UK UK - Jill Dando, 37, Fulham, London, 26 Apr 1999

[Novosti]

I think it’s often what police *don’t* say that gives the game away - if they’d identified the running/sweating man/men they’d have no reason not to say so.

Also, nine months after the murder police apparently removed a traffic light post which a witness claimed he’d seen running man grab as he lost his balance. But the business with JS occurred around a month after Jill was killed. If you believed JS was running man, why would you be looking for running man’s prints many, many months later?

Mystery surrounds fingerprints where man sprinted from Jill Dando murder scene

The person behind them has never been found

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

I’d suggest it’s because they haven’t the faintest clue who this guy was.

On the "running man" sighting, it's all a bit vague and confused. But George must be a leading candidate e.g. at least four identifications already on Gowan avenue; clothing descriptions consistent with the Cecil Gee woolen coat; direction towards HAFAD's office at the time; movements stumbling.

 

[RichardKimble]

Let it not be forgotten George's conviction was quashed because of technical issues, ie: the gun shot residue, not a out right miscarriage of justice,a new trial found him not guilty, no new evidence was presented and there's no new evidence pointing any where else.

 

[wtiger]

finding a man guilty when there is a lack of evidence to convict IS the very definition of a miscarriage of justice!

 

[RichardKimble]

finding a man guilty when there is a lack of evidence to convict IS the very definition of a miscarriage of justice!

The compensation board, didn't see it as such, it's not like in the Stefan Kiszko case or Andrew Malkinson where there were truly miscarriages.

 

[rvlvr]

On the "running man" sighting, it's all a bit vague and confused. But George must be a leading candidate e.g. at least four identifications already on Gowan avenue; clothing descriptions consistent with the Cecil Gee woolen coat; direction towards HAFAD's office at the time; movements stumbling.

The prosecution case was that George killed Dando just after 11.30, walked a circuitous route back to his flat (the quickest route from 29 Gowan Avenue to Crookham Road involves turning right in the direction of Munster Road, not left - as the killer did - in the direction of Fulham Palace Road), changed clothes, collected his carrier bag of documents, then went to HAFAD.

They’ve never argued it was George running along the Fulham Palace Road, because it doesn’t fit their timeline.

There weren’t four identifications of George in Gowan Avenue, there was one, four and a half hours before the murder, by Susan Mayes. The ‘partial identifications’ came from witnesses who described seeing a man wearing a suit. No one described this man wearing a coat, let alone a coat like George’s wool overcoat.

Mayes described a man wearing a black suit with an opened necked white shirt. Stella de Rosnay described a man wearing a grey suit and a tie. Charlotte de Rosnay described a man wearing a navy blue suit with a lighter blue shirt and possibly a tie. Belinda Normanton described a man wearing a black suit, possibly a blue shirt, and no tie.

 

[rvlvr]

finding a man guilty when there is a lack of evidence to convict IS the very definition of a miscarriage of justice!

Indeed.

A couple of years ago Sam Hallam and Victor Nealon, who between them spent more than 24 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit, took their case to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights after being denied compensation in the UK. They lost - though it was acknowledged that the UK’s system of compensation represents a hurdle which is ‘virtually insurmountable’, with more than 93% of applicants to the compensation scheme being denied.

In Sam’s case the Met agreed that his conviction was ‘unsafe’ following his release, but it made no difference.

Statement on Sam Hallam & Victor Nealon | JUSTICE | UK Legal Reform Charity

www.justice.org.uk

The obvious motive for setting the bar this high is that it saves the state money. But it also serves a secondary purpose, of upholding the no smoke without fire principle - if this person was truly innocent, then this would surely have been recognised in financial terms, ‘they’ must know something ‘we’ don’t, etc etc. It’s appalling.

 

[Inspector Evans]

The prosecution case was that George killed Dando just after 11.30, walked a circuitous route back to his flat (the quickest route from 29 Gowan Avenue to Crookham Road involves turning right in the direction of Munster Road, not left - as the killer did - in the direction of Fulham Palace Road), changed clothes, collected his carrier bag of documents, then went to HAFAD.

