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

[TheRockingRev]

That's him above, at around the time of JD's murder. He has a bit of a beard, but not a particularly noticeable one. He was relatively slim then, too, and capable of being smartly dressed (I seem to recall he bought a designer jacket/coat for his wedding).

I haven't seen the Crimewatch reconstruction for a while (must do that). I'm convinced it was George. He was likely in the area at the time, had form for stalking and photographing women from behind, had form for violence towards women.

He was a very dangerous man. I've never been convinced by the "low IQ" argument. I think it's perfectly possible that he was cruising the area, came upon Jill, walked up behind her with his gun and shot. It may have been an accident, even.

His beard is prominent enough to be seen, and yet no-one mentioned being seen on that day had one. The other thing that stands out is that this an area of affluence, an area in Central London sure, but still one not being a main route to anywhere. If he was lurking around, and wearing a long overcoat, someone would've seen him. But again this wasn't the case.

 

[Kasparthecat1]

From Nick Ross:

• He had been seen in the road four hours before Jill’s murder.
• He had been identified as having been by two separate witnesses near the killing in an agitated state soon after the murder.
• The witnesses, including a mental health worker, were so concerned about him that in the days after Jill’s murder they had rung the incident room repeatedly.
• He had returned to both witnesses the following day seeking to persuade them he had been there at different times and in different clothes.

 

[TheRockingRev]

From Nick Ross:

• He had been seen in the road four hours before Jill’s murder.
• He had been identified as having been by two separate witnesses near the killing in an agitated state soon after the murder.
• The witnesses, including a mental health worker, were so concerned about him that in the days after Jill’s murder they had rung the incident room repeatedly.
• He had returned to both witnesses the following day seeking to persuade them he had been there at different times and in different clothes.

But only once in 4 hours? From 7:30am where was he? Peak time for commuters, school runs etc. and no-one else clocked him. If this is the case then he must have waited for her specifically as he would've I'm sure encountered other lone females.
But with his track record, and whatever else he was up to, it's likely that he thought he was going to get a knock at the door. That seems like panic of someone who was trying to prove his innocence, rather than someone who was guilty and therefore would've tried to remain incognito.

 

[Inspector Evans]

That's him above, at around the time of JD's murder. He has a bit of a beard, but not a particularly noticeable one. He was relatively slim then, too, and capable of being smartly dressed (I seem to recall he bought a designer jacket/coat for his wedding).

I haven't seen the Crimewatch reconstruction for a while (must do that). I'm convinced it was George. He was likely in the area at the time, had form for stalking and photographing women from behind, had form for violence towards women.

He was a very dangerous man. I've never been convinced by the "low IQ" argument. I think it's perfectly possible that he was cruising the area, came upon Jill, walked up behind her with his gun and shot. It may have been an accident, even.

It's well worth a watch again after all these years. Hamish Campbell does the voiceover and he wants the public to come forward with information on numerous individuals seen around Gowan Avenue that morning (and there were plenty).

Window cleaner on that street remember someone hovering around the corner by her house an hour or so before she died.

Parking attendant was putting a ticket on car and someone was inside a vehicle and gestured for her to rip it up.

A few minutes after she was shot someone was coming down the road and nearly ran over someone coming at pace (not sure if this is same witness Mirror interviewed).

Car being tailgated and sweaty person at bus stop but these are more tenuous leads. Also the reports on that night's news of someone being seen to go into Bishop's Park shortly after the murder and perhaps dropping something into the Thames. Think that was unsubstantiated and Police did search that area of the Thames but found nothing.

I do think two people could've been involved. One stalking out the property in the weeks before and working out the car she drove and noting when it was parked outside the house as she didn't live in a gated mansion where a vehicle would be hidden away in a garage. If she was in her house her car would be parked outside.

Then on the day the shooter did what they did and then went off and got a lift round the corner in one of the other back streets and then you get away relatively undetected.

The only certainty is the shooting did happen on her door step in broad daylight so someone could've been easily walking across the street at the time and witnessed everything and clear ID of what happened rather than just limited views from cars.

