John Prescott: ''I just didn't believe him'' - John Yates

No me neither old lad, but then that wouldn't be too hard a thing to do, would it now?

This is the first of two small posts that have been pulled from nowhere, so to speak.

Inspired by the post above, a timeline supplied by the Guardian that catalogues the Met's failure (at best) or more realistically, the Met's cover-up of the murder of Daniel Morgan. But of that, more in a moment.

Having recently watched and posted about a Four Corners production, Bad News, I didn't say an awful lot about the program, opining that it was a very interesting forty five minutes and mentioning just one other thing.

That other thing, were the words of (Lord) John Prescott describing his dealings with Metropolitan Assistant Police Commissioner, John Yates. (Resigned)

The same Metropolitan Assistant Police Commissioner John Yates (Resigned) I remind you, that headed up and had this to say about Daniel Morgan's murder. But do forgive me the highlight, because, as the old darling said: I can resist anything but temptation.

The latest investigation, headed by Assistant Commissioner John Yates, had a team of 36 re-examining tens of thousands of pages of statements from the original inquiries. The murder inquiry was relaunched three years ago and located in a different building from Scotland Yard to avoid any suggestion of impropriety because of allegations of police corruption from the start of the case, which has dogged the Met for years. Police are still seeking other witnesses and a £50,000 reward remains on offer.

"It has been over 21 years since Daniel's murder," said Yates said yesterday. "Since that tragic event there have been numerous investigations into his death, none of which have been able to establish who was responsible. more Gruniad

And in part, the reason for this supposed isolation of Yate's inquiry? Scotland Yard admits Daniel Morgan's killers shielded by corruption Yes quite!


The same Metropolitan Assistant Police Commissioner John Yates, that instructed the odious firm of shysters, Carter-Ruck, in what has now become familiar practice, to threaten anybody that cast aspirations on the veracity of himself, John Yates. (Resigned)

Scotland Yard paid John Yates's legal bills

Met paid for assistant commissioner to hire top legal firm to file complaints against Guardian and others, FOI request reveals

The Metropolitan Police authority agreed that Scotland Yard should pay the bill for former assistant commissioner John Yates to hire the high-profile libel firm Carter Ruck to threaten legal action against various media outlets including the Guardian, an FOI request has shown.

Yates, who resigned over the phone-hacking scandal last month, used the legal firm to send letters of complaint to the Guardian and other outlets over allegations made about his role in the affair. At the home affairs select committee he declined to say whether Scotland Yard had been paying for him to use the firm. Again the Gruniad.

The implications of which I hardly need to lay out, saying as I did previously, such actions being something we are not unfamiliar with.

Right so! John Prescott on John Yates. Transcript and Bad News documentary here.

SARAH FERGUSON: One of the reasons they were able to get away with it for so long was that the police refused to re-open the case despite revelations in 2009 that there were potentially thousands of victims of Mulcaire.

You're actually having to force this out of the police. They're not volunteering?

LORD PRESCOTT: Oh yes, they were refusing to give it.

SARAH FERGUSON: Then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was convinced that he was a victim of phone hacking.

Do they look like the sorts of things you might have said to your chief of staff on the phone?

LORD PRESCOTT: Oh absolutely. I mean we're talking all the time.

Their technique you know is not necessarily to go for you in the tapping, they go for people you're leaving messages for and leaving news. So in my case it was my chief of staff.

SARAH FERGUSON: When The Guardian named Prescott as one of Mulcaire's victims he went to the assistant police commissioner to demand answers.

LORD PRESCOTT: I'm told by the Guardian, I now want you to tell me. And they said, nu-huh, came back a few hours later, we've done the enquiry, he said I'm making a press statement in a few minutes, this was Yates. And I said what, you've done an enquiry that quick? Yes, there is no evidence whatsoever. You better put it in writing to me then, sunshine. So it took a few weeks before I got the letter from him and he'd put it into writing. And then I realized I just didn't believe him.

No me neither old lad.


Further reading:
Freedom of Information request: Metropolitan Police payments to Carter-Ruck

For more and up to date links on Daniel Morgan's murder:

http://danielmorganmurderedbythemet.blogspot.com/

http://themurdochempireanditsnestofvipers.blogspot.com/