The Metropolitan Police has exonerated itself following a three-year internal investigation into allegations of high-level corruption connected to the 1993 murders of a police officer and a security guard. The probe was launched after revelations about the force's handling of a gangland informant suspected of supplying the murder weapons.
Key Witness Left Waiting as Investigation Concludes
Despite the lengthy inquiry, detectives from the Met's anti-corruption command failed to speak to a retired officer who had offered crucial evidence. Retired Met detective sergeant Steve Morris told the Sunday Mirror he was "appalled" and that the oversight was "despicable." He confirmed he had been willing to assist but was never contacted, despite leaving voicemails and emails for the investigating officer.
"I assume I'm a key witness otherwise why would they have asked to speak to me?" Mr Morris said. "They have made very little effort to get in contact. Justice should prevail and the truth should come out. This family has lost a loved one and there's a duty to get to the truth."
The Met has informed the family of murder victim William Danso that its review found no evidence of corruption. This conclusion comes after the force spent three years examining the links between informant Brynmor Lindop and the fatal shootings.
The 1993 Clapham Murders and the Informant's Arsenal
On the night of the killings, PC Patrick Dunne, 44, was attending a domestic incident in Clapham, south London, when he heard gunshots. Gangster Gary Nelson, then 23, had shot William Danso, 31, on his doorstep before turning his gun on the approaching officer, shooting him in the chest. Witnesses reported hearing Nelson laughing as he fled.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the weapons used were supplied by Lindop, a police informant, in collaboration with retired Met police dog handler Sydney Wink. Despite this, Lindop was never prosecuted for his role in the murders.
Instead, in a separate case in March 1994, Lindop was arrested at his yard in Dagenham, east London. He was found with an enormous cache of weapons, described as enough to "equip a small army." The haul included:
- 11 assault rifles
- Three revolvers
- Three shotguns
- Three pistols
- 3,451 rounds of ammunition
- Telescopic sights, silencers, and body armour
Despite the scale of his arsenal, Lindop was sentenced to just two years in prison after his police handler briefed the trial judge that he was a valued informant. His accomplice, former police driver Norman Fallows, received 15 months.
A Trail of Death and an Eventual Conviction
The corruption probe also examined the role of retired officer Sydney Wink, suspected of reactivating decommissioned firearms for sale. Days before he was due to be questioned by police in July 1994, Wink shot himself dead in an Ilford alleyway. He left a suicide note apologising to his wife.
Lindop himself was murdered in January 2002, shot four times outside his home in Goodmayes, east London. His killing remains unsolved.
Justice for the murders of PC Dunne and Mr Danso was finally served in 2006, when Gary Nelson was convicted and jailed for life with a minimum term of 35 years.
The Metropolitan Police stated that a complaint to its Directorate of Professional Standards resulted in a full review, which found the service provided by officers was "acceptable." This finding was upheld by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which ruled the Professional Standards investigation made "reasonable and proportionate enquiries."
The Danso family, who in 2022 expressed deep distress over evidence suggesting corrupt officers were involved, are yet to comment on the conclusion of the Met's internal probe.
