New Jill Dando murder revelation as fresh witness identifies notorious hitman
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A van driver has come forward with potentially crucial information regarding the murder of Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando, claiming he saw a man resembling a known hitman near the crime scene.
The key witness was driving close to where 37 year old Dando was shot dead outside her home on April 26, 1999. He told police two days later that he had spotted a man in a dark suit running across Fulham Palace Road in South West London, hardly acknowledging his Ford Transit.
Upon viewing images of Serbian hitman Milorad Ulemek, the witness remarked: "He does look like the man I saw."
This comes after a female witness informed the Mirror last year that she was sure she had seen Ulemek running down the same road around the time of the incident.
Ulemek, aged 57, led a group of hitmen for Slobodan Milosevic's oppressive regime; Milosevic passed away in 2006 while on trial for war crimes. The lead prosecutor in Milosevic's case has suggested that Ulemek should be looked into as part of the investigation into Dando's murder, especially following the Mirror's findings, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Sir Geoffrey Nice KC stated: "I would encourage the police to be open minded given there are new pieces of evidence that may not have been considered and it would be helpful if they are considered."
At the time of Dando's assassination, the Yugoslav conflict was ongoing, with UK forces bombing Serbia. Shortly after her death, the BBC received a call alleging that her killing was retaliation for the NATO bombings.
Now, the former van driver claims he is "80% sure" that it was Ulemek whom he nearly hit with his vehicle shortly after the celebrity was fatally shot outside her home, as reported by the Mirror.
He shared with the Mirror his belief that the police should look into Ulemek, a twice-convicted murderer currently serving a 40-year sentence in Serbia. The witness, a man in his 60s who wishes to remain anonymous, expressed his willingness to speak with detectives, stating: "She was taken from her family in a despicable way. How could someone do something like that to a woman like that?".
At the time, the witness gave a statement saying: "I had to slam my brakes on to stop or I would have crashed into him. He ran out and I managed to stop about two or three meters away from him. I noticed that the man was looking behind him from where he had just run from.
"I shouted 'you arsehole', the man was still running across the road, he didn't look at me when I shouted to him, he just continued to run. I was still not moving and I watched him run into a park."
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Upon learning of Jill's murder at her Gowan Avenue residence, located roughly 600 meters from the incident, the witness immediately contacted the authorities.
"I immediately remembered the man running out in front of me," he recounted. "I had a good clear look at this male as he was about two or three metres away from me, and was in my sight for about five seconds, I would possibly recognise him again," he added.
The former van driver shared a recent account with us, saying: "Anyone else would have said f*** off or sorry but he didn't say anything, he just wanted to get away and that's what made me suspicious. It looked like he was running from something. If I had known I would have got hold of him."
He described the suspect to police as donning a dark "suit-type jacket" combined with coordinating trousers, standing 5ft 10 or 11, and in the age range of late 20s to early 30s, sporting a medium build, and short black hair that was kept longer on top. These details closely match Ulemek, who is 31 years old, similar in build, height, and hairstyle—and align with a description given by a female driver.
That same motorist recounted to the Daily Mirror last year her conviction that Ulemek was the neatly attired gentleman she witnessed hastily fleeing the scene. In her statement to the police a day subsequent to the murder, she recalled seeing a man clad in a dark suit looking visibly shocked.
Moreover, a month after the incident, she positively identified him as "Man X" seen on CCTV footage at a nearby underground station, as disclosed by police records.
Facial comparison expert Emi Polito, in an analysis prepared for the Daily Mirror, observed that the person appearing in the video—identified as N6814 in police documents—possesses comparable features such as the mouth, chin, and hairline to Ulemek. Mr. Polito could not discern any distinct differences between the two individuals.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that N6814 remains a person of interest for inquiry.
Only four individuals, including the two witnesses mentioned, had a clear enough view of a suspect to help create an e-fit. Calls for a renewed investigation have been made after the Met closed the case a decade ago, following the overturning of Barry George's conviction in 2008.
George, who has significant learning disabilities, served eight years behind bars after being convicted for the murder in 2001. Jill's case hasn't seen a review since 2018, and last year the Met declined to probe new evidence without engaging with the female driver, reviewing Mr Polito's report, or analysing the CCTV footage.
Former Met Detective Chief Superintendent Barry Webb, who re-examined the murder in 1999, commented that there was "insufficient nexus to the shooting" to consider the "running man" as a "high priority."
However, Webb did acknowledge: "I believe that any review should take into consideration your research."
BBC veteran John Simpson, who was in Belgrade when his friend and colleague was murdered, stated: "There should, I think, be a full review of the case."
Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for Hammersmith and chair of the Commons Justice Committee, remarked: "It's important there's an investigation because there is a possibility that a suspect has been identified. I think you have done enough to justify a fresh investigation and it's curious that the Met don't want to examine it."
Ben Coleman, Labour MP for Fulham, has called for a review of the case in light of new evidence, including eyewitness accounts, uncovered by the Mirror investigation. He stated: "Given the new information, including eyewitness accounts, that has come to light thanks to the Mirror investigation, I believe there is a strong argument for the case to be reviewed and the recent findings fully investigated."
Former Chief Crown Prosecutor Nazir Afzal echoed this sentiment, saying: "These findings must be investigated."
Matt Foot, co-director of the miscarriages of justice organisation Appeal, criticised the Met's refusal to investigate our findings, stating: "Barry George is being thwarted by the very same people who put him in prison and a system that doesn't want to admit that it got it wrong."
A source familiar with the Serbian security services suggested that the police should scrutinise the situation more closely, saying: "I think that they [the police] need to have a closer look at all of this. There are doubts and questions that are not answered. "Maybe this is just a theory but there is evidence in this moment supporting that theory. "".
Former French Foreign Legionnaire and gang boss Ulemek, Serbia's most notorious paramilitary soldier whose units were allegedly accountable for some of the worst atrocities in the Yugoslav wars, was convicted for the murders of Serbian ex-President Ivan Stambolic in 2000 and its first democratically elected PM, Zoran Djindjic in 2003.
When asked if he murdered Jill, Ulemek's lawyer Aleksander Kovacevic said last year that his client did not wish to comment. Mr Kovacevic has not responded to repeated requests for a comment this year.
The Met Police have stated: "In the years since Jill Dando's murder, the investigation has been subject to numerous reviews, aiming 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. However no unsolved murder is ever closed and detectives would consider any new information provided to assess whether it represented a new and realistic line of enquiry."
Reports indicate that Ulemek has experienced three thwarted attempts to escape from Zabela high-security prison and is eligible to apply for early release in 2030. His latest attempt at freedom in November was unsuccessful.
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