Jill Dando

Last Updated on June 24, 2026

Jill Dando was a British celebrity who was fatally shot outside her home in Fulham, West London, on April 26th 1999.

She was a newsreader, broadcaster and journalist.

Barry George was convicted of the crime but was later acquitted.

In 2026, we still do not know who killed Jill Dando, and her murder remains unsolved.

The latest news on the Jill Dando case is that Scotland Yard is not actively investigating the Jill Dando murder.

However, if any new evidence comes to light, they will investigate it.

The case is covered in detail in Jill Dando: Her Life and Death (AD*)

Jill Dando’s Murder

Jill Dando was killed on April 26th 1999, on her front step.

Initially, it was believed that she had been stabbed.

It was later discovered at Jill Dando’s autopsy that she had been shot in the head at point-blank range.

A neighbour reported a startled cry “like someone greeting a friend,” but did not hear the gunshot.

She was discovered by a neighbour 15 minutes after the shooting.

Jill was taken to the hospital, where she was declared dead at 1.03 pm.

Several witnesses saw suspicious men in the area.

A neighbour reported seeing a white man in his 40s and around 6 feet tall walking away from the crime scene.

A postman witnessed a man in a suit with dark hair near the crime scene.

A traffic warden also saw a suspicious Range Rover in the area.

The Range Rover sped away from the crime scene just minutes after the shooting.

Two witnesses reported seeing a man with black hair running away from the scene.

After the shooting, there was more suspicious activity in the area.

A man was spotted crouching hidden nearby, talking frantically on a mobile phone.

The same man is believed to have run across the road 10 minutes later on the next street, causing a motorist to brake suddenly.

Jill Dando’s funeral took place on 21st May 1999.

It was attended by hundreds of members of the public.

Who killed Jill Dando?

The investigation was complex for Scotland Yard.

Jill was a famous television personality, and there was no DNA left at the crime scene.

The bullet casing found at the scene had markings showing that the bullet was handmade.

A year into the investigation, there were no real leads as to who had killed Jill.

Investigators had interviewed over 2000 members of the public and had taken over 1000 statements.

Police viewed CCTV of Jill and could not see anyone following her on the day of the crime.

They ruled out jealous ex-boyfriends, a lