A JUDICIAL inquiry into the brutal killing of a private detective has been ruled out by the Home Office.

Four police investigations have failed to bring any prosecutions for the murder of Southern Investigations boss Daniel Morgan 17 years ago.

Mr Morgan was found dead with an axe in his skull in the car park of the Golden Lion pub, Sydenham Road, Sydenham.

Now Lib Dem MP Roger Williams, in whose constituency Mr Morgan's mother, Isabel Hulsmann, currently lives, has been refused a judicial inquiry.

This is despite the fact he has raised questions about the involvement of ex-police sergeant Sidney Fillery, suspected of being involved in the death.

Speaking in a Commons debate last week, Mr Williams said Mr Fillery had been one of the officers at Catford CID who played a crucial role in the first four days of the initial murder inquiry.

The MP said Mr Fillery conducted the first interview of the main suspect, his friend and Mr Morgan's business partner Jonathan Rees, and had the opportunity to take possession of key files including Mr Morgan's diary, which has never been found.

Mr Williams also said one witness claims to have heard Mr Rees, who now co-owns the Southern Investigations business alongside Mr Fillery, talking about having Daniel killed and arranging for police officers to be involved in the murder and its subsequent cover-up.

The MP believes Metropolitan Police officers who conducted the fourth investigation described the case as "the worst mess they had ever seen."

Home Office minister Caroline Flint, insisted independent investigations had found nothing to suggest any police involvement in the murder.

Two months ago the Met's murder review group concluded there was insufficient evidence for a prosecution and all avenues of inquiry had been exhausted.

In a separate case in October, Sid Fillery, aged 57, from Sevenoaks, was sentenced to a three-year community rehabilitation order after admitting to 13 counts of making indecent images of children.