Case reexamined: Who killed Jill Dando?
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Who was Jill Dando, and why is her murder still unsolved?
27 years ago, TV presenter Jill Dando was shot dead on the doorstep of her West London home. Despite a large-scale police investigation at the time, her murder remains unsolved. In the immediate aftermath of her death, many theories circulated about who might be responsible for her murder, including former lovers, underworld gang bosses, even a Serbian hitman. Due to advances in enhancement technology, police in the UK are now set to re-examine CCTV footage from the time that may provide them with fresh evidence in the case. To tell us about this new line of inquiry into the broadcaster's death, I'm joined by crime commentator with Sky News, Martin Brunt, and former Detective Superintendent with the Metropolitan Police, Shabnam Chowdhury.
Good morning to you both, you're very welcome. Martin, you've written extensively about this case. Can you start by reminding us who Jill Dando was?
Yes, indeed. Good morning, David. Jill Dando was probably Britain's best known and certainly much loved TV presenter. She fronted the big BBC news bulletins. She hosted a travel program called Holiday. And she was also a host or co-host of Crime Watch, the program that appealed for help in solving crimes. Jill Dando was beautiful, warm, engaging. She was tall and blonde. And to many people, I think she was a kind of TV version of Princess Diana, who died two years earlier. And to be honest, David, Jill Dando's death was almost as much of a shock as Diana's. And I can remember the call I got from a contact that morning that a woman had been stabbed, he said, in Fulham, and she could be dead and she could be Jill Dando.
Well, she was shot, not stabbed. But it turned out that she had been murdered. And, you know, I still think today, David, that she was the most unlikely murder victim. Yeah.
Yeah, you've written about this in your book, Martin, and listeners might like the title. No one got cracked over the head for no reason. Dispatches from a crime reporter. Brilliant title. But you've written about this and you've written about the case.
What happened when Jill Dando was shot outside her home?
And what happened on the 26th of April 1999? She returned to her home. She was attacked. What do we know three decades, almost three decades on, about the events around her murder?
Well, she hadn't been living at her house at the time. She'd been living with her fiancé. She'd turned up about midday, briefly after a shopping trip. So that immediately raised the question of whether she'd been followed to the house or whether her killer had been lucky and just happened to be there when she got there. She was shot as she was unlocking her front door. I think she still had her keys in her hand when she was found. And it was one shot in the back of her head and it killed her. And one cop contact told me later that this was known as, in police circles, as an OBE, one behind the ear, a hallmark of a professional hitman in some ways. But, you know, there were other things that suggested this wasn't the work of a professional.
I mean, the cartridge from the bullet had been left behind. on the doorstep. It was an amateur's gun. It wasn't a professional hitman's gun. And it happened in broad daylight in a residential area and ran all the risks of being witnessed.
Yeah.
Which suspects and theories were investigated in the Jill Dando murder?
Now, as I say, there was all these theories at the time. Former romantic partners were suspected initially, but they were all very quickly ruled out. Then there was theories about a possible stalker, a Serbian hitman, and even underworld crime bosses. And that was because of the nature of her work, I think, wasn't it?
Yes. I mean, I suppose it was obvious to look at, you know, the fact that she had been helping to expose criminals in her work on Crimewatch. And, you know, you can quite understand, I think, that somebody could have taken great offence. But there's not much record of of the messenger being attacked in that way. Of course, in Ireland, you have Veronica Guerin, but that's a very, very rare example of somebody involved in the media exposing criminals being targeted in that way. I mean, there were Two initial theories.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Who was Jill Dando, and why is her murder still unsolved?
0:00–2:12
2
What happened when Jill Dando was shot outside her home?
2:12–3:35
3
Which suspects and theories were investigated in the Jill Dando murder?
3:35–5:21
4
Why was Barry George’s conviction for Jill Dando’s murder overturned?
5:21–6:59
5
What developments have there been in the Jill Dando murder investigation?
6:59–7:54
6
Can enhanced CCTV identify the man seen near Putney Bridge station?
7:54–9:46
7
Could decades-old CCTV evidence meet the legal standards for court?
9:46–12:07
8
How do detectives separate evidence from speculation in a high-profile cold case?
12:07–14:10