It’s been 26 years since TV presenter Jill Dando was brutally murdered but we examine the clues since crucial information from a new witness, as part of a Mirror investigation, came forward
As one of the most beloved faces on television, the murder of Jill Dando left the nation shocked and appalled, and 26 years on, her killer has yet to be brought to justice.
As the star of shows such as Crimewatch and Holiday, warm and likeable Jill was a household name, and it appeared she had a bright future to look forward to. Then, on the morning of April 26, 1999, it was all snatched away.
The day began happily enough. Jill had made breakfast in bed for her fiancé, the gynaecologist Alan Farthing, at his Chiswick home before he headed out to work. The couple had been excitedly making plans for their September wedding and had spent the previous evening writing a letter to the Claridge’s Hotel, where their reception would have been held.
At around 10am, Jill made the journey back to her own home in Fulham, West London, stopping en route to run a few errands. This included purchasing fish for her and Alan’s evening meal. Jill’s diary also included attending a charity lunch at a luxury Mayfair hotel that day. Sadly, she was never to attend.
At 11.32 am, Jill reached her front door at 29 Gowan Avenue, when her seemingly ordinary day descended into a nightmare. Just as she was about to place her key in the lock, an unknown individual shot the newsreader in the head, instantly killing her. She was only 37 years old.
As a key witness opens up to the Mirror about what they saw that terrible day, we look at the clues detectives have been puzzling over for more than a quarter of a century.
Jill Dando murder bombshell as SECOND witness claims notorious assassin is mysterious Man X
Neighbour Richard Hughes heard a scream shortly after Jill pulled up to her house, but didn’t think it was significant at the time. Later, he told the jury that he ‘thought it was someone surprising somebody’.
Richard, who lived at number 31, did, however, look out of the window and saw a white, dark-haired man between the ages of 30 and 40 walking toward Fulham Palace Road. He remembered the man as average height, with a thick-set build.
Just under 15 minutes later, another neighbour, Helen Doble, found Jill’s lifeless body slumped in her doorway. Giving evidence at the subsequent trial, as per The Guardian, a traumatised Helen recalled: “To suddenly encounter such a violent scene was completely horrific. It took me a few seconds to realise it was Jill, because of the way she looked.”
The police were called, sparking the country’s biggest murder investigation since the hunt for the murderous Yorkshire Ripper. The finger was quickly pointed at Barry George, who successfully appealed against his wrongful conviction. 26 years on, the Mirror looks at some current theories as to who the true killer actually is…
‘Serbian secret services assassin’
A man wanted for questioning in Jill’s murder bears a striking resemblance to a ruthless Serbian secret services assassin, a Mirror investigation revealed back in April 2024.
The unidentified person was caught on CCTV following the gunman’s likely escape route after the Crimewatch presenter had been shot dead in 1999. It bore the hallmarks of a professional hit.
Facial comparison expert Emi Polito has now found several similarities between “Man X” in the CCTV and twice-convicted murderer Milorad Ulemek, who is serving 40 years in a Serbian prison.
At the time Jill was killed, the 56-year-old led a feared squad of hitmen responsible for targeting opponents of brutal dictator Slobodan Milosevic.
When Jill died, the Yugoslav war was raging, and British planes were bombing Serbia as part of a NATO campaign. She had appealed on behalf of Kosovan refugees who were being massacred by Milosevic’s forces. Within hours of her death, a call was made claiming the murder was in response to the bombings.
The assassin bears a striking resemblance to the “sweating man” e-fit of a suspect who got on a bus in Fulham, South-West London, minutes after Jill was shot outside her nearby home.
Mr Polito, who gives expert evidence for the police, said Man X and the Serb killer have a similar shaped mouth, chin, hairline and right sideburn, while the general shape and sizes of their noses and right ear were the same.
His report concluded: “Within the imagery limitations, no differences were found between Man X and Mr [Ulemek].” However, he could only give limited support to them, being the same person, because of a lack of detail in the blurry still of the CCTV image.
He concluded: “There are a number of similarities between the two men… in particular the appearance of the mouth and of the hairline that add some light weight to the contention that they are the same person.”
Mr Polito said it may be possible to make a more definitive finding if better quality CCTV images were obtained. In addition, the expert highlighted a dent on the bridge of Ulemek’s nose which is not visible in the CCTV image but is evident in an e-fit created by an eye witness at the time, which was released by the police. Mr Polito has not given the e-fit image.
Ulemek’s lawyer, Aleksander Kovacevic, said his client did not wish to ‘participate’ when asked if he murdered Jill. He wrote: “I inform you that my client has been made aware of this and that he is not interested in participating.”
In a Mirror report published just this week, a van driver who saw a man running near the murder scene has told us that he looked like Ulemek. Two days after the killing, this key witness, who does not wish to be named, told police that a man in a dark suit had sprinted in front of his Ford Transit without looking on the Fulham Palace Road, South West London. After looking at the Mirror pictures of the Serbian assassin, he stated: “He does look like the man I saw.”
The witness, who is now in his 60s, recalled: “Anyone else would have said f*** off or sorry, but he didn’t say anything, he just wanted to get away and that’s what made me suspicious. It looked like he was running from something. If I had known, I would have got hold of him.”
This comes after a female witness told us last year that she was certain she had seen Ulemek running along the same stretch of road at approximately the same time. In light of the Mirror’s investigation, the lead barrister prosecuting Milosevic has asserted that Ulemek should be investigated over Jill’s murder.
Sir Geoffrey Nice KC stated: “I would encourage the police to be open minded given there are new pieces of evidence that may not have been considered and it would be helpful if they are considered.”
‘Amateur loner’
For years, the assassin-style single shot in the head has led many to believe that Jill’s murder was the work of a professional. However, Detective Chief Inspector Hamish Campbell recently spoke with the Mail Online about his theory that the man responsible had all ‘the hallmarks of the loner’, rather than someone hired by a criminal gang or corrupt politician.
Detective Campbell, who led the inquiry into Jill’s death, revealed: “I wrote in my personal notes, in the earliest weeks, that I considered the killing to be the work of the loner or the obsessive. Many months later, I recorded that I still feared the loner or an ill man was responsible.
“Twenty-five years later, there’s still nothing from the vast criminal networks. No one emerging. So it must have been a loner, or at least someone acting on their own initiative. That I feel sure of.”
Describing the shooting as amateurish, Detective Campbell added: “The approach in broad daylight, unmasked, ungloved — and walking away? A single bullet, leaving evidence of casing, and, remarkably and importantly, the location. That was always significant. Jill was visiting 29 Gowan Avenue, just by chance; her visit was random. It had not been pre-planned.”
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