A 55-year-old man accused of murdering a private detective in 1987 has walked free from court after prosecutors failed to present any evidence against him.
James Cook, from Tadworth, was pronounced not guilty by a judge at the Old Bailey today.
On March 10 1987, Daniel Morgan, 37, was found with an axe in his head outside the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham.
His Rolex watch was missing but £1,100 remained in his pocket.
Three other men remain accused of his murder and are set to be tried next year, including his former business partner William Rees with whom he owned a firm called Southern Investigations, based in Thornton Heath.
William Rees, 56, of Weybridge, Surrey, Glenn Vian, 52, of south Croydon, and Garry Vian, 50, of no fixed address, deny the charge.
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