 

[Inspector Evans]

From Nick Ross:

• He had been seen in the road four hours before Jill’s murder.
• He had been identified as having been by two separate witnesses near the killing in an agitated state soon after the murder.
• The witnesses, including a mental health worker, were so concerned about him that in the days after Jill’s murder they had rung the incident room repeatedly.
• He had returned to both witnesses the following day seeking to persuade them he had been there at different times and in different clothes.

I think with George my feeling has always been...maybe.

Vagueness of his alibi for that day is a big question mark especially trying to get the social workers to say he'd been in the centre. At what point that day did he know Jill Dando had been murdered? It came on the news at 1pm I think and he was already in the centre at that point?

However with the time that had passed and the actual evidence to convict him it wasn't impossible to get an acquittal if looking at all the circumstantial evidence again as we saw with the coat.

Hamish Campbell still thinks he was the right suspect and he dosen't think anyone else will ever be tried for Jill Dando's murder and I agree with him in that respect.

 

[Inspector Evans]

But only once in 4 hours? From 7:30am where was he? Peak time for commuters, school runs etc. and no-one else clocked him. If this is the case then he must have waited for her specifically as he would've I'm sure encountered other lone females.
But with his track record, and whatever else he was up to, it's likely that he thought he was going to get a knock at the door. That seems like panic of someone who was trying to prove his innocence, rather than someone who was guilty and therefore would've tried to remain incognito.

Funny you should mention school runs Rocking.

There is a school across the road from where she lived so there would've been plenty of people walking on that pavement towards that school at 8am onwards. Unless it was Easter holidays that year?

The location of her house was such you could observe the outside from the main road. Walked past it years ago going to watch a Football match at Fulham and noted how close the front door was to the pavement. Even from across and the other side of the pavement anyone passing would've noticed a struggle, I don't think a tree there would've obscured everything.

 

[TheRockingRev]

Funny you should mention school runs Rocking.

There is a school across the road from where she lived so there would've been plenty of people walking on that pavement towards that school at 8am onwards. Unless it was Easter holidays that year?

Easter was early that year (Sunday 4th), so it would've been normal term time. And you are right Inspector, it would've been full of people. Someone like BG would've stood out. He was hardly subtle I would've thought.

The location of her house was such you could observe the outside from the main road. Walked past it years ago going to watch a Football match at Fulham and noted how close the front door was to the pavement. Even from across and the other side of the pavement anyone passing would've noticed a struggle, I don't think a tree there would've obscured everything.

 

[TheRockingRev]

I think with George my feeling has always been...maybe.

Vagueness of his alibi for that day is a big question mark especially trying to get the social workers to say he'd been in the centre. At what point that day did he know Jill Dando had been murdered? It came on the news at 1pm I think and he was already in the centre at that point?

Although 'jungle drums' sometimes beat louder. It's surprising how word can spread in a small location. He may not have heard it was JD who was shot, but if he heard a female had been killed he may have been worried as he had previous, plus wouldn't know if the police were aware of any complaints regarding his photography.

However with the time that had passed and the actual evidence to convict him it wasn't impossible to get an acquittal if looking at all the circumstantial evidence again as we saw with the coat.

What does strike me as strange is that although he could've washed it, I would've though that a). he probably wasn't clued up enough regarding fibres etc. and b). because it was quite a distinct coat - had he been the one to do it, wouldn't he have destroyed the coat afterwards? That's what most people would do as it eliminates all evidence no matter what.

Hamish Campbell still thinks he was the right suspect and he dosen't think anyone else will ever be tried for Jill Dando's murder and I agree with him in that respect.

 

[TheRockingRev]

I do think two people could've been involved. One stalking out the property in the weeks before and working out the car she drove and noting when it was parked outside the house as she didn't live in a gated mansion where a vehicle would be hidden away in a garage. If she was in her house her car would be parked outside.

I do too. But this is just based upon IMO that she had knowledge of something (yes, that theory!) My reasoning behind this is because I have heard, first hand, from people in the criminal world that this is why, and also because of a later case that could be connected. This one involving two people.

 

[forensicswannabe]

From Nick Ross:

• He had been seen in the road four hours before Jill’s murder.
• He had been identified as having been by two separate witnesses near the killing in an agitated state soon after the murder.
• The witnesses, including a mental health worker, were so concerned about him that in the days after Jill’s murder they had rung the incident room repeatedly.
• He had returned to both witnesses the following day seeking to persuade them he had been there at different times and in different clothes.

