1 00:00:12,959 --> 00:00:18,167 Between 2012 and 2022, Line of Duty told the story of AC-12, 2 00:00:18,584 --> 00:00:20,101 a fictional anti-corruption unit 3 00:00:20,125 --> 00:00:22,042 that famously went after bent coppers. 4 00:00:26,918 --> 00:00:29,500 But over 15 years prior to that hitting our screens, 5 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,101 before that series was dreamt up by its creator, Jed Mercurio, 6 00:00:33,125 --> 00:00:35,935 a little-known unit of the Met was being secretly set up 7 00:00:35,959 --> 00:00:38,643 to crack the cycle of corruption that had infiltrated 8 00:00:38,667 --> 00:00:40,375 the country's biggest police force. 9 00:00:40,792 --> 00:00:45,351 I was shocked. Drug dealing, kidnap, armed robbery 10 00:00:45,375 --> 00:00:49,292 being carried out by police officers was almost fiction, 11 00:00:49,834 --> 00:00:51,500 but it wasn't. It was a reality. 12 00:00:52,542 --> 00:00:55,018 Amid the scandals that engulfed the early nineties, 13 00:00:55,042 --> 00:00:56,768 a few brave senior police chiefs 14 00:00:56,792 --> 00:00:58,584 decided a new tactic was needed. 15 00:00:59,459 --> 00:01:02,125 This could be a film. You couldn't make it up. 16 00:01:02,542 --> 00:01:05,226 A tactic that would go after those directly responsible 17 00:01:05,250 --> 00:01:07,667 for the corruption to catch them in the act. 18 00:01:08,042 --> 00:01:13,250 Greed, ego, power. It's all out there for grabs. 19 00:01:13,709 --> 00:01:15,685 The fact that it was nicknamed the Ghost Squad 20 00:01:15,709 --> 00:01:16,685 sums it up really. 21 00:01:16,709 --> 00:01:18,018 No one knew it existed, 22 00:01:18,042 --> 00:01:19,852 and that's exactly how they'd want it. 23 00:01:19,876 --> 00:01:22,143 That unit's name was CIB3, 24 00:01:22,167 --> 00:01:24,959 and for the first time, this is its story. 25 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:43,310 In the late 1990s CIB3 carried out one of their most 26 00:01:43,334 --> 00:01:46,810 high-profile cases investigating a team of hard drinking 27 00:01:46,834 --> 00:01:49,792 rogue detectives who called themselves the groovy gang. 28 00:01:51,709 --> 00:01:53,101 Known as Operation Russia, 29 00:01:53,125 --> 00:01:55,727 the case starts with the story of Neil Putnam, 30 00:01:55,751 --> 00:01:58,476 an ambitious detective who wanted to join 31 00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:01,125 the perceived elite of the southeast regional crime squad. 32 00:02:02,667 --> 00:02:04,685 Putnam always wanted to join the police. 33 00:02:04,709 --> 00:02:05,876 He joined very young. 34 00:02:06,959 --> 00:02:10,143 It was his ambition and his words, not mine. 35 00:02:10,167 --> 00:02:13,476 When he joined, he said he wanted to serve London 36 00:02:13,500 --> 00:02:16,334 and give something back. 37 00:02:16,959 --> 00:02:20,935 He went on, he was a successful police officer, 38 00:02:20,959 --> 00:02:24,852 and he was a successful detective, but his main ambition 39 00:02:24,876 --> 00:02:28,209 was to tackle the top echelon of criminals. 40 00:02:29,375 --> 00:02:32,518 And again, in his words, he wanted to join 41 00:02:32,542 --> 00:02:36,351 the regional crime squad that he considered to be the elite 42 00:02:36,375 --> 00:02:37,727 and the best of the best. 43 00:02:37,751 --> 00:02:40,185 So, he went on to join the South East 44 00:02:40,209 --> 00:02:41,918 regional crime squad at Dulwich. 45 00:02:42,751 --> 00:02:44,894 But on his very first day with the groovy gang, 46 00:02:44,918 --> 00:02:48,626 Putnam was to realise that this was no ordinary crime team. 47 00:02:50,083 --> 00:02:53,018 He was taken out for drinks with the team and to be honest, 48 00:02:53,042 --> 00:02:55,292 that was sort of quite normal practice. 49 00:02:56,209 --> 00:03:00,685 But in his case, he was asked did he have any debts, 50 00:03:00,709 --> 00:03:03,310 and somebody made the comment that his debt 51 00:03:03,334 --> 00:03:05,852 would soon disappear on the regional crime squad 52 00:03:05,876 --> 00:03:08,709 and that he would be looked after. 53 00:03:09,584 --> 00:03:13,560 Again, in Putnam's words were that he sort of read 54 00:03:13,584 --> 00:03:15,685 between the lines on that and he did wonder 55 00:03:15,709 --> 00:03:18,584 at that stage whether or not corruption was involved. 56 00:03:19,209 --> 00:03:22,935 Putnam's instinct was correct, and it wasn't long 57 00:03:22,959 --> 00:03:24,935 before the charismatic and self-styled leader of 58 00:03:24,959 --> 00:03:27,518 the groovy gang, Detective Constable Bob Clark 59 00:03:27,542 --> 00:03:29,167 was asking him for favours. 60 00:03:30,584 --> 00:03:32,643 There was information from an informant 61 00:03:32,667 --> 00:03:35,101 that there was going to be a drop of cannabis, 62 00:03:35,125 --> 00:03:39,143 but Clark had asked Putnam whether or not he had a 63 00:03:39,167 --> 00:03:42,101 holdall he could borrow, and Putnam gave him his holdall 64 00:03:42,125 --> 00:03:43,852 and he didn't ask why, I don't think. 65 00:03:43,876 --> 00:03:46,810 But there came a time a couple of days later 66 00:03:46,834 --> 00:03:50,976 where Putnam was given £300 just thrust in his hand 67 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,751 by Clark saying, that's for you and he took it. 68 00:03:56,083 --> 00:03:59,852 I mean from memory, Putnam says he was surprised, 69 00:03:59,876 --> 00:04:00,834 but he took it. 70 00:04:01,375 --> 00:04:04,143 And at that point there is really no going back 71 00:04:04,167 --> 00:04:07,935 because he had discovered in the equipment room 72 00:04:07,959 --> 00:04:11,393 at East Dulwich at the squad office, his holdall, 73 00:04:11,417 --> 00:04:15,268 and within his holdall, he had discovered traces of cannabis. 74 00:04:15,292 --> 00:04:19,810 It was that point; I think he realised that Clark or 75 00:04:19,834 --> 00:04:24,476 somebody had stolen some of the cannabis that had been 76 00:04:24,500 --> 00:04:27,393 dropped that night and the £300 was 77 00:04:27,417 --> 00:04:30,334 for being blunt - was his cut. 78 00:04:32,375 --> 00:04:34,626 And things were about to get a whole lot worse. 79 00:04:35,375 --> 00:04:37,435 Clark and Putnam were involved in a police raid 80 00:04:37,459 --> 00:04:39,918 on a local drugs deal at a golf course in Croydon, 81 00:04:40,417 --> 00:04:42,643 where Putnam witness Clark placed a quantity of 82 00:04:42,667 --> 00:04:45,626 the illegal drugs they had seized into another large holdall. 83 00:04:47,834 --> 00:04:53,125 At that point, Clark asked him if he knew a quiet spot, 84 00:04:53,709 --> 00:04:56,393 which he knew the area and I believe it was a wood 85 00:04:56,417 --> 00:04:59,476 that they both went to, and it was pretty clear 86 00:04:59,500 --> 00:05:03,417 that some of the cannabis was stolen by Clark. 87 00:05:04,500 --> 00:05:07,476 The following morning, Putnam went to Clark's flat 88 00:05:07,500 --> 00:05:10,351 where he was handed the white envelope. 89 00:05:10,375 --> 00:05:13,143 He realised that was containing cash. 90 00:05:13,167 --> 00:05:15,976 He went to a quiet spot that he knew as a kid, 91 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,000 and he counted that, and it was £2,000. 92 00:05:19,375 --> 00:05:23,810 So, at that point, he's now in real trouble because here 93 00:05:23,834 --> 00:05:29,643 he has witnessed taking cannabis from a hundred kilos stash. 94 00:05:29,667 --> 00:05:32,727 He's then not only witnessed that taking, 95 00:05:32,751 --> 00:05:37,125 he's then received his share £2,000. 96 00:05:39,083 --> 00:05:41,560 Putnam was now becoming embroiled in serious police 97 00:05:41,584 --> 00:05:44,292 corruption and there was seemingly no turning back. 98 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,602 Taking his cue from Clark and the rest of the groovy gang 99 00:05:47,626 --> 00:05:50,125 he had now begun stealing for himself. 100 00:05:51,334 --> 00:05:53,518 The behaviour of the corrupt team reached new lows 101 00:05:53,542 --> 00:05:56,584 when they raided a property on a tip off in search of drugs. 