Lawyers for Barry George, the man wrongly convicted of murdering TV presenter Jill Dando, have called for police to reopen the case to investigate a jailed Serbian assassin. A facial comparison expert claims Milorad Ulemek, a twice-convicted killer serving 40 years in Serbia, shares similarities with a man seen near the scene in Fulham 25 years ago.
The person, known as Man X, was caught on CCTV following the gunman’s likely escape route after Dando, a BBC Crimewatch host, was shot dead on Gowan Avenue on 26 April 1999. George, now 64, was originally convicted in 2001 and imprisoned for eight years before being acquitted and released after a retrial.
Michael Mansfield KC, who defended George at his first trial, told the Daily Mirror: “I would call for there to be a review and for the investigation to be resuscitated. The Metropolitan Police has a duty to Jill’s family, to Barry George and the public to fully investigate this new line of inquiry.” Dando’s brother Nigel, 72, said he was “always interested in any new lines of inquiry”.
Expert Emi Polito, who gives evidence for the police, said based on CCTV, Man X and Ulemek have similar facial features, including mouth, chin, hairline and right sideburn. His report concluded: “Within the imagery limitations, no differences were found between Man X and Mr [Ulemek].” However, he could only give limited support due to the blurry footage.
At the time of Dando’s death, Ulemek led a squad targeting opponents of dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Dando had made an appeal for Kosovan refugees, and a call to the BBC claimed the hit was in response to British bombing of Serbia. Ulemek’s lawyer said the killer did not wish to comment.
The Metropolitan Police said the investigation is in an inactive phase but “no unsolved murder is ever closed” and detectives would consider any new information. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