I am with you and Nick Ross I really do believe this was Barry George and they had the right man the whole time even now in interviews he continues to lie about the photo of which is clearly him holding a gun saying it isn't him why? He is not as stupid as other's make him out to be either he is a dangerous man and his past stuff should not be crossed off he was obsessed with Princess Diana (Jill Dando had the same hairstyle) He had rope and a knife clearly wanting to do some harm to Diana and he had stalked women and past sex offensives this is clearly a dangerous man.
People's obsession that this case is something to do with Saville or Crimewatch or some Serbian Hitman is all smoke screens blocking what has always been right in our face the entire time.

 

[TheRockingRev]

A couple of questions, if anyone knows the answers. The photo of BG in a gasmask and gun, was this picture on the rolls of film that the police took and developed? If so was there any idea of when the photo may have been taken?
The camera that BG had - did it have a timer? The reason being that unless someone else took it, that's the only way he could've got that shot. What is quite strange about it is that the photo is near perfect. To get that exact frame with no way of knowing how it was going to come out is very good or lucky.

 

[Sarahlou]

I am with you and Nick Ross I really do believe this was Barry George and they had the right man the whole time even now in interviews he continues to lie about the photo of which is clearly him holding a gun saying it isn't him why? He is not as stupid as other's make him out to be either he is a dangerous man and his past stuff should not be crossed off he was obsessed with Princess Diana (Jill Dando had the same hairstyle) He had rope and a knife clearly wanting to do some harm to Diana and he had stalked women and past sex offensives this is clearly a dangerous man.
People's obsession that this case is something to do with Saville or Crimewatch or some Serbian Hitman is all smoke screens blocking what has always been right in our face the entire time.

Spot on.
I've always thought Barry George was guilty.
He's not just some poor innocent man who happened to get caught up in this.
JMO.

 

[TheRockingRev]

JMO - but this all makes sense to me, and does point to just pinning it on someone who, whilst had a criminal past, hasn't been established as a murderer.

"Ever the fantasist, Barry George may now be adapting to his notoriety (two tabloid newspapers have advertised tapes of prison "confessions"), but he should be a footnote in this story. Apart from that invisible speck of explosives residue found on his coat, the police found no evidence that he had possessed guns or ammunition in the past 15 years. He had neither expertise in weapons, nor the resources to modify them. He had no car, no money. There was no forensic evidence found in his flat: remarkably, police found no explosives residue there, even though it was assumed that he'd gone home to change straight after the shooting. The two squads of officers, 50 in all, who surveilled his movements for more than three weeks before his arrest gleaned no evidence to assist their case. Dando's neighbours, the only two eyewitnesses, failed to pick out George in an identity parade."

I still have the question - why get rid of he gun, but not the photos in the flat and the coat?

 

[wtiger]

If Barry George (with the IQ of a root vegetable) has managed to stump the collective forces of our biggest police force - it says more about them than it does about him!.....just my opinion

for what it's worth i honestly believe that if he had done it, he would have told someone all about it long before now.

 

[crazychris]

Didn't he allegedly confess in jail?

 

[Inspector Evans]

If Barry George (with the IQ of a root vegetable) has managed to stump the collective forces of our biggest police force - it says more about them than it does about him!.....just my opinion

for what it's worth i honestly believe that if he had done it, he would have told someone all about it long before now.

It's hard to say. Even with "learning difficulties" we know people who have those traits or struggle with social clues being neurodivergent can still excel in other areas e.g. exceptional memory detail or focus or develop fixations (which aren't so positive).

I certainly would never go as far as to just say BG could not have committed this crime due to perceived low IQ as we see many killers being diagnosed after assessments.

He was clued up enough to be caught in the grounds of Kensington Palace in the early 80s. Like millions he had a fascination with Charles and Diana and overstepped the mark. He also had a conviction for serious sexual assault.

So with that persona and more from all the faked identities it is very possible Jill Dando was one of many 90s personalities he was interested in and she lived just up the road from him. Maybe selling the house and moving away from the area sparked something in him. Maybe they'd met in the street in the weeks before and BG thought she was becoming his friend or more?