102 00:05:58,584 --> 00:06:00,935 In the flat, there was a load of cash. 103 00:06:00,959 --> 00:06:05,768 Putnam says his words, that there was cash everywhere. 104 00:06:05,792 --> 00:06:08,727 Putnam had now become stealing for himself because 105 00:06:08,751 --> 00:06:13,852 nobody really trusted Clark to give, for want of a better word, 106 00:06:13,876 --> 00:06:15,518 divvy up the money fairly. 107 00:06:15,542 --> 00:06:20,101 To me that spells out that corruption 108 00:06:20,125 --> 00:06:22,476 There is no owner amongst thieves. 109 00:06:22,500 --> 00:06:25,476 What appeared to have started out is a couple of people 110 00:06:25,500 --> 00:06:29,560 stealing from tip-offs from informants to then 111 00:06:29,584 --> 00:06:31,685 others stealing amongst themselves. 112 00:06:31,709 --> 00:06:32,727 They were all stealing. 113 00:06:32,751 --> 00:06:36,459 So, it then almost becomes part of the norm. 114 00:06:36,834 --> 00:06:39,935 The corruption becomes part of the norm of the activity 115 00:06:39,959 --> 00:06:43,643 of that particular team at East Dulwich. 116 00:06:43,667 --> 00:06:46,751 The story then takes a twist. 117 00:06:48,459 --> 00:06:50,393 Bob Clark was known as something of a maverick, 118 00:06:50,417 --> 00:06:53,518 and along with partner Chris Drury had a reputation 119 00:06:53,542 --> 00:06:55,459 for employing unorthodox tactics. 120 00:06:56,292 --> 00:06:58,143 But the relationship Clark developed with 121 00:06:58,167 --> 00:07:00,476 one of his informers, big time cocaine dealer, 122 00:07:00,500 --> 00:07:03,209 Eve Fleckney, crossed the line in more ways than one. 123 00:07:05,292 --> 00:07:10,393 Robert Clark was suspected of being involved in the 124 00:07:10,417 --> 00:07:15,976 protection of Eve Fleckney because he was her handler. 125 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,101 He handled her as an informant. 126 00:07:18,125 --> 00:07:23,393 It also emerged during the CIB3 operation, 127 00:07:23,417 --> 00:07:27,375 the two were more than officer and informant. 128 00:07:28,042 --> 00:07:29,292 They were in fact, lovers. 129 00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:32,435 Fleckney had passed information or tipped off Clark 130 00:07:32,459 --> 00:07:35,935 about another drug dealer called Guildford John. 131 00:07:35,959 --> 00:07:37,894 I take it he lived in Guildford, 132 00:07:37,918 --> 00:07:42,417 that had possession of a load of cannabis, £27,000 worth. 133 00:07:42,792 --> 00:07:47,310 And Clark and Drury turned up and took the drugs from him, 134 00:07:47,334 --> 00:07:48,727 but they didn't arrest him. 135 00:07:48,751 --> 00:07:51,185 They let him keep whatever cash he had, 136 00:07:51,209 --> 00:07:54,393 but they took the full amount of the drugs and off they 137 00:07:54,417 --> 00:07:56,226 carried them, and he wasn't arrested 138 00:07:56,250 --> 00:07:58,334 and there was no further action taken against him. 139 00:07:59,667 --> 00:08:02,226 However, Guilford John's involvement didn't end there 140 00:08:02,250 --> 00:08:05,685 and a year later on, another tip-off partner and his team 141 00:08:05,709 --> 00:08:07,792 raided what they thought was his safe house. 142 00:08:09,459 --> 00:08:12,268 So, a year later, the Southeast Regional Crime Squad 143 00:08:12,292 --> 00:08:14,935 received the same tip off that Guildford John 144 00:08:14,959 --> 00:08:19,101 was in possession of cannabis, and it was believed to be 145 00:08:19,125 --> 00:08:22,101 in a house in the countryside, which was believed to be, 146 00:08:22,125 --> 00:08:24,542 by the police, his safe house. 147 00:08:25,125 --> 00:08:32,375 Putnam then led the team to that address, to steal the drugs 148 00:08:33,125 --> 00:08:35,810 Unfortunately, it wasn't Guildford John's house, 149 00:08:35,834 --> 00:08:39,602 it was his friend's house who had I think 150 00:08:39,626 --> 00:08:43,626 about two or three ounces of cannabis for personal use. 151 00:08:44,542 --> 00:08:48,209 There was no stash, it wasn't a safe house. 152 00:08:49,250 --> 00:08:53,143 Putnam was adamant that drugs were hidden there somewhere, 153 00:08:53,167 --> 00:08:56,685 and he started threatening this guy 154 00:08:56,709 --> 00:08:58,852 and he started making threats that he'd bring 155 00:08:58,876 --> 00:09:01,834 heavy plant gear in to dig up the garden. 156 00:09:02,959 --> 00:09:06,894 But it became apparent, I suspect to Putnam that actually 157 00:09:06,918 --> 00:09:09,685 they'd made a big mistake here because this guy was just 158 00:09:09,709 --> 00:09:14,768 a happy little soldier in a house and all he did 159 00:09:14,792 --> 00:09:16,810 was know Guildford John. 160 00:09:16,834 --> 00:09:19,351 Possibly that's where he got his cannabis from, who knows? 161 00:09:19,375 --> 00:09:26,584 And he had £800, which was him and his partner's savings. 162 00:09:27,542 --> 00:09:31,310 And it came to the point where I think they accepted 163 00:09:31,334 --> 00:09:35,643 that they got it wrong, the police and then Putnam said 164 00:09:35,667 --> 00:09:39,602 that he'd keep the £800 and let the guy keep his 165 00:09:39,626 --> 00:09:41,310 two or three ounces of cannabis 166 00:09:41,334 --> 00:09:44,459 and off they went and never to be seen again. 167 00:09:46,959 --> 00:09:48,894 By now, Eve Fleckney's drug dealing, 168 00:09:48,918 --> 00:09:51,101 and the subsequent suspicions of corruption 169 00:09:51,125 --> 00:09:53,435 started to attract attention from soon to be 170 00:09:53,459 --> 00:09:55,626 CIB3 Chief, Dave Wood. 171 00:09:56,792 --> 00:10:00,476 At this point in time, Fleckney was becoming on the radar 172 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:05,226 as a significant drug dealer and known to Dave Wood 173 00:10:05,250 --> 00:10:07,894 who was the branch commander at Surbiton. 174 00:10:07,918 --> 00:10:11,852 And that meant he basically was in charge of that office 175 00:10:11,876 --> 00:10:14,167 and one of his DI's was Martin Bridger. 176 00:10:15,083 --> 00:10:17,894 They became concerned, considerably concerned 177 00:10:17,918 --> 00:10:21,685 because for want of a better word, their jobs kept 178 00:10:21,709 --> 00:10:23,602 blowing out against Fleckney. 179 00:10:23,626 --> 00:10:26,852 Every time they tried to get any evidence or anything, 180 00:10:26,876 --> 00:10:29,727 they couldn't, and we know now know why; 181 00:10:29,751 --> 00:10:31,459 because she was getting tipped off. 182 00:10:32,167 --> 00:10:34,310 It was clear their work was being compromised, 183 00:10:34,334 --> 00:10:36,976 and if Wood and Bridger were to move against Fleckney, 184 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,209 they would need to launch a covert proactive investigation. 185 00:10:41,334 --> 00:10:45,560 So, Dave Wood took the decision to move Martin Bridger 186 00:10:45,584 --> 00:10:49,226 and a small team away from the Surbiton office. 187 00:10:49,250 --> 00:10:50,976 He didn't know where the threat was, 188 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:53,560 was the threat in his team? He didn't know. 189 00:10:53,584 --> 00:10:55,375 There was a threat from Clark at that stage. 190 00:10:55,876 --> 00:11:00,351 I think there came a point where it did become apparent 191 00:11:00,375 --> 00:11:03,894 that Fleckney was an informant for Clark. 192 00:11:03,918 --> 00:11:09,810 So, at this stage, CIB3 had established that there was a 193 00:11:09,834 --> 00:11:13,417 relationship between Robert Clark and Eve Fleckney, 194 00:11:13,959 --> 00:11:18,101 but what was needed was proper strong evidence 195 00:11:18,125 --> 00:11:20,560 that was going to stand up in court and that was 196 00:11:20,584 --> 00:11:22,727 always the case with CIB3. 197 00:11:22,751 --> 00:11:25,768 They had to get that evidence, 198 00:11:25,792 --> 00:11:28,584 catch people red-handed preferably. 199 00:11:28,918 --> 00:11:34,518 So, Martin Bridger led an operation, quite a significant 200 00:11:34,542 --> 00:11:38,518 and detailed surveillance operation offensive, 201 00:11:38,542 --> 00:11:41,435 against Eve Fleckney because of course he was 202 00:11:41,459 --> 00:11:43,852 operating covertly with his team. 203 00:11:43,876 --> 00:11:45,852 Nobody knew what he was doing. 