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

[rvlvr]

The point isn’t that Barry George made a scene at HAFAD in order to create an alibi. It’s that he made a scene at HAFAD because making a scene is what Barry George usually did, wherever he went.

Later, when it dawned on him that he might become a suspect, he (understandably) wanted to know exactly what time he was at HAFAD. As he did then become a suspect, I’d say this was quite prescient. I didn’t say it was deliberately prescient.

Of course, when police finally got around to interviewing George and asked him where he was on the day of the murder, what did he initially tell them? ‘I was at home alone all morning.’ Literally the worst alibi in the book. The sort of thing only a bonafide idiot like Barry George would pick.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

AF's house, where Jill lived, was in Chiswick, 40 minutes from Gowan Avenue. Broadcasting House is 30 minutes from Govan Avenue AND Gowan Avenue is not on the route from Chiswick to the BBC headquarters. Very much not.



Farthing was and is a gynecologist, already renowned at that time. He did not work from home, he worked in a hospital.

AA route planner says 16 minutes from 4 Bedford Close Chiswick to Jill Dando's house.

Consultants often write reports, letters to GPs, papers etc from home. I don't know if AF did, but it would not be unusual.

 

[davidt]

Again (and I actually have internet proof for this!) Richard Hughes said in court in July 2001 that Jill came back regularly to Gowan Ave. on a Monday to check post/admin.

As much as she was travelling for work and more regularly in Chiswick with Alan Farthing she couldn't just leave her house unoccupied for months as she need to keep it up to standard to complete the sale with it on the market before the year was out.

So Richard Hughes knew, probably some other neighbours on her street knew on account of seeing her car parked, her agent knew, Alan Farthing knew and that was her inner circle who knew more than likely she'd be home at some point that Monday. Who else knew as if you crack that it would lead to a credible suspect.

Or perhaps it was one of the inner circle for whatever reason wanted her dead. I did get an excitable PM from a poster on here years ago who was adamant it was one of those individuals listed above who killed her which was interesting theory to read and to keep an open mind on.

Edit; I absolutely think at least one person was waiting for her as I think some of the sightings around Gowan Avenue that morning were credible. Problem is joining the dots as to who actually did the killing as they weren't all just hanging around for minutes on end to admire the road.

Somehow they knew she was probably coming back so I reckon it was a case of stalking out property in previous weeks and finding the car she drove and then noting a couple of Mondays it was outside the property. This could've been done in the March for instance as she was away filming Holiday for most of April I think.

Just to repeat her property was not in some enclosed cul-de-sac. You could walk up and down Gowan Avenue freely every single day in March/ April 1999 if the perps had the time so you could build up a pattern of which day and which time of day she was back and that would be then the period of day/week you then turn up to commit the crime.

That's fair enough. It's actually Jill's agent on the Netflix documentary that says it wasn't a routine visit. I have read before that she did visit on Mondays but just perhaps she didn't originally intend to visit that particular monday? It's always hard reading different people's accounts as they themselves may have misunderstood to begin with.

I know you said you have been on that street whereas I've just seen photos of it. You'll have a better perspective on it than me. It does seem only two things can really have happened. Either someone was waiting for her or someone just happened to pass at the precise time she arrived. I think it is pretty much definite that whoever did this must have been very close to the property at the time. There simply wasn't time to approach from any distance. If they were waiting for her, looking at the pictures I don't see where they can have hid for any length of time. Would you agree? You made the point, and I did some time ago, that this was a property on a street with people constantly around. Not somewhere isolated or secluded.

For me it feels like if someone was waiting, they knew she was coming and knew pretty much the time she would arrive. The alternative is that someone just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I think also the dynamic of the shooting changes depending on which scenario is correct. If someone was waiting it would be premeditated and planned and they would be prepared ready to act. Escape route ready etc. If someone was passing just as she turned up it's a bit different. There was only the tiniest window of opportunity to carry out the act. No time to plan or think. Just a few moments when she got out of the car and took the few steps to her front door. In those seconds deciding to kill her and having no time to survey the surroundings or who's about etc. All that and being in the right place at the right time whilst just happening to have a gun on you.

 

[TheRockingRev]

It has crossed my mind that just possibly BG or someone else went out that day with the intention of shooting someone. Perhaps Jill was just the unfortunate victim of a random killing and wasn't targeted at all specifically. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We do tend to think she aas killed because she was targeted and well known but just possibly she was just a random victim.

If someone is wanting to do that though, they want to for a reason. Usually to be noticed - to commit a crime like that just for the sheer sake of it, but not gain any notoriety is very rare and unlikely that you would do it in a suburban street. Usually with things like this they tend to be a shooting spree.