It has been 25 years since Jill Dando was killed in Fulham, West London, in a murder that shocked the world. Originally from Somerset, Ms Dando was famed for being the face of the well-known BBC shows Crimewatch and Holiday along with being a newsreader.
She even won the award for the BBC’s Personality of the Year in 1997 and was a much-loved public figure and popular face across British television. The 37-year-old was at the height of her career in 1999 and had a wonderful future ahead of her.
She was also engaged to marry Alan Farthing. But her life came to a tragic end. On April 26, 1999, Ms Dando was shot dead on the doorstep of her home on Gowan Avenue, in Fulham.
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Television presenter Jill Dando was at the height of her fame when she was killed in April 1999 -Credit:Mirrorpix
Neighbours reportedly never heard the fatal gunshot and her body was discovered by Helen Doble nearly 15 minutes later. Forensic studies believe Ms Dando was tragically murdered by a single shot to her temple from a pistol pressed against the left side of her head.
This very calculated method would have prevented the killer from being splattered with the victim’s blood. She was taken to Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith, where she was declared dead on arrival.
A police officer lays flowers outside Jill Dando’s house, in Gowan Avenue, Fulham, in April 1999 after she had been murdered -Credit:Mirrorpix
Who killed Jill Dando?
Two witnesses claim to have seen a man with black hair and a waxed jacket running down the street. A blue Range Rover was also caught on camera speeding from the scene around the time of the incident. It was also reported a man ran across the road away from Ms Dando’s street, causing a motorist to slam on the brakes.
Barry George who was accused of the murder of Jill Dando -Credit:Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror
But it was more than two years after the tragic murder that a man named Barry George was convicted of the murder and consequently sentenced to life imprisonment, on July 2, 2001. After serving eight years in prison Mr George faced a retrial at the Old Bailey in 2008 and he was cleared of the charges following matters over forensic evidence. He walked out of jail an innocent man.
To this day, Jill Dando’s death remains one of the UK’s most high-profile unsolved murders. And as the 37-year-old’s case remains open her killer may still be at large 25 years later.
The Murder of Jill Dando airs on Friday (April 26) at 9pm on BBC2.
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