204 00:11:45,876 --> 00:11:49,518 So therefore, and he left no trace in relation to 205 00:11:49,542 --> 00:11:51,685 general police inquiries that he was interested in 206 00:11:51,709 --> 00:11:54,959 Fleckney, and he built up a case against her. 207 00:11:55,584 --> 00:11:57,643 The first port of call for trying to understand 208 00:11:57,667 --> 00:12:00,500 what was going on was to bug Fleckney's house. 209 00:12:02,709 --> 00:12:04,393 The ongoing surveillance of Fleckney 210 00:12:04,417 --> 00:12:06,500 would provide Bridger's team with a valuable lead. 211 00:12:08,834 --> 00:12:11,852 So, out of all the surveillance on Fleckney, 212 00:12:11,876 --> 00:12:16,310 Martin Bridger's team became aware that one of 213 00:12:16,334 --> 00:12:19,560 the persons that she was supplying to was Guildford John. 214 00:12:19,584 --> 00:12:25,852 He was carrying drugs from a big-time dealer in London 215 00:12:25,876 --> 00:12:31,959 out to Surrey when he was stopped and arrested. 216 00:12:32,167 --> 00:12:36,393 And at that stage, he made the remark regarding the fact 217 00:12:36,417 --> 00:12:38,935 was - were they going to take his drugs and let him go 218 00:12:38,959 --> 00:12:40,959 because that's what happened the last time. 219 00:12:41,083 --> 00:12:44,101 And the officers in the car didn't know what 220 00:12:44,125 --> 00:12:47,894 he was talking about, but asked him, well last time, 221 00:12:47,918 --> 00:12:49,101 what do you mean, last time? 222 00:12:49,125 --> 00:12:54,059 He then said that he'd been stopped by two officers 223 00:12:54,083 --> 00:12:58,602 previously a few years before, and the two officers, 224 00:12:58,626 --> 00:13:05,435 instead of taking him in, had taken drugs 225 00:13:05,459 --> 00:13:08,876 from the boot of his car worth £70,000 he said. 226 00:13:09,500 --> 00:13:11,685 Martin Bridger and his team decided to act 227 00:13:11,709 --> 00:13:13,709 on Guildford John's revelations. 228 00:13:14,375 --> 00:13:17,959 Martin did listen to what he said. 229 00:13:18,375 --> 00:13:23,417 So, it's at this point Bridger's suspicion was almost confirmed 230 00:13:24,042 --> 00:13:26,768 in that yes, there was corrupt activity. 231 00:13:26,792 --> 00:13:31,018 It was reported then to the Complaints Investigation Bureau, 232 00:13:31,042 --> 00:13:35,393 CIB2 but the East Dulwich office became aware 233 00:13:35,417 --> 00:13:37,209 that they were under investigation. 234 00:13:37,751 --> 00:13:42,560 They made a pact to say nothing and deny it in its entirety. 235 00:13:42,584 --> 00:13:44,476 Who would believe a drug dealer? 236 00:13:44,500 --> 00:13:46,059 Would a jury believe a drug dealer 237 00:13:46,083 --> 00:13:48,935 against 4 cops giving evidence? 238 00:13:48,959 --> 00:13:51,518 It was just unheard of to be honest, 239 00:13:51,542 --> 00:13:54,185 and the inquiry just diminished it. 240 00:13:54,209 --> 00:13:56,876 It stopped because they couldn't take it any further. 241 00:13:58,250 --> 00:14:00,709 But they could however arrest Fleckney. 242 00:14:01,209 --> 00:14:03,727 Her time in the fast lane as an untouchable drug dealer 243 00:14:03,751 --> 00:14:06,500 protected by the police was coming to an end. 244 00:14:07,959 --> 00:14:12,351 At the time of her arrest, she actually said to the officers, 245 00:14:12,375 --> 00:14:14,918 I believe it was Martin Bridger, 246 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,518 'What's happening?' 'What's going on?' 247 00:14:18,542 --> 00:14:20,351 'Have I got to go to the police station?' 248 00:14:20,375 --> 00:14:22,626 'What do you mean I've got to go to the police station?' 249 00:14:23,042 --> 00:14:26,935 She was clearly taken back and completely surprised 250 00:14:26,959 --> 00:14:28,459 the fact that she'd been arrested, 251 00:14:29,876 --> 00:14:35,727 which goes to show that her basic understanding 252 00:14:35,751 --> 00:14:39,310 was that would never happen because here was Bob Clark, 253 00:14:39,334 --> 00:14:41,500 serving officer, protecting her. 254 00:14:41,959 --> 00:14:44,643 But it did happen, and she was duly charged and 255 00:14:44,667 --> 00:14:49,292 prosecuted and then she was sentenced to 15 years custodial. 256 00:14:50,584 --> 00:14:53,751 But Eve Fleckney had no intention of serving 15 years. 257 00:14:54,209 --> 00:14:57,518 Dave Wood was now leading the newly formed CIB3 258 00:14:57,542 --> 00:14:59,685 and a few weeks into her sentence, 259 00:14:59,709 --> 00:15:02,751 she reached out to him suggesting she was willing to talk. 260 00:15:04,250 --> 00:15:07,167 Shortly after her sentence was delivered, 261 00:15:07,959 --> 00:15:10,894 she made a call from prison to Dave Wood. s. 262 00:15:10,918 --> 00:15:15,518 So, Dave Wood went along and actually interviewed her 263 00:15:15,542 --> 00:15:21,417 himself and she revealed what was extremely disturbing 264 00:15:22,334 --> 00:15:24,894 catalogue of how that she was protected 265 00:15:24,918 --> 00:15:28,560 by police officers and namely Clark. 266 00:15:28,584 --> 00:15:32,542 Dave Wood says his view, she was in love with Clark 267 00:15:33,500 --> 00:15:37,435 and how that the officers would, she tipped them off, 268 00:15:37,459 --> 00:15:40,226 they would intercept drugs, they would either steal 269 00:15:40,250 --> 00:15:42,393 the whole amount and let the person go 270 00:15:42,417 --> 00:15:43,685 or they would steal some of them. 271 00:15:43,709 --> 00:15:47,935 They stole cash and then Clark gave her the stolen 272 00:15:47,959 --> 00:15:49,685 drugs back and she recycled them, 273 00:15:49,709 --> 00:15:53,059 and she was quite happy to reveal her own 274 00:15:53,083 --> 00:15:56,268 whole involvement in that for a reduced sentence. 275 00:15:56,292 --> 00:15:59,209 What, in those days was commonly known as a supergrass. 276 00:16:00,626 --> 00:16:02,435 In response to Fleckney's allegations, 277 00:16:02,459 --> 00:16:06,393 CIB3 formed Operation Russia and promptly arrested 278 00:16:06,417 --> 00:16:07,518 Clark and Drury, 279 00:16:07,542 --> 00:16:09,959 but the pair weren't as forthcoming as Fleckney. 280 00:16:11,250 --> 00:16:14,685 On arrest they made no comment to all of the allegations, 281 00:16:14,709 --> 00:16:18,727 which to be honest you'd expect because here they were, 282 00:16:18,751 --> 00:16:23,894 police officers, and here were CIB3 alleging that they'd stole 283 00:16:23,918 --> 00:16:28,643 a load of drugs and it was using the word of 284 00:16:28,667 --> 00:16:32,143 a convicted drug dealer, not only a convicted drug dealer, 285 00:16:32,167 --> 00:16:34,435 but a substantial convicted drug dealer. 286 00:16:34,459 --> 00:16:36,125 15 years is a long time. 287 00:16:37,125 --> 00:16:38,810 Dave Wood turned his attention to other 288 00:16:38,834 --> 00:16:41,667 members of their team, including Neil Putnam. 289 00:16:42,667 --> 00:16:48,894 They went to Putnam's house, took Putnam outside into the 290 00:16:48,918 --> 00:16:56,685 garden and described how they were after Clark and Drury. 291 00:16:56,709 --> 00:17:01,417 They were the main targets, so Putnam had a problem. 292 00:17:03,209 --> 00:17:05,852 Once in custody, Putnam turned immediately and 293 00:17:05,876 --> 00:17:07,834 followed Fleckney in turning Supergrass. 294 00:17:08,918 --> 00:17:11,018 Having recently become a born-again Christian, 295 00:17:11,042 --> 00:17:13,167 it appeared he wanted to come clean, 296 00:17:13,667 --> 00:17:16,500 and whilst his reputation as a detective was in tatters, 297 00:17:16,876 --> 00:17:20,250 his value as a material witness of CIB3 was priceless. 298 00:17:21,792 --> 00:17:24,143 It was the icing on the cake. 299 00:17:24,167 --> 00:17:29,768 It was a jewel in the crown because here was a person that, 300 00:17:29,792 --> 00:17:33,476 yes, he was a cop, but he was willing to admit 301 00:17:33,500 --> 00:17:38,602 his offences that he was involved in and actually corroborate 302 00:17:38,626 --> 00:17:42,018 what Fleckney had said because at the end of the day, 303 00:17:42,042 --> 00:17:44,976 Fleckney was a drug dealer and a convicted drug dealer. 