter Jukes.

Your Local Guardian:

Daniel's brother Alistair Morgan and mother Isobel Hulsmann

Daniel's brother Alastair Morgan, 67, told the Evening Standard: “It’s unquestionably as important as the Stephen Lawrence case in my view but we were let down by the last Labour government.

“They wouldn’t do a thing about it.

“Now people do know about this because they’re watching it and are concerned about it and they’re telling people about it.

“That’s really the message behind the story.

“If nobody was watching, nobody was looking, then it’s kind of like ‘who cares?’”

As next year marks 30 years of fruitless investigation into his brother's killing, Mr Morgan says it's a story that needs to be told - regardless of how painful it is for him. 

“It’s a hell of a story, it’s a long story but absolutely fascinating. 

“For me, I have to keep on and on going though it again and that’s horrible.

“But what I saw going on in there, I won’t be silenced and I won’t let that pass.”

A panel set up by Home Secretary Theresa May is expected to publish its report on the case later this year.

The panel was set up in May 2013 after numerous inquiries at a cost of around £30 million failed to shed light on Mr Morgan's murder.

In 2011, Acting Met Commissioner Tim Godwin admitted police corruption had thwarted the investigations and apologised to Mr Morgan’s family.

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