Det Con Jim Morrison was off duty when he was stabbed as he tried to arrest a man for a suspected bag theft, but his widow, Victoria, has spent nearly 35 years waiting for justice
11:56, 22 Nov 2025Updated 11:58, 22 Nov 2025
Det Cons Jim Morrison was fatally stabbed while off-duty in Covent Garden, central London, at around 10pm on December 13 1991(Image: PA)
New DNA techniques could unlock the riddle of who murdered a police officer nearly 35 years ago, it has emerged.
Det Con Jim Morrison was off duty when he was stabbed as he tried to arrest a man for a suspected bag theft. For years his widow, Victoria, 59, has struggled to come to terms with his murder on December 13, 1991.
But now cold case detectives say they are using “forensic advancements” to look again at the case. A spokesperson for the Met Police said this week: “Detectives are continuing to explore all opportunities in their investigation, including advancements in forensic technology. The investigation is being led by the Met’s Cold Case Homicide Team which investigates unsolved, historical murders and actively pursue all leads, whether forensic advancement or public information.”
Jim tackled a bag thief outside the Indian High Commission before his attacker used a folding knife to stab the 26-year-old cop three times(Image: PA)
Jim, 26, was fatally stabbed while off-duty in Covent Garden, central London, at around 10pm on December 13, 1991. He had gone to the Nell Gwynne pub at Bull Inn Court for around an hour from 8pm.
However, a group of at least three bag snatchers had recently been working in the area to steal women’s purses – and that night a handbag had been stolen from the Maple Leaf pub in Maiden Lane.
The senior policeman was walking to meet his wife of three years when he saw a man with items stolen from a nearby pub Jim was seen getting involved in a struggle with a man outside the London Transport Museum shortly after 10pm.
In 2016 police launched a fresh appeal with a £30,000 reward for information about Jim’s death(Image: PA)
He gave chase into Aldwych but when the suspect was cornered outside the Indian High Commission he got out a folding knife and stabbed the 26-year-old cop three times. Members of the public tried to help him by blocking the offender’s path, but he slipped away into the night.
At the time of the attack the suspect was described as being of Algerian or North African appearance, 5ft 10 inches tall and between 27 and 30. He was of medium build, clean shaven and had dark collar length hair, with distinctive tight curls at the front.
He was wearing a waist length tan or brown leather jacket. Over the years officers have followed leads in Germany, Belgium, Canada, France and Ireland in a bid to solve this case but with no breakthrough. Despite extensive inquiries and a number of arrests over the years, the killer still remains at large.
Scotland Yard have tirelessly worked to trace the killer – with investigations across the globe – but his widow Victoria is yet to see justice(Image: PA)
On the 30th anniversary of the death, a £30,000 reward was put up for information leading to an arrest. A memorial service was also held for the slain policeman at the spot where he fell.
Jim’s widow Victoria said: “I’d like to think Jim’s murderer is wracked with guilt and had a tough life. At least they’ve had a life, walking around for 30 years whereas Jim, at the age of 26, lost his. My whole world was turned upside down completely. I’ll never give up seeking justice. People talk a lot about closure but I won’t get it. Someone getting away with murder is not right.”
The then Met Commissioner Cressida Dick, who attended the anniversary memorial service, said at the time: “Jim Morrison was a talented and dedicated officer who lived and worked in the borough of Westminster. Jim was inspirational; he had an insatiable appetite for police work and his dedication to the job was second to none.
“Jim always put in that bit extra to assist the community in which he both lived and worked. Over the years, officers have remained dogged in doing everything in their power to secure justice for Jim. Despite the passage of time, I believe there are people who still hold vital information about who is responsible for this murder.”