304 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:48,000 Putnam wasn't. He was a cop, but he was a corrupt cop. 305 00:17:50,042 --> 00:17:52,393 However, Chief Superintendent John Yates, 306 00:17:52,417 --> 00:17:55,810 who was overseeing the case, had his suspicions that Putnam 307 00:17:55,834 --> 00:17:57,584 was holding back vital information. 308 00:17:58,626 --> 00:18:00,250 He decided to lean on him. 309 00:18:01,667 --> 00:18:05,935 Yates, he was of the opinion, 310 00:18:05,959 --> 00:18:07,310 and I think his team were as well. 311 00:18:07,334 --> 00:18:08,894 Putnam was holding back. 312 00:18:08,918 --> 00:18:12,935 He was talking about Drury and Clark, 313 00:18:12,959 --> 00:18:15,018 but he wasn't talking about any other officers. 314 00:18:15,042 --> 00:18:20,101 So, John Yates made the decision that he would 315 00:18:20,125 --> 00:18:23,476 actually remove him from the protected custody. 316 00:18:23,500 --> 00:18:26,059 So that in effect meant that he would remove him 317 00:18:26,083 --> 00:18:28,751 from the protected witnesses it was in those days. 318 00:18:29,209 --> 00:18:32,560 That system, which also meant his wife as well 319 00:18:32,584 --> 00:18:37,185 because his wife was being assisted in the witness scheme, 320 00:18:37,209 --> 00:18:40,476 protected witness scheme, and that he would be put 321 00:18:40,500 --> 00:18:42,518 back into mainstream policing. 322 00:18:42,542 --> 00:18:45,560 He couldn't expect any reduction in sentence 323 00:18:45,584 --> 00:18:48,894 because he wasn't telling the full truth, and he certainly 324 00:18:48,918 --> 00:18:52,834 wouldn't want to be in a prison system being a corrupt cop. 325 00:18:53,125 --> 00:18:55,894 They went back to Putnam and said, 'If you are after 326 00:18:55,918 --> 00:18:59,518 becoming an informant for us, a supergrass for us, 327 00:18:59,542 --> 00:19:03,268 you must tell us all, everything, that's part of the deal.' 328 00:19:03,292 --> 00:19:06,185 'You get dealt with leniently for the corruption that 329 00:19:06,209 --> 00:19:11,417 you've been involved in, but you have to tell everything.' 330 00:19:12,334 --> 00:19:16,018 It was an impossible choice for Putnam, protect his friends 331 00:19:16,042 --> 00:19:18,459 or lose protection for himself and his family. 332 00:19:20,167 --> 00:19:23,125 So, he then made the choice, 333 00:19:23,751 --> 00:19:28,834 and I don't think he really had a choice personally, to tell all. 334 00:19:29,918 --> 00:19:32,101 Now, CIB3 had two supergrasses to 335 00:19:32,125 --> 00:19:34,101 provide evidence against the rogue detectives. 336 00:19:34,125 --> 00:19:41,435 In all five serving officers, Clark, and Drury 337 00:19:41,459 --> 00:19:45,226 and three others were convicted of corruption. 338 00:19:45,250 --> 00:19:48,602 So, in that sense it was seen as a success; 339 00:19:48,626 --> 00:19:53,959 five officers down all to a successful CIB3 operation. 340 00:19:57,584 --> 00:19:59,935 However, whilst Clark and Drury served out 341 00:19:59,959 --> 00:20:01,292 their lengthy sentences, 342 00:20:01,792 --> 00:20:04,083 there was a twist on their release from prison. 343 00:20:04,584 --> 00:20:07,185 Some years later, Clark and Drury decided 344 00:20:07,209 --> 00:20:11,584 to appeal against their convictions and sentences, 345 00:20:12,167 --> 00:20:14,209 which had been quite hefty. 346 00:20:14,667 --> 00:20:19,101 I believe Clark actually served 10 years of the 12 years, 347 00:20:19,125 --> 00:20:22,768 and I think a Drury served eight years. 348 00:20:22,792 --> 00:20:26,101 But there came a point after they'd been released where 349 00:20:26,125 --> 00:20:32,268 the court of appeal in 2010 ruled that there was exploitatory 350 00:20:32,292 --> 00:20:36,876 material that had been withheld at the trial 351 00:20:38,375 --> 00:20:41,685 and may have affected their conviction. 352 00:20:41,709 --> 00:20:44,125 Therefore, the judge ordered the retrial. 353 00:20:45,542 --> 00:20:48,476 The retrial collapsed when Eve Fleckney having already 354 00:20:48,500 --> 00:20:51,143 served most of her prison sentence, refused to stand 355 00:20:51,167 --> 00:20:52,959 as a witness against Bob Clark. 356 00:20:53,375 --> 00:20:55,351 She also intimated that she'd been pressurised 357 00:20:55,375 --> 00:20:57,125 to turn supergrass in the first trial. 358 00:20:59,709 --> 00:21:03,393 The main way that Clark and Drury won their appeal 359 00:21:03,417 --> 00:21:05,250 was because Eve Fleckney 360 00:21:05,751 --> 00:21:09,226 flatly refused to give any kind of evidence. 361 00:21:09,250 --> 00:21:11,935 She withdrew her evidence entirely 362 00:21:11,959 --> 00:21:14,375 saying she'd been forced into it. 363 00:21:15,209 --> 00:21:18,310 She'd always been a reluctant witness at the actual trial, 364 00:21:18,334 --> 00:21:21,059 but at the appeal it was made clear she was never 365 00:21:21,083 --> 00:21:25,393 ever going to appear against Clark and Drury. Why? 366 00:21:25,417 --> 00:21:29,143 One will never know what her motives were. 367 00:21:29,167 --> 00:21:33,602 As to how I feel about that, I think it's best 368 00:21:33,626 --> 00:21:38,518 to adopt the same answers that 369 00:21:38,542 --> 00:21:43,250 Robert Clark gave to his police questioners; No comment. 370 00:21:51,834 --> 00:21:55,268 A critical factor around much of corruption 371 00:21:55,292 --> 00:21:58,000 is the relationship between officers and informants. 372 00:21:58,125 --> 00:22:03,292 In the 1990s, the regulations weren't as clear as they are now 373 00:22:03,667 --> 00:22:06,602 and sometimes the relationships between informants 374 00:22:06,626 --> 00:22:09,167 and handlers weren't very clearly defined. 375 00:22:09,292 --> 00:22:12,310 If you had an informant, you should always meet 376 00:22:12,334 --> 00:22:14,375 that informant with another officer. 377 00:22:14,876 --> 00:22:19,125 Often not often, but sometimes that didn't occur, 378 00:22:19,542 --> 00:22:23,226 so therefore this relationship can build up and almost 379 00:22:23,250 --> 00:22:26,810 the Stockholm situation can become apparent 380 00:22:26,834 --> 00:22:29,852 where a handler becomes too involved 381 00:22:29,876 --> 00:22:31,542 or too close to that informant. 382 00:22:31,792 --> 00:22:34,685 The problem with the handling of informants 383 00:22:34,709 --> 00:22:37,852 is you want to push the boundaries to glean 384 00:22:37,876 --> 00:22:39,976 as much information and intelligence as you can 385 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:41,226 to then investigate it. 386 00:22:41,250 --> 00:22:44,560 And in doing so, you can't do that 10 foot away 387 00:22:44,584 --> 00:22:46,476 from the informant in terms of relationship. 388 00:22:46,500 --> 00:22:48,268 You've got to get on with them, you've got to go 389 00:22:48,292 --> 00:22:50,792 for a beer with them, you've got to go for a curry with 'em, 390 00:22:51,292 --> 00:22:55,167 and therefore you start actually becoming friendly. 391 00:22:55,375 --> 00:22:57,185 They would meet up, they'd go for drinks, 392 00:22:57,209 --> 00:22:59,226 they'd go for food together, 393 00:22:59,250 --> 00:23:01,959 and that's where the information exchange would happen. 394 00:23:02,167 --> 00:23:04,685 It was often the relationships between 395 00:23:04,709 --> 00:23:07,143 a detective and an informant. 396 00:23:07,167 --> 00:23:09,518 There was a one-to-one relationship that 397 00:23:09,542 --> 00:23:11,685 nobody else could be part of. 398 00:23:11,709 --> 00:23:13,018 'I'll go and speak to my informant.' 399 00:23:13,042 --> 00:23:14,459 'My informant tells me this.' 400 00:23:14,834 --> 00:23:17,935 So, there would be a very close relationship 401 00:23:17,959 --> 00:23:22,435 between informants and detective, which was sacrosanct, 402 00:23:22,459 --> 00:23:28,643 and nobody had access, often, to the informant. 