Jill Dando murder: Met Police re-examine CCTV of mystery man 27 years on
The Metropolitan Police are using new technology to re-examine CCTV footage of an unidentified man near the scene of Jill Dando's 1999 murder. The killing of the BBC presenter remains unsolved.
Met Police reopen CCTV lead in Jill Dando cold case
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is re-examining enhanced CCTV footage of an unidentified man spotted at Putney Bridge station shortly after the murder of BBC presenter Jill Dando in 1999, The Independent reports. It marks the first fresh lead pursued by the force after the case was classified as "inactive" for several years.
Dando, 37, was shot dead on the doorstep of her Fulham home on the morning of 26 April 1999. She had travelled from her partner's house in Chiswick to the property, which she was in the process of selling and did not visit frequently. A neighbour heard a short scream; her body was discovered 14 minutes later. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The figure under renewed scrutiny, referred to by investigators as Man X, was seen at Putney Bridge station in the wake of the shooting. A witness has claimed the same individual was also seen "running for his life" near the location of the murder.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "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 look again at the original footage."
One of the BBC's most recognised faces
At the time of her death, Dando was one of the most prominent broadcasters in Britain. From 1988 she had presented BBC Breakfast Time, the One O'Clock News and the Six O'Clock News, and was named BBC Personality of the Year in 1997. She was co-hosting Crimewatch alongside Nick Ross, a programme drawing a monthly audience of up to 14 million at its peak.
The Metropolitan Police launched Operation Oxborough following her killing. Officers interviewed more than 2,500 people, yet after nearly three decades no one has been convicted of the crime.
The only man to stand trial
Barry George was named in a tip-off to police the day after the shooting, though it took officers a further ten months to treat him as a serious suspect. He was arrested and charged after a forensic scientist identified a small particle in the pocket of his overcoat, which the scientist believed could be firearms residue from the weapon used.
In July 2001 George was found guilty by a 10–1 majority verdict at the Old Bailey and sentenced to life imprisonment. Doubts about the conviction surfaced gradually. Evidence submitted at a 2007 Court of Appeal hearing showed George had an IQ of 75 and scored in the bottom one per cent on memory and executive function tests. The firearms residue evidence was subsequently rejected; a Crown Prosecution Service official acknowledged: "We looked for any [other] show stoppers. There weren't any."
George's conviction was quashed and he was released. Speaking in a Netflix documentary, he said: "It makes me angry that they have taken eight years of my life." He remains a free man.
Former lovers ruled out early
In the immediate aftermath of the murder, detectives scrutinised Dando's personal life, examining her phone records and diaries and interviewing friends and acquaintances. Despite sustained media speculation, each man who had been in a romantic relationship with the presenter was cleared and eliminated from the inquiry.
The Serbian hitman theory
The most persistent alternative theory holds that Dando was killed by a Serbian crime gang in retaliation for her broadcasting work during the Serbia-Kosovo conflict. Just 20 days before her death, she had fronted a BBC Kosovo Crisis Appeal that raised more than £1 million in 24 hours for refugees fleeing the violence. British forces had carried out strikes in Belgrade in the days immediately preceding her murder.
The day after Dando was killed, a man with an Eastern European accent telephoned Tony Hall, then the BBC's head of news, and threatened: "Your prime minister Blair butchered innocent young people, we butcher back." The call was subsequently assessed to be a hoax.
Investigators have also noted that a number of high-profile journalists, including veteran BBC correspondent John Simpson, were present in Belgrade throughout the conflict and would have represented a more obvious target for any Serbian operatives seeking to make a public statement.
Wider theories and continued scrutiny
Other proposed motives over the years have included an obsessive stalker and a jealous former partner, none of which has led to a prosecution. The scale of the original inquiry — one of the largest ever mounted by the Metropolitan Police — produced thousands of leads, none of which ultimately proved decisive.
The confirmation that officers are now applying upgraded CCTV enhancement technology to footage of Man X represents the most concrete investigative step disclosed publicly in years. Detectives have not indicated a timeline for results or stated whether the new analysis has yet produced identifiable findings from the original recording.
Dando's murder continues to attract public attention, with documentary makers and journalists periodically revisiting the case. The Metropolitan Police has not closed the investigation.
Source: The Independent