Sussex man guilty of conspiring to kill wife 43 years ago

Allen Morgan, 74, Stanstead Crescent, Brighton, was today (Wednesday, June 19) unanimously convicted by a jury of conspiracy to murder Carol Morgan on 13 August 1981.

The brutal assault took place in Morgan’s Store on Finch Crescent, the grocery shop being run by the couple at the time.

At the time of her death there was not enough evidence to charge anyone in connection with the case – despite a painstaking investigation which involved speaking to hundreds of people from the area as well generating 7,000 original documents. And Morgan had an alibi for the evening his wife died and was not considered a subject.

But a cold case police team re-opened the unsolved murder in 2018, with developments in the case meaning the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was able to charge him with conspiring to murder her.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Carl Foster continued to lead the investigation despite retiring before it reached trial. He said: “Carol was killed in a frenzied and sustained attack, suffering horrific injuries which cruelly cut short her life.

“Over the last four decades methods of gathering evidence have changed and improved, but the key in this case has been a change in people’s allegiances and loyalties. As a result, the re-investigation relied on good old-fashioned detective work, retracing the evidence obtained in 1981 and revisiting numerous witnesses.”

In 2023, Morgan was arrested and charged with conspiring to kill Carol.

Over a nine-week trial, the jury were presented evidence from people who knew the defendants and victims at the time. It was also revealed that the killer, who has never been identified, had stolen cash from a secret drawer in the office, suggesting they had been given inside knowledge, and the money was part of the payment for the murder.

During the trial, the court heard how Morgan, who was having an affair at the time, would not only be free to set up a new life with his lover if Carol died, but he would also benefit financially from her death.

Crucially, one witness who gave evidence recounted a conversation that Morgan had with her about getting rid of Carol, asking her if she knew anyone they could hire to kill her.

CPS lawyer Shan Saunders said: “For decades, Allen Morgan hid the truth about how Carol died.

“However, when an investigation into her unsolved murder was reopened almost 40 years later, a thorough review of the evidence gathered by the original enquiry team together with new evidence from a witness was sufficient to link him to Carol’s death, enabling us to charge him with conspiring to murder her.

“With no CCTV or forensics available, we relied almost exclusively on testimonies from dozens of witnesses during the trial. The strength of their evidence was enough for us to prove that Morgan had plotted to kill Carol, and for the jury to subsequently convict him.”

Allen Morgan and his now-wife Margaret Morgan, 75, – with whom he had been having the affair – went on to live a life on the south coast with Carol’s son and daughter. Margaret, who also stood trial alongside Allen for conspiracy to murder, was acquitted.

Retired Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Prickett, who led the original investigation for Bedfordshire Police between 1981 and 1983, said: “Carol Morgan’s murder was vicious, and the image of the scene will remain etched in my memory forever.

“The fact this case remained undetected for over four decades has remained a thorn in the side of all the officers who worked on the case. The original investigation spanned two years and even after this time was frequently reviewed. It was a meticulously run operation, with multiple lines of enquiry even before DNA science and other technological advances that we know in policing today.

“I am grateful to the Cold Case Investigation Unit for resurrecting the investigation and bringing Carol’s murder before a jury, and I have given the proceedings my full support.

“I hope that the result will bring some closure to those who knew and loved Carol.”

Det Supt Foster continued: “Carol was effectively erased from all memory, including those of her own two children, who have grown up without their mother, being raised by the man responsible for her death. This trial has had a significant impact on them, as well as the numerous witnesses who have given evidence, and I am grateful for their bravery and support following what was a truly traumatic period of their lives.

“Bringing this case to justice has been the right thing to do. Anyone capable of committing such a brutal crime should not be allowed to live freely among our society.

“Allen Morgan has had more than 40 years of freedom that Carol will never have. He has today finally faced justice for the role he played in her murder.

“In the absence of a confession, we may never know who carried out the physical act of murdering Carol. However, we will do all in our power to secure new evidence and bring them to justice.”

Morgan is due to be sentenced on July 31.