403 00:23:28,667 --> 00:23:30,935 But you have to have strict boundaries, 404 00:23:30,959 --> 00:23:34,143 and I think it starts to go astray when people 405 00:23:34,167 --> 00:23:39,375 some detectives would meet an informant, not record it, 406 00:23:40,709 --> 00:23:46,667 start to bypass the regulations, boundaries get blurred. 407 00:23:46,792 --> 00:23:48,727 The officer got too close to the informant 408 00:23:48,751 --> 00:23:51,334 and that's when it all started to go wrong. 409 00:23:51,459 --> 00:23:55,292 If you don't play by the book, it's all out there for grabs. 410 00:23:55,751 --> 00:23:58,560 There was one particular case with a DC 411 00:23:58,584 --> 00:24:03,435 that was running an informant, and the payments 412 00:24:03,459 --> 00:24:06,042 were not necessarily going back to the informant. 413 00:24:06,751 --> 00:24:08,727 They were being shared 414 00:24:08,751 --> 00:24:10,393 between the informant and the officer. 415 00:24:10,417 --> 00:24:12,518 It was very much open to corruption 416 00:24:12,542 --> 00:24:16,125 because where the informants were being paid, 417 00:24:16,667 --> 00:24:19,435 it did cross over into the other way round 418 00:24:19,459 --> 00:24:22,351 where the informants would then pay the police officers 419 00:24:22,375 --> 00:24:26,685 themselves to turn a blind eye or to not 420 00:24:26,709 --> 00:24:28,059 notice what they were doing. 421 00:24:28,083 --> 00:24:29,602 And this could be with low level 422 00:24:29,626 --> 00:24:31,542 and higher-level type crimes as well. 423 00:24:31,792 --> 00:24:34,518 The power games between the criminal who's trying to 424 00:24:34,542 --> 00:24:37,643 find a corrupt cop and the corrupt cop themselves. 425 00:24:37,667 --> 00:24:40,101 The dynamic between the two is fascinating. 426 00:24:40,125 --> 00:24:41,935 They're vying for position and power. 427 00:24:41,959 --> 00:24:44,143 There's no winners ever going to be out of it 428 00:24:44,167 --> 00:24:46,143 because inevitably it's all going to 429 00:24:46,167 --> 00:24:47,976 go horribly wrong, they'll get caught 430 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,042 and they're playing games with each other. 431 00:24:51,459 --> 00:24:53,584 They're hugging each other, they're having a pint, 432 00:24:54,459 --> 00:24:57,083 but behind the scenes they don't trust each other 433 00:24:57,584 --> 00:24:59,560 and they're just looking out for the bullets that are 434 00:24:59,584 --> 00:25:01,709 going to fly over the counter. 435 00:25:02,250 --> 00:25:03,476 If they want to live like that, 436 00:25:03,500 --> 00:25:04,959 good luck to 'em, I don't want to live like that. 437 00:25:05,209 --> 00:25:11,393 99.9% of informants being run in the early 90s were run 438 00:25:11,417 --> 00:25:12,792 very, very professionally. 439 00:25:13,417 --> 00:25:15,852 But what we do know now, not from just 440 00:25:15,876 --> 00:25:20,310 this investigation, Russia, but from other CIB investigations, 441 00:25:20,334 --> 00:25:21,959 there were some bad apples. 442 00:25:26,834 --> 00:25:30,935 In early 2000, CIB3 led an investigation into a detective 443 00:25:30,959 --> 00:25:33,351 with links to drug dealers, money launderers 444 00:25:33,375 --> 00:25:36,351 and gang members who became involved in a plot to kidnap, 445 00:25:36,375 --> 00:25:40,375 and murder an associate who tried to rip off the wrong people 446 00:25:41,334 --> 00:25:47,976 Operation Greyhound was probably in terms of creativity 447 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:52,292 on the investigation strategy, this was right up there. 448 00:25:52,542 --> 00:25:57,976 Operation Greyhound was an investigation into Martin Morgan 449 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,101 He'd been at Stoke Newington. 450 00:26:00,125 --> 00:26:03,935 That was a hotbed of corruption at that time in 451 00:26:03,959 --> 00:26:07,351 North London and then he joined SERCS, that's 452 00:26:07,375 --> 00:26:09,768 the South East Regional Crime squad. 453 00:26:09,792 --> 00:26:11,435 So, he'd been around. 454 00:26:11,459 --> 00:26:13,810 His previous experience as a detective 455 00:26:13,834 --> 00:26:18,727 in operating serious crime was pretty admirable. 456 00:26:18,751 --> 00:26:22,393 He was a very good detective, he got results. 457 00:26:22,417 --> 00:26:26,476 He knew undercover policing, he knew covert policing, 458 00:26:26,500 --> 00:26:28,059 he knew proactive policing. 459 00:26:28,083 --> 00:26:32,167 He was an individual that actually people looked up to. 460 00:26:32,292 --> 00:26:37,101 But he had a side to him, which was obviously the dark side. 461 00:26:37,125 --> 00:26:40,894 And when you got to see his lifestyle, 462 00:26:40,918 --> 00:26:43,976 he was in the category of those who wanted a lifestyle 463 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:45,976 that he couldn't fund off his own salary. 464 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,393 He'd long been suspected of corruption, 465 00:26:48,417 --> 00:26:52,852 but the problem was getting evidence against him. 466 00:26:52,876 --> 00:26:59,500 The old CIB2 tended to be reactive, not proactive like CIB3. 467 00:27:00,125 --> 00:27:05,852 So, they looked back at crimes or where there had been 468 00:27:05,876 --> 00:27:07,393 allegations of corruption. 469 00:27:07,417 --> 00:27:10,185 But of course, it's very difficult to get evidence of something 470 00:27:10,209 --> 00:27:14,125 that's already happened, especially when people don't talk. 471 00:27:14,667 --> 00:27:18,393 So, he'd been under the radar basically, 472 00:27:18,417 --> 00:27:21,500 but known as being involved in corruption. 473 00:27:22,542 --> 00:27:24,852 One of the criminals that Morgan was suspected of having 474 00:27:24,876 --> 00:27:28,209 a corrupt relationship with was a man called Robert Kean. 475 00:27:28,667 --> 00:27:30,435 Kean was a well-connected criminal 476 00:27:30,459 --> 00:27:32,000 operating at the top level. 477 00:27:33,667 --> 00:27:37,101 The fact that he was able to nurture corrupt contacts 478 00:27:37,125 --> 00:27:40,435 within the Met, I mean, that's not a walk in the park. 479 00:27:40,459 --> 00:27:41,852 You've got to know how to do that. 480 00:27:41,876 --> 00:27:46,393 And he was on the payroll, Martin Morgan, his job. 481 00:27:46,417 --> 00:27:49,143 He was the cop on the inside providing intelligence 482 00:27:49,167 --> 00:27:52,435 to the criminal, giving them heads up when they 483 00:27:52,459 --> 00:27:55,626 need to worry about things and basically 484 00:27:56,125 --> 00:27:58,375 doing a corrupt job for corrupt payments. 485 00:28:00,709 --> 00:28:02,727 Where CIB2 had previously failed to 486 00:28:02,751 --> 00:28:05,143 get evidence against Morgan, it was hoped 487 00:28:05,167 --> 00:28:08,018 CIB3's ability to mount proactive operations 488 00:28:08,042 --> 00:28:09,709 would prove to be the game changer. 489 00:28:10,292 --> 00:28:13,727 So, they started doing surveillance on him, 490 00:28:13,751 --> 00:28:17,876 tapped his phones and even had a bug in his car. 491 00:28:18,459 --> 00:28:23,852 They gradually found evidence not only of the relationship 492 00:28:23,876 --> 00:28:29,643 with Kean but found that Kean was wanting Morgan 493 00:28:29,667 --> 00:28:34,143 to get information about another criminal 494 00:28:34,167 --> 00:28:38,375 called Ashley Sansom, who was a money launderer. 495 00:28:38,834 --> 00:28:47,476 Sansom was facilitating the purchase of controlled drugs 496 00:28:47,500 --> 00:28:53,852 from Spain, and he made the mistake of running away 497 00:28:53,876 --> 00:28:59,000 with the money, I believe with half a million pounds sterling. 498 00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:02,059 And of course, Kean wanted the money back, 499 00:29:02,083 --> 00:29:04,876 but to get that he had to trace Sansom. 500 00:29:05,417 --> 00:29:08,042 Kean needed to find out where Sansom was 501 00:29:08,459 --> 00:29:10,792 and basically level the score. 502 00:29:11,417 --> 00:29:14,810 He had a co-conspirator in a guy called Carl Wood 503 00:29:14,834 --> 00:29:17,935 who also felt he had been blighted and 504 00:29:17,959 --> 00:29:19,351 been ripped off by Sansom. 