Police have launched a fresh investigation into the unsolved murder of BBC presenter Jill Dando, who was shot outside her London home nearly 30 years ago. Detectives are re-examining CCTV footage of a man whose appearance seems to match that of Serbian assassin Milorad Ulemek.
Background to the murder
Crimewatch presenter Jill was fatally shot on the morning of April 26, 1999, leading to the biggest murder inquiry ever carried out by police since the "Yorkshire Ripper" murders. Barry George was convicted and later acquitted after eight years following a retrial. No other person has been charged, and the case remains unsolved.
Within hours of Jill's murder, the BBC took a call claiming it was in response to a NATO attack on a Belgrade TV station. There were fears she might have been targeted for fronting a BBC charity appeal for Kosovan refugees.
Latest Metropolitan Police statement
The Met Police said in its latest statement: "In the 27 years since Jill Dando's murder, the investigation has been subject to numerous reviews, aiming to identify whether matters could be progressed with advances in technology and forensics."
"Recent advancements in CCTV enhancement technology have provided investigators with the opportunity to re-examine original footage from Putney Bridge train station. This remains ongoing."
Who is Milorad Ulemek?
Serbian assassin Ulemek is a former French Foreign Legionnaire nicknamed Legija and was part of a paramilitary unit that carried out atrocities during the Yugoslav wars. He is now serving 40 years in a Serbian jail after being convicted of the assassinations of former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Dindic and ex-Serbian President Ivan Stambolic.
The Mirror first named 58-year-old Ulemek in connection with Jill's murder on April 23, 2024. Facial comparison expert Emi Polito found "Man X" who was close to the site of the fatal 1999 shooting. The unidentified man was spotted at Putney Bridge underground station about a mile from Jill's Fulham home, shortly after she was fatally shot. Polito said "Man X" had a similar mouth, chin and hairline to Ulemek.
Witness accounts and new evidence
Witnesses came forward following Jill's murder claiming to have seen a man in a suit "running for his life." The woman, who had been driving down Fulham Palace Road, later picked out Man X in the CCTV as the person she saw sprinting. But detectives dismissed her evidence, despite both men wearing a suit and tie and being of similar height, build and hair colour. The woman told The Mirror two years ago she was certain that it was Ulemek who she had seen close to the scene of the shooting.
A second key witness said he was "80 per cent" sure it was Ulemek who nearly ran in front of his van on the same stretch of road where Man X was spotted.
The Mirror unearthed a book written by Ulemek's former boss in which he admitted one of his spies carried out an attack abroad at around the time when Jill was murdered. Dragan Filipovic was a major in the Serbian security services when he masterminded a "secret reprisal action" in the spring of 1999 that caused "great confusion in Europe." At the time, Ulemek, then 31, led a unit that targeted opponents of the brutal Serb dictator Slobodan Milosevic.
In November last year, The Mirror revealed the Met Police had assessed evidence that linked Ulemek to Jill's murder. Reporting told how an unusual striped designer tie could hold the key to nailing who killed Jill. A new unearthed picture of Ulemek showed him in a tie that was similar to one worn by a man caught on CCTV following her murder.
