Inside Jill Dando theory that could crack case as wanted man on CCTV ‘bears resemblance to secret services assassin’
AN expert says a man wanted for questioning over Jill Dando’s murder bears a resemblance to a secret service assassin – sparking a theory which could crack the case.
Crimewatch presenter Jill, 37, was shot dead at point blank outside her front door in Fulham, west London at 11.30am on April 26, 1999.
A man was caught on CCTV following the gunman’s likely escape route from what bore the marks of a professional hit.
But the wanted man has still not been identified 25 years on from Jill’s death.
Now facial comparison expert Emi Polito has told the Mirror the man resembles Serbian secret services assassin Milorad Ulemek.
Ulemek, 56, led a death squad targeting opponents of Serbia’s genocidal dictator Slobodan Milosevic at the time of Jill’s killing.
The twice-convicted murderer is now serving 40 years in a Serbian prison.
Jill’s brother Nigel, 72, told the Mirror: “I’m always interested in any new lines of inquiry about Jill’s death.
“Especially if those lines of inquiry might lead to somebody being arrested and convicted of her murder.”
Shortly before her death, Jill had made an appeal for Kosovan refugees being massacred by evil tyrant Milosevic.
Cops received a call hours after her murder claiming it was a response to Nato airstrikes against Milosevic’s rampaging forces.
Emi Polito gives expert evidence for the police – and said the man caught on CCTV bears a striking resemblance to Ulemek.
He said “Man X” and the Serbian killer have a similarly shaped mouth, chin, hairline and right sideburn.
The general shape and sizes of their noses and right ear are also the same, Mr Polito added.
An e-fit created by a witness shows a dent on the suspect’s nose – one of Ulemek’s distinctive features.
The Sun's Nick Parker looks back on the case
By Nick Parker, The Sun's Foreign Editor
JILL Dando was the BBC’s most glamorous and famous newsgirl – a household name who became the face of the iconic villain-hunting Crimewatch show.
Jill was just 37 and at the peak of her career when she was shot dead in a mystifying cold-blooded assassination on her doorstep which shocked the nation.
It was a spring morning on April 26, 1999 when Jill was executed with a single shot to the head triggering the biggest murder probe in the history of the Met Police.
I remember how the tragedy touched everyone after stunned BBC colleagues announced their colleague’s horrific death on the news bulletin she had been due to present that night.
Everyone hoovering up newspaper coverage and details of Jill’s back story had their own theory on who was responsible – vengeful crimelords? Secret lovers? A “hit” gone wrong?
God knows what social media conspiracists would have made of it today.
But these were pre-internet days – “No Scrubs” by TLC topped the pop charts the day she died – and it was newspapers which ramped up the pressure on The Met for answers.
And 25 years later Operation Oxborough – the UK’s biggest homicide hunt, second only to the disastrous Yorkshire Ripper probe – is still famed for drawing a blank.
Det Chief Insp Hamish Campbell’s murder squad initially interviewed more than 2,500 people, traced 1,200 cars and produced 3,700 exhibits while probing hundreds of leads.
Officers trawled 80,000 mobile phones and hours of CCTV, checked 8,000 names provided from up to 3,000 calls each day and traced 20,000 blue Range Rovers like a car seen nearby.
Local stalker Barry George was finally arrested in April 2000 and convicted the following year but evidence against him was found to be unsound and he was freed in 2008.
No other suspect has been charged with tragic Jill’s murder and the case remains unsolved.
And with keyboard conspiracists now joining the online analysis of dubious new links to a Serbian hitman, it’s a mystery which looks certain to run and run.
Mr Polito said: “Within the imagery limitations, no differences were found between Man X and Mr Ulemek.
“There are a number of similarities between the two men – in particular the appearance of the mouth and of the hairline.
“These similarities add some light weight to the contention that they are the same person.”
But Mr Polito said the blurry CCTV meant he could not be absolutely certain that Ulemek is the wanted man.
Ulemek’s lawyer Aleksander Kovacevic said he is aware of the allegations but did not wish to comment.
The brutal hitman is caged in the Zabela supermax prison, known as Serbia’s Alcatraz.
He was jailed for plotting the murders of former Serbian president Ivan Stambolic and the country’s first elected PM Zoran Djindjic.
Umelek is known in the Balkans underworld as Legionnaire after serving in the French Foreign Legion.
The gang boss is thought to have learned English while living in London as a young man.
His death squad was allegedly responsible for some of the worst massacres of the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s.
Scotland Yard said: “On the 25th anniversary of Jill Dando’s murder, our thoughts remain with her family and all those affected by her death.
“In the years since her murder, the investigation has been subject to numerous reviews.
“They have aimed to identify whether matters could be progressed with advances in technology and forensics.
“The investigation is now in an inactive phase, which means that it is not currently subject to routine reviews.”
But a spokesperson added: “However, no unsolved murder is ever closed.
“Detectives would consider any new information provided to assess whether it represented a new and realistic line of enquiry.”
Jill Dando's murder
JILL Dando was shot in the head once at point blank range as she went to open her front door at 11.30am on April 26, 1999.
The 37-year-old was killed seconds after getting out of her blue BMW convertible in front of her home in Fulham, west London.
She was grabbed from behind and forced down so her head was nearly on the ground.
Jill’s assassin then pushed a gun muzzle behind her left ear, muffling the single gunshot which killed her instantly.
A custom-made “9mm short” bullet was recovered from the murder scene.
Ballistics experts said the mini bullet could have been fired by a palm-sized pistol – a hallmark of assassinations by Yugoslav secret services.
Witnesses said the suited and unmasked gunman calmly shut the gate of Jill’s home at 29 Gowan Avenue.
The assassin slowed down when he realised he was being watched, they added.
Two neighbours gave a description matching a man who three people saw running down Fulham Palace Road towards Putney Bridge Tube.
Jill was killed three months after announcing her engagement to her partner Alan Farthing.
