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

[CSIAngus]

Apologies if this has been posted before.

A PHONE HACKING HIT? How Jill Dando was Tracked to her Doorstep

 

[dotr]

Apologies if this has been posted before.

A PHONE HACKING HIT? How Jill Dando was Tracked to her Doorstep

Verrry interesting!

 

[davidt]

Yes, very interesting. A lot in this case depends on whether you think BG or someone got very lucky on the day or whether you think whoever it was knew Jill would be coming. Neither can be ruled out entirely. For me the fact this happened at a place where she wasn't living and rarely visited does raise a valid question of whether someone knew she would be there and at what sort of time. We don't know the motive. Was it a murder pure and simple, or a robbery or attempted assault gone wrong? It happened so quickly I tend to favour the idea murder was always the intention.

Don't think there's any evidence how long this person was hiding outside. How easy would it have been to hide there for an extended period without being seen?

 

[kemo]

A perplexing case, to be sure. Either a well orchestrated “hit” arranged by someone who had a good reason for wanting her dead or just a deranged “fan” who just happened to find her there when he did. There is no obvious motive for someone with the wherewithal to arrange such a hired hit. But, it is not beyond the realm of possibilities. I am inclined to believe it was just a random obsessed fan and BG certainly fits the profile.

Still, in light of the very little time Jill spent at that flat and the randomness of her comings and goings, it would seem so improbable that he would just happen to be there with a gun when she arrived unless he either had some advanced knowledge that she would be there or he invested a great deal of time “laying in wait”. How would a stranger know when she would be there? Yet, waiting around in an urban setting should attract attention. I can not see how anyone could have spent any significant time, waiting for her to come or go, without someone noticing and later reporting it. It is unlikely, but possible, that he didn’t have to wait long or otherwise went unnoticed.

 

[davidt]

A perplexing case, to be sure. Either a well orchestrated “hit” arranged by someone who had a good reason for wanting her dead or just a deranged “fan” who just happened to find her there when he did. There is no obvious motive for someone with the wherewithal to arrange such a hired hit. But, it is not beyond the realm of possibilities. I am inclined to believe it was just a random obsessed fan and BG certainly fits the profile.

Still, in light of the very little time Jill spent at that flat and the randomness of her comings and goings, it would seem so improbable that he would just happen to be there with a gun when she arrived unless he either had some advanced knowledge that she would be there or he invested a great deal of time “laying in wait”. How would a stranger know when she would be there? Yet, waiting around in an urban setting should attract attention. I can not see how anyone could have spent any significant time, waiting for her to come or go, without someone noticing and later reporting it. It is unlikely, but possible, that he didn’t have to wait long or otherwise went unnoticed.

I think that's an excellent summing up and how I feel about it. I've got a million splinters in my bottom due to the amount of time I've spent sitting on the fence! I just can't convince myself one way or another. It's the fact that the police are adamant she wasn't followed that makes it so much harder.

The whole thing only took a few seconds and for me commonsense is that someone was waiting for her. There was no time to react. It's not as if Jill had to park down the street and walk to her property to give someone time to make a move and prepare. No idea how hard or easy it was for someone to conceal themself for any length of time. I don't know, but nothing seems quite "right" in attempting to understand this.

 

[Markybug]

Maybe he hadn’t been at her house multiple times? Unfortunately for Jill the one time he decided to “stake out” her place, she appeared?

 

[crazychris]

the only thing that BG is guily of in this case is being a bit of a tit!.....does anyone honestly believe he had the ability to actually do this?

Yes. Appearances can be deceptive.

 

[WestLondoner]

We don't really know how he spent his days. He could have hung around random places pretending to be a ninja all day every day. If so, one day he was to shoot his gun off by accident.

 

[Cherwell]

Always seemed like a professional hit to me.

 

[CSIAngus]

Always seemed like a professional hit to me.

I totally agree. There was no element of 'chance' about this killing. She was ambushed: a quick bullet behind the ear and away. There's nothing about BG that shows that level of planning and competence.

 

[Markybug]

The question always unanswered re a “professional hit” is , why ?

She was simply a tv presenter , not a investigative journalist like Roger Cook

Roger Cook (journalist) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[dotr]

Ms. Dando was beautiful, had a successful career and love life, and was soon to be married to a highly respected doctor, she had it all!
But maybe somebody wanted to just put a stop to it all? complete speculation, imo.

All about Jill Dando's former fiancé Alan Farthing and his royal connection

Jill was engaged to gynaecologist Alan Farthing at the time of her death

www.hellomagazine.com

BBC News | UK | Dando's fiance faces pain of wedding day

''Ms Dando and doctor Alan Farthing had booked their marriage at a London church, and the TV presenter was in the process of preparing for the big day when she was killed.

On 26 April, when she was murdered on the doorstep of her Fulham home, Ms Dando was beginning a fortnight's holiday which she had set aside to organise her wedding after several months of travelling.''

''The 37-year-old had an appointment for the first fitting for her wedding dress and was planning to sort out invitations.''

 

[Cherwell]

The question always unanswered re a “professional hit” is , why ?
She was simply a tv presenter , not a investigative journalist like Roger Cook

This article (quoted earlier) may offer an explanation.

Shadow of doubt?

Last summer, when Barry George was convicted of killing Jill Dando, all other possible theories were discounted. But is one of them more credible than was originally thought? On the eve of George's appeal hearing, Bob Woffinden re-examines the evidence.

www.theguardian.com

 

[davidt]

Always seemed like a professional hit to me.

When it comes to hits I'm never really sure what qualifies as "professional ". I'd assume as with most things in life you get what you pay for. If a hit was organised the amount of professionalism involved is likely to vary depending on who you hire. So a hit could be very professional or very unprofessional. Difficult for any of us to be able to judge. In this case I think it comes down to whether anyone had inside knowledge of Jill's movements that day.

 

[Cherwell]

By 'professional' I meant carried out to order. Not personal and not opportunistic.

 

[davidt]

By 'professional' I meant carried out to order. Not personal and not opportunistic.

Yeah I get that.

 

[dotr]

rbbm Fwiw..

https://www.brighton.ac.uk/research/groups/social-science-policy/events/the-british-hitman-1974-

''Professor Wilson has previously examined the actions of British serial killers, but worked with his colleagues to unearth 27 cases of contract killing in Britain between 1974 and 2013. There were 35 men and one woman involved in the murders; the number of killers outweighed victims because several accomplices were involved.''

''On the basis of his research, Professor Wilson was able to develop a typology of contract killers including: Novices; Dilettantes; Journeymen; or Masters. The study shows most hits involve shootings. Many of the murders, particularly those committed by Novices and Dilettantes, relate to relatively trivial issues, such as domestic or business disputes. Journeymen and Masters tended to be much more thoroughly involved in organised criminal networks. Research revealed that many hitmen bungle the job or get cold feet.

Professor Wilson's research counters certain myths about contract killers, for instance, the idea that killings are carried out in dark isolated spots by organised gangs. In fact, contract killings tend to be much more mundane with hitmen murdering their victims openly in a street near the victim's home while they are going about daily errands.''

 

[davidt]

It's interesting isn't it? Did someone have knowledge of her whereabouts that day or was it a random encounter. BG being in tbe right place at the right time for him, or someone knowing she was coming?

 

[Cherwell]

I do recommend reading the Guardian article.

 

[WestLondoner]

The two main arguments against a contract killing are that none would know where she was going to be, and that there is simply no evidence for one. The motives, employer and existence of such a person are all entirely conjectural. This is before you even get to considering whether she was noteworthy enough to be a target or whether how she was killed looks planned.