They’ve never argued it was George running along the Fulham Palace Road, because it doesn’t fit their timeline.

There weren’t four identifications of George in Gowan Avenue, there was one, four and a half hours before the murder, by Susan Mayes. The ‘partial identifications’ came from witnesses who described seeing a man wearing a suit. No one described this man wearing a coat, let alone a coat like George’s wool overcoat.

Mayes described a man wearing a black suit with an opened necked white shirt. Stella de Rosnay described a man wearing a grey suit and a tie. Charlotte de Rosnay described a man wearing a navy blue suit with a lighter blue shirt and possibly a tie. Belinda Normanton described a man wearing a black suit, possibly a blue shirt, and no tie.

Great post. And this is the crux of BG's movements on the day. When did he actually turn up at HAFAD? He claimed 12pm which would put him in the clear as not realistic for him to shoot JD, go back home and change and then go back out to HAFAD all within a 29-30 minute timeframe.

Or if he went to HAFAD straight after then that is not what the prosecution is alleging so can't convict on that.

However it seems the clock at the centre was broken and the staff there weren't noting down the time correctly so it is all left to speculate.

If he did turn up that day from 1pm onwards then there is a far larger period for him to complete the movements as prosecutors claim.

 

[rvlvr]

Great post. And this is the crux of BG's movements on the day. When did he actually turn up at HAFAD? He claimed 12pm which would put him in the clear as not realistic for him to shoot JD, go back home and change and then go back out to HAFAD all within a 29-30 minute timeframe.

Or if he went to HAFAD straight after then that is not what the prosecution is alleging so can't convict on that.

However it seems the clock at the centre was broken and the staff there weren't noting down the time correctly so it is all left to speculate.

If he did turn up that day from 1pm onwards then there is a far larger period for him to complete the movements as prosecutors claim.

There’s a good bit in BC’s book detailing the HAFAD ladies’ evidence, when I have it to hand again I’ll post it, replying here now so I don’t forget.

 

[Novosti]

The prosecution case was that George killed Dando just after 11.30, walked a circuitous route back to his flat (the quickest route from 29 Gowan Avenue to Crookham Road involves turning right in the direction of Munster Road, not left - as the killer did - in the direction of Fulham Palace Road), changed clothes, collected his carrier bag of documents, then went to HAFAD.

They’ve never argued it was George running along the Fulham Palace Road, because it doesn’t fit their timeline.

There weren’t four identifications of George in Gowan Avenue, there was one, four and a half hours before the murder, by Susan Mayes. The ‘partial identifications’ came from witnesses who described seeing a man wearing a suit. No one described this man wearing a coat, let alone a coat like George’s wool overcoat.

Mayes described a man wearing a black suit with an opened necked white shirt. Stella de Rosnay described a man wearing a grey suit and a tie. Charlotte de Rosnay described a man wearing a navy blue suit with a lighter blue shirt and possibly a tie. Belinda Normanton described a man wearing a black suit, possibly a blue shirt, and no tie.

That's not the full story on the witnesses. Susan Mayes positively identified George as you said. Teresa Normanton also identified him but then expressed some hesitancy after positively identifying him : "“I’m sure, but I’m not quite sure. I don’t remember a moustache.” Charlotte de Rosnay hesitated between two faces in the parade, one of which was George. Stella de Rosnay also hesitated between two faces and then selected one saying that was her gut feeling. It was George.

So there were four identifications. Were they all robust, certain identifications such that a jury could take each as a fact? No. But on the balance of probabilities, could four positive identifications in the same place and the same morning have been a fluke?

On the prosecution's hint that George went home before going to HAFAD, I never understood why they bothered with this. They never advanced or had to explain any evidence that he went home that morning. And whilst it was just about plausible that he could have gone home and been at HAFAD at the time Elaine Hutton and others said he was there, the more straightforward explanation would have been that he went there directly after the attack. In either case he could have starred as "running man" though.