505 00:29:19,375 --> 00:29:22,393 So here you had at least two, if not more, 506 00:29:22,417 --> 00:29:26,000 people who wanted to get hold of Sansom pretty damn quick. 507 00:29:26,959 --> 00:29:28,101 How are they going to do that? 508 00:29:28,125 --> 00:29:29,852 Well, the only way they can do that is to pull on a 509 00:29:29,876 --> 00:29:33,101 favour of Martin Morgan and see whether or not he 510 00:29:33,125 --> 00:29:36,542 could get some intelligence as to where Sansom was. 511 00:29:37,334 --> 00:29:41,685 CIB3 got wind of it, so they mounted an investigation 512 00:29:41,709 --> 00:29:48,643 to protect Sansom and also convict Martin Morgan, Kean and 513 00:29:48,667 --> 00:29:51,083 Carl Wood and anyone else that wanted to join the gang. 514 00:29:52,959 --> 00:29:56,209 It was Roger Critchell's job to plan and execute the operation. 515 00:29:57,209 --> 00:30:01,542 I got called in because I had quite a lot of experience 516 00:30:02,209 --> 00:30:08,518 in covert policing and using covert techniques to lay 517 00:30:08,542 --> 00:30:13,268 an evidence trail for Martin Morgan or whoever to follow 518 00:30:13,292 --> 00:30:15,018 to find Ashley Sansom. 519 00:30:15,042 --> 00:30:20,393 My specific task was to come up with an idea or come up 520 00:30:20,417 --> 00:30:24,459 with how we were going to lay an evidence trail. 521 00:30:25,542 --> 00:30:27,894 Staying one step ahead of an experienced detective 522 00:30:27,918 --> 00:30:29,810 like Martin Morgan was always going to 523 00:30:29,834 --> 00:30:32,083 present a real challenge to CIB3. 524 00:30:32,876 --> 00:30:37,935 To go against a person of Morgan's experienced knowledge 525 00:30:37,959 --> 00:30:41,310 and in fairness, ability, is very difficult, 526 00:30:41,334 --> 00:30:44,417 because you've got to second guess what Morgan is thinking 527 00:30:45,626 --> 00:30:50,500 and that was extremely difficult and was challenging. 528 00:30:50,667 --> 00:30:53,393 Now, Morgan was a clever man. 529 00:30:53,417 --> 00:30:58,560 He took careful steps to avoid being associated 530 00:30:58,584 --> 00:31:01,310 with the attempt to get Sansom. 531 00:31:01,334 --> 00:31:04,393 And so, he had two detectives that he worked with 532 00:31:04,417 --> 00:31:08,393 in his own police station who he enrolled to be part of 533 00:31:08,417 --> 00:31:11,459 the team to try and find out where Sansom was. 534 00:31:12,125 --> 00:31:14,810 Martin Morgan knew that Samson had a safe deposit box 535 00:31:14,834 --> 00:31:16,459 in Edgeware, North London. 536 00:31:16,918 --> 00:31:19,351 So, he sent two officers down there with a false 537 00:31:19,375 --> 00:31:21,375 search warrant to look through his belongings. 538 00:31:21,918 --> 00:31:24,375 It was hoped that this would coax Samson out of hiding. 539 00:31:24,876 --> 00:31:27,852 However, with CIB3 tracking their every move, 540 00:31:27,876 --> 00:31:31,185 it provided them with a unique opportunity to use Sansom 541 00:31:31,209 --> 00:31:33,876 to start laying an evidence trail against Morgan. 542 00:31:34,584 --> 00:31:37,768 He put Sansom into the bank shortly after the 543 00:31:37,792 --> 00:31:39,393 search warrant was executed. 544 00:31:39,417 --> 00:31:43,310 And the reason for doing that was to get him on CCTV 545 00:31:43,334 --> 00:31:46,143 so that Martin Morgan, when he went to view 546 00:31:46,167 --> 00:31:48,518 whether Sansom's still around, he would see him. 547 00:31:48,542 --> 00:31:52,375 We knew that Morgan would get hold of copies of the CCTV 548 00:31:52,959 --> 00:31:55,059 showing Sansom going into the bank 549 00:31:55,083 --> 00:31:57,584 to check his safety deposit box. 550 00:31:57,959 --> 00:32:03,059 And then we would get Sansom to phone Morgan's office 551 00:32:03,083 --> 00:32:05,768 when we knew that Morgan wasn't there to ask 552 00:32:05,792 --> 00:32:09,727 why his safety deposit box had been searched 553 00:32:09,751 --> 00:32:15,500 and to leave a contact number of a hotel down in Surrey. 554 00:32:16,626 --> 00:32:20,351 That's outside of the Met area, that means in the future 555 00:32:20,375 --> 00:32:24,602 it reduces the wriggle room that an appeal might be 556 00:32:24,626 --> 00:32:27,143 that they said they're legitimately in a hotel 557 00:32:27,167 --> 00:32:28,059 or in the Met area. 558 00:32:28,083 --> 00:32:31,393 They would have to find a good reason why on duty 559 00:32:31,417 --> 00:32:33,834 Morgan was in a hotel room in Surrey. 560 00:32:34,792 --> 00:32:36,143 That would be difficult for him. 561 00:32:36,167 --> 00:32:39,393 We had decided that we would get rooms, 562 00:32:39,417 --> 00:32:43,018 one room that we would make up to look like Sansom 563 00:32:43,042 --> 00:32:46,518 was using it, using items of his clothing, 564 00:32:46,542 --> 00:32:50,560 using items of his personal effects, etc, etc. 565 00:32:50,584 --> 00:32:53,435 So, anybody going into that room would genuinely 566 00:32:53,459 --> 00:32:55,643 think that Ashley Sansom was staying there. 567 00:32:55,667 --> 00:32:59,351 And in the room next door, we were CIB3 568 00:32:59,375 --> 00:33:02,935 had the room bugged and were monitoring through sound and 569 00:33:02,959 --> 00:33:07,584 vision everything that was going on in this hotel room. 570 00:33:07,959 --> 00:33:11,935 It was extremely important to be able to record in that room 571 00:33:11,959 --> 00:33:15,101 because without it, we wouldn't have the evidence, 572 00:33:15,125 --> 00:33:16,709 we'd have just somebody turning up. 573 00:33:17,959 --> 00:33:21,727 So, with CIB3 having laid the trap, the only question was 574 00:33:21,751 --> 00:33:24,667 whether Morgan and his criminal associates would fall into it. 575 00:33:32,167 --> 00:33:34,810 If you're acting in a corrupt manner, I think generally 576 00:33:34,834 --> 00:33:38,852 you are looking over your shoulder all the time. 577 00:33:38,876 --> 00:33:40,976 Trying to speculate what that must feel like, 578 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,083 how do lay in bed straight at night? 579 00:33:43,542 --> 00:33:45,727 When you know that you are in the spotlight, 580 00:33:45,751 --> 00:33:48,685 and you are being investigated, you may be being followed, 581 00:33:48,709 --> 00:33:51,643 but you will know those tactics, so you become 582 00:33:51,667 --> 00:33:54,000 aware of how to protect yourself. 583 00:33:54,167 --> 00:33:56,059 So even though you are under investigation, 584 00:33:56,083 --> 00:33:58,935 you'll know that somebody might be listening to your phone, 585 00:33:58,959 --> 00:34:01,685 somebody might be following you, they may be looking 586 00:34:01,709 --> 00:34:04,059 at your CCTV outside where you live or where you go 587 00:34:04,083 --> 00:34:05,476 to the gym or whatever. 588 00:34:05,500 --> 00:34:08,643 So, you know some of the tactics, but you also know that 589 00:34:08,667 --> 00:34:14,560 the resources are infinite and if the organisation actually 590 00:34:14,584 --> 00:34:18,268 do want to catch you out and do want to bring you to justice, 591 00:34:18,292 --> 00:34:20,976 those resources are huge, and they can do it. 592 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:24,250 So, it must be a very, very difficult position to be in. 593 00:34:24,375 --> 00:34:27,810 So, I think the fear of being caught 594 00:34:27,834 --> 00:34:31,375 and looking over your shoulder must be dreadful. 595 00:34:31,709 --> 00:34:35,143 I can only imagine that they would feel sick to the stomach, 596 00:34:35,167 --> 00:34:40,935 that they would be panicking, they would be paranoid, 597 00:34:40,959 --> 00:34:43,393 that they were under surveillance. 598 00:34:43,417 --> 00:34:47,852 They would feel total and utter isolation 599 00:34:47,876 --> 00:34:50,310 because they're not only just betraying themselves, 600 00:34:50,334 --> 00:34:51,727 a) they're betraying themselves, 601 00:34:51,751 --> 00:34:53,602 b) They're betraying their colleagues, 602 00:34:53,626 --> 00:34:56,935 and c) they're going to betray their families, 603 00:34:56,959 --> 00:35:04,518 because if you put your job in jeopardy as a corrupt officer 604 00:35:04,542 --> 00:35:08,226 and the likelihood is that other detectives will be investigating 605 00:35:08,250 --> 00:35:10,768 you, that's scary in itself. 