Now where it gets more advanced is him waking up one morning and deciding to go there with a gun, wait for JD to return and then coldly end her life in a matter of seconds in broad daylight before leaving the scene and hardly anyone being none the wiser.

That in my mind is a trained professional hit so I do struggle like many thinking something without that level of experience could do that all in broad daylight. However there is an element of luck with whoever committed the crime as the road is simply too long and too public to wait for it to be completely empty so it would've been a now or possibly never scenario when she got out of the car and headed towards her front door.

 

[RichardKimble]

It's hard to say. Even with "learning difficulties" we know people who have those traits or struggle with social clues being neurodivergent can still excel in other areas e.g. exceptional memory detail or focus or develop fixations (which aren't so positive).

I certainly would never go as far as to just say BG could not have committed this crime due to perceived low IQ as we see many killers being diagnosed after assessments.

He was clued up enough to be caught in the grounds of Kensington Palace in the early 80s. Like millions he had a fascination with Charles and Diana and overstepped the mark. He also had a conviction for serious sexual assault.

So with that persona and more from all the faked identities it is very possible Jill Dando was one of many 90s personalities he was interested in and she lived just up the road from him. Maybe selling the house and moving away from the area sparked something in him. Maybe they'd met in the street in the weeks before and BG thought she was becoming his friend or more?

Now where it gets more advanced is him waking up one morning and deciding to go there with a gun, wait for JD to return and then coldly end her life in a matter of seconds in broad daylight before leaving the scene and hardly anyone being none the wiser.

That in my mind is a trained professional hit so I do struggle like many thinking something without that level of experience could do that all in broad daylight. However there is an element of luck with whoever committed the crime as the road is simply too long and too public to wait for it to be completely empty so it would've been a now or possibly never scenario when she got out of the car and headed towards her front door.

If its an hitman it's possible I suppose he might of been tailing her or even passing scoping the place out and struck lucky she came home at that time, but to be carrying a gun around just in case is a stretch for that scenario ,either way like you say the killer got lucky in that no one really identified who it was.

 

[forensicswannabe]

Other reasons to rule out a Hitman is that she was not followed by another car police did extensive work going over every CCTV they could find of Jill's day and never found any car following her which a Hitman would do because she made a last minute decision to go back to her house that she was not longer living in as it as she was in the process of selling it and a Hitman would not know that they would if they was going to kill her go where she was currently staying and they would not be waiting outside her old house in hope that she would arrive by chance. Even if you don't agree with me that it was Barry I think we can agree that it was likely someone who came upon her by chance or did not know she no longer was living there and again happened to come upon her by luck that she happened to arrive their that day.

 

[TheRockingRev]

If Barry George (with the IQ of a root vegetable) has managed to stump the collective forces of our biggest police force - it says more about them than it does about him!.....just my opinion

for what it's worth i honestly believe that if he had done it, he would have told someone all about it long before now.

Exactly!

Other reasons to rule out a Hitman is that she was not followed by another car police did extensive work going over every CCTV they could find of Jill's day and never found any car following her which a Hitman would do because she made a last minute decision to go back to her house that she was not longer living in as it as she was in the process of selling it and a Hitman would not know that they would if they was going to kill her go where she was currently staying and they would not be waiting outside her old house in hope that she would arrive by chance. Even if you don't agree with me that it was Barry I think we can agree that it was likely someone who came upon her by chance or did not know she no longer was living there and again happened to come upon her by luck that she happened to arrive their that day.

Well not necessarily - to throw my tuppence in, the hitman theory stands up if it was somehow connected to her or someone she knew. Although we know she wasn't tailed, it's not to say that she hadn't told anyone about her movements on the day, giving a rough time she may be at the house. This would give someone a chance to park up nearby and wait for her, remember there were a number of odd vehicles in the area on the day.
IMO I don't buy that a chancer with a gun was wandering the streets that day and just got lucky as she arrived home.

 

[CSIAngus]

If its an hitman it's possible I suppose he might of been tailing her or even passing scoping the place out and struck lucky she came home at that time, but to be carrying a gun around just in case is a stretch for that scenario ,either way like you say the killer got lucky in that no one really identified who it was.

Quite a lot of celebrity mobile phones were hacked back then.