606 00:35:10,792 --> 00:35:16,059 If you are caught and you're found guilty, your house is gone, 607 00:35:16,083 --> 00:35:20,643 the family's security is gone, your marriage is gone, 608 00:35:20,667 --> 00:35:25,727 everything's gone for what? That's what I never understand. 609 00:35:25,751 --> 00:35:34,167 For what? For peanut bits of money or for your own ego? 610 00:35:34,709 --> 00:35:38,935 I have never ever understood that relationship. 611 00:35:38,959 --> 00:35:42,143 Why you think for one minute that a villain 612 00:35:42,167 --> 00:35:45,375 will stick up for you because they won't. 613 00:35:45,792 --> 00:35:50,018 It must be an awful place to be in, the way you know 614 00:35:50,042 --> 00:35:52,768 that at any moment in time, you can have a knock 615 00:35:52,792 --> 00:35:56,935 on your door and the likes of myself standing there 616 00:35:56,959 --> 00:36:00,042 to actually take you, basically take you to jail. 617 00:36:00,542 --> 00:36:05,602 However, I also have got a theory that they become 618 00:36:05,626 --> 00:36:10,685 so comfortable in that lifestyle that they become completely 619 00:36:10,709 --> 00:36:13,852 oblivious to that because that is their new lifestyle, 620 00:36:13,876 --> 00:36:17,083 and they think they're completely untouchable 621 00:36:17,876 --> 00:36:21,751 and they beget a false confidence in their own activities. 622 00:36:22,500 --> 00:36:25,143 And thank goodness they do because when you're 623 00:36:25,167 --> 00:36:27,768 investigating them, you want 'em to be cocky. 624 00:36:27,792 --> 00:36:30,518 You want 'em to be overconfident because then 625 00:36:30,542 --> 00:36:33,059 their guard goes down and we can deploy some 626 00:36:33,083 --> 00:36:36,935 really smart tactics to detect them, gather the evidence 627 00:36:36,959 --> 00:36:40,476 to prove or disprove their criminality and if we prove it, 628 00:36:40,500 --> 00:36:44,083 put them in front of the court and they can grip the rail. 629 00:36:48,626 --> 00:36:50,935 Corrupt detective Martin Morgan, and his criminal 630 00:36:50,959 --> 00:36:54,918 associate Robert Kean, were now firmly in the sights of CIB3 631 00:36:55,292 --> 00:36:57,768 Their plan was to lure Morgan and Kean to a hotel room 632 00:36:57,792 --> 00:37:01,351 in Surrey on the pretence that Sansom was staying there. 633 00:37:01,375 --> 00:37:05,268 Just as CIB3 had hoped Morgan and Kean took the bait 634 00:37:05,292 --> 00:37:08,602 and contacted the hotel using Morgan's police authority 635 00:37:08,626 --> 00:37:10,792 to find out which room he was staying in. 636 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:15,018 Not long after the hiring of that room, Kean turns up 637 00:37:15,042 --> 00:37:18,560 and they break into the room, Kean, 638 00:37:18,584 --> 00:37:21,626 and they sit there waiting for him. 639 00:37:22,542 --> 00:37:26,685 Not long after that, the two DC's who were the accomplices 640 00:37:26,709 --> 00:37:28,810 of Morgan from the same detective office, 641 00:37:28,834 --> 00:37:31,310 they turned up at the hotel along with Morgan. 642 00:37:31,334 --> 00:37:34,059 I mean, if there was ever any doubt as to whether or not 643 00:37:34,083 --> 00:37:37,310 Martin Morgan was corrupt, up to no good, 644 00:37:37,334 --> 00:37:38,643 as part of this operation. 645 00:37:38,667 --> 00:37:41,959 When he arrived at the hotel in the car park, 646 00:37:43,459 --> 00:37:45,334 he doesn't go through the front entrance. 647 00:37:45,792 --> 00:37:48,310 He acts in a furtive way, a suspicious way. 648 00:37:48,334 --> 00:37:49,959 He acts just like a criminal. 649 00:37:50,459 --> 00:37:55,209 He's put gloves on to protect any forensic fingerprints. 650 00:37:56,167 --> 00:37:59,101 He goes up into the hotel through the fire exit, 651 00:37:59,125 --> 00:38:02,042 evading an awful lot of that CCTV coverage, 652 00:38:02,584 --> 00:38:05,834 and then he makes his entrance into the hotel room. 653 00:38:06,417 --> 00:38:10,101 They see we've planted Sansom's car in the car park, 654 00:38:10,125 --> 00:38:12,751 so they know that they've got the right hotel. 655 00:38:13,167 --> 00:38:15,685 That all adds up with the booking of the room 656 00:38:15,709 --> 00:38:16,810 and it's a waiting game. 657 00:38:16,834 --> 00:38:19,018 What then was witnessed 658 00:38:19,042 --> 00:38:21,834 under the bugging was absolutely shocking. 659 00:38:22,125 --> 00:38:24,768 They start talking about what they're going to do to him, 660 00:38:24,792 --> 00:38:28,143 at which stage Kean basically said that they would 661 00:38:28,167 --> 00:38:30,643 hit him over the head, roll him in the carpet, 662 00:38:30,667 --> 00:38:33,393 put him in the boot of their car from the window 663 00:38:33,417 --> 00:38:36,560 and take him to Norfolk where 664 00:38:36,584 --> 00:38:38,351 there was a farm or something, 665 00:38:38,375 --> 00:38:40,226 and they would get their money back. 666 00:38:40,250 --> 00:38:43,393 And it was at that point where Morgan asked 667 00:38:43,417 --> 00:38:47,435 what would they do if he didn't say anything 668 00:38:47,459 --> 00:38:51,417 about the money and they indicated they would kill him. 669 00:38:52,334 --> 00:38:56,059 Here we had Martin Morgan, he'd sign on duty 670 00:38:56,083 --> 00:38:57,310 at his police station. 671 00:38:57,334 --> 00:39:00,935 He was actively on duty in a hotel room, 672 00:39:00,959 --> 00:39:03,417 being party to a three-way conversation, 673 00:39:03,959 --> 00:39:07,643 where they were plotting to torture, gouge out the eyes 674 00:39:07,667 --> 00:39:09,792 of Sansom when he comes in the hotel room, 675 00:39:10,209 --> 00:39:14,083 torture him in other ways, and then ultimately murder him, 676 00:39:14,959 --> 00:39:17,209 wrap him up in the rug of the hotel room, 677 00:39:17,709 --> 00:39:21,042 take him out of the hotel and put him in a car crusher. 678 00:39:21,167 --> 00:39:24,393 And it was Morgan that said that his mate had a car crusher 679 00:39:24,417 --> 00:39:27,143 down in Plaistow and that they would put 680 00:39:27,167 --> 00:39:29,834 him there to get rid of the body. 681 00:39:30,209 --> 00:39:34,393 Of course, CIB3 was taping all this stuff, 682 00:39:34,417 --> 00:39:39,459 and it was all good hard evidence tying Morgan into it. 683 00:39:39,626 --> 00:39:42,310 I mean the shocking element about all of this is that 684 00:39:42,334 --> 00:39:44,768 you are witnessing from all the bugging, 685 00:39:44,792 --> 00:39:48,852 that an officer who was on duty was part of 686 00:39:48,876 --> 00:39:51,417 a conspiracy to plot to kill someone. 687 00:39:52,417 --> 00:39:54,310 What was clear from the surveillance footage 688 00:39:54,334 --> 00:39:56,602 was that Martin Morgan had earned the respect 689 00:39:56,626 --> 00:39:57,667 of his fellow criminals. 690 00:39:58,542 --> 00:40:02,101 In the hotel room, Kean said to Carl Wood, 691 00:40:02,125 --> 00:40:05,935 'Well, he thinks like us, he's one of us. He's a good guy.' 692 00:40:05,959 --> 00:40:08,351 It is shocking coming from a criminal. 693 00:40:08,375 --> 00:40:11,476 I mean, you would anticipate that Morgan, because of 694 00:40:11,500 --> 00:40:13,667 the type of operations that he was involved in, 695 00:40:14,125 --> 00:40:16,542 would think like have to think like a criminal, 696 00:40:17,125 --> 00:40:21,476 but to actually get the criminal saying that sort of suggests 697 00:40:21,500 --> 00:40:25,209 how they held him, what esteem they held Morgan in. 698 00:40:26,334 --> 00:40:28,518 But of course, it wasn't just respect 699 00:40:28,542 --> 00:40:29,876 that Morgan was working for. 700 00:40:30,459 --> 00:40:33,727 The Kean-Morgan relationship was an interesting one. 701 00:40:33,751 --> 00:40:37,310 Morgan appears to have carried out various favours 702 00:40:37,334 --> 00:40:41,059 for Kean on this occasion. 703 00:40:41,083 --> 00:40:45,310 CIB3 in their surveillance and bugging and so on, 704 00:40:45,334 --> 00:40:49,643 discovered that Morgan was being offered £50,000 705 00:40:49,667 --> 00:40:52,542 as reward for finding Sansom. 706 00:40:52,792 --> 00:40:57,310 £50,000 in those days was a lot of money. 707 00:40:57,334 --> 00:41:03,268 It was well over Morgan's salary, way over his annual salary, 708 00:41:03,292 --> 00:41:05,143 and he decided to go ahead 709 00:41:05,167 --> 00:41:08,542 and work for his paymaster, Robert Kean. 710 00:41:08,751 --> 00:41:11,351 In fact, when we did his investigation on his finances, 711 00:41:11,375 --> 00:41:15,185 he didn't touch his salary for a good 18 months 712 00:41:15,209 --> 00:41:16,292 because he didn't need to. 713 00:41:16,834 --> 00:41:19,101 His salary went straight into the bank and he was living 714 00:41:19,125 --> 00:41:21,125 off the backhanders that he was getting from Kean. 715 00:41:21,959 --> 00:41:23,268 Back at the hotel, 716 00:41:23,292 --> 00:41:25,792 Morgan and Kean were starting to get impatient. 717 00:41:26,876 --> 00:41:29,626 They waited there a good 36 hours, 718 00:41:30,125 --> 00:41:34,542 obviously no one turns up and then they leave. 719 00:41:35,584 --> 00:41:37,810 They do a little passing shot as they walk out through the 720 00:41:37,834 --> 00:41:41,292 car park, and they slash the car tyres of Sansom's car. 721 00:41:41,542 --> 00:41:43,476 We don't know why they did that. 722 00:41:43,500 --> 00:41:47,643 I still don't know to this day what possessed them to do that. 723 00:41:47,667 --> 00:41:53,476 But the random slashing of the car tyre unbeknown to them 724 00:41:53,500 --> 00:41:58,518 gave me a good opportunity because it allowed me to then 725 00:41:58,542 --> 00:42:02,894 get his car tyres replaced using Sansom's credit card. 726 00:42:02,918 --> 00:42:07,935 So, we purchased three tyres for the car and just as we 727 00:42:07,959 --> 00:42:12,226 thought Morgan was notified that the card had been used. 728 00:42:12,250 --> 00:42:16,101 So, we then have Morgan then furthermore taking that 729 00:42:16,125 --> 00:42:19,435 opportunity and the evidence of him actually 730 00:42:19,459 --> 00:42:22,876 monitoring the card and telling Kean. 731 00:42:23,459 --> 00:42:25,602 With evidence mounting against the corrupt Morgan 732 00:42:25,626 --> 00:42:28,894 and his criminal associates, CIB3 were weighing up 733 00:42:28,918 --> 00:42:30,334 when to make their move. 734 00:42:30,834 --> 00:42:33,268 However, when they received intelligence that Kean 735 00:42:33,292 --> 00:42:36,476 was no longer in the country, they were forced into action. 736 00:42:36,500 --> 00:42:41,059 It became known shortly after the use of the credit card 737 00:42:41,083 --> 00:42:45,226 that the main principle Kean was going to flee to Spain, 738 00:42:45,250 --> 00:42:48,268 and he did, he actually left the country and went to Spain 739 00:42:48,292 --> 00:42:50,810 and was subsequently extradited. 740 00:42:50,834 --> 00:42:53,083 So, the arrests were then put in. 741 00:42:54,792 --> 00:42:57,268 The irrefutable evidence inevitably led to 742 00:42:57,292 --> 00:42:59,292 guilty sentences being handed down. 743 00:42:59,876 --> 00:43:02,393 But it was at their sentencing where Morgan's loyalty 744 00:43:02,417 --> 00:43:05,292 to Kean was laid bare for the world to see. 745 00:43:06,876 --> 00:43:10,768 Their sentencing at the Old Bailey was remarkable 746 00:43:10,792 --> 00:43:12,834 and quite unique. 747 00:43:13,334 --> 00:43:21,310 In fact, criminals and their police handlers usually kept 748 00:43:21,334 --> 00:43:28,876 well apart, but Morgan arrived in the same car as Kean. 749 00:43:29,209 --> 00:43:31,976 So, there was quite a scrum as Morgan and 750 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:33,476 Kean entered the building. 751 00:43:33,500 --> 00:43:38,476 And Morgan to the very end was trying to protect Kean 752 00:43:38,500 --> 00:43:40,310 from this scrum of people. 753 00:43:40,334 --> 00:43:44,500 This was Morgan obeying his master right to the very end. 754 00:43:44,709 --> 00:43:47,101 I mean, from my point of view, the operation 755 00:43:47,125 --> 00:43:49,810 was extremely successful because we were given a task 756 00:43:49,834 --> 00:43:54,351 which was a difficult and challenging task to test whether 757 00:43:54,375 --> 00:43:58,602 or not Morgan was going to do what it was believed 758 00:43:58,626 --> 00:43:59,476 he was going to do. 759 00:43:59,500 --> 00:44:01,810 And that was try and track down using 760 00:44:01,834 --> 00:44:04,626 police powers to find Sansom. 761 00:44:05,417 --> 00:44:10,834 And we proved it and it led to guilty pleas in the end 762 00:44:12,500 --> 00:44:15,935 and he received a significant custodial sentence. 763 00:44:15,959 --> 00:44:19,083 So, it was extremely successful in my mind. 764 00:44:19,959 --> 00:44:22,959 In 1998, at the launch of Operation Ethiopia, 765 00:44:23,417 --> 00:44:26,018 Metropolitan Police Chief Paul Condon told a common 766 00:44:26,042 --> 00:44:28,685 select committee that the force could have as many as 767 00:44:28,709 --> 00:44:31,792 250 corrupt officers within its ranks. 768 00:44:32,918 --> 00:44:35,751 Whilst CIB3 didn't convict anywhere near that number, 769 00:44:36,250 --> 00:44:39,560 the impact of their investigations and indeed the fact 770 00:44:39,584 --> 00:44:41,268 the Ghost Squad existed at all, 771 00:44:41,292 --> 00:44:43,375 certainly left its mark upon the Met. 772 00:44:44,792 --> 00:44:49,976 I mean, if you look back at the operations within CIB3 773 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:54,101 in its formation after CIB2 and intelligence gathering, 774 00:44:54,125 --> 00:44:57,976 that's a landmark within the history of the Met 775 00:44:58,000 --> 00:45:00,226 and the way at which it tackled corruption. 776 00:45:00,250 --> 00:45:05,435 The legacy of CIB3 is that not only did they put away 777 00:45:05,459 --> 00:45:08,268 behind bars many corrupt officers, 778 00:45:08,292 --> 00:45:12,476 but their whole operation had a deterrent effect. 779 00:45:12,500 --> 00:45:17,393 It put fear amongst detectives that if ever they were tempted 780 00:45:17,417 --> 00:45:21,792 into being corrupt that they could well end up in prison. 781 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:26,351 Some of the work that CIB3 did in putting out their stings 782 00:45:26,375 --> 00:45:29,768 and taking out some of the individuals became legendary 783 00:45:29,792 --> 00:45:33,185 and it became almost a deterrent for other people to say, 784 00:45:33,209 --> 00:45:37,727 if you are corrupt, this is the length that the police service 785 00:45:37,751 --> 00:45:39,185 will go to get you out. 786 00:45:39,209 --> 00:45:41,268 They will follow you, they will surveil you, 787 00:45:41,292 --> 00:45:43,018 they will listen to your conversations, 788 00:45:43,042 --> 00:45:44,685 and they will tap your phones. 789 00:45:44,709 --> 00:45:47,059 So, I think it was a really good forerunner 790 00:45:47,083 --> 00:45:48,918 for the corruption command. 791 00:45:49,042 --> 00:45:54,602 What it proved was that there was a problem back in 1990, 792 00:45:54,626 --> 00:45:57,476 late 90s, early 2000s. 793 00:45:57,500 --> 00:46:00,959 It was tackled, and it was tackled in a robust way. 794 00:46:01,584 --> 00:46:04,643 So, I think the good thing that's come out of it is nobody 795 00:46:04,667 --> 00:46:06,476 has sat back on their laurels. 796 00:46:06,500 --> 00:46:12,018 People in policing as it's gone through the last 23 years, 797 00:46:12,042 --> 00:46:15,226 they've actually kept their eye on corruption. 798 00:46:15,250 --> 00:46:20,976 And that's why I think we won't see again the scale 799 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:25,101 of corruption that we had back in the late 90s, early 2000s. 800 00:46:25,125 --> 00:46:27,143 There will always be corruption, 801 00:46:27,167 --> 00:46:30,709 of course, there will, but not on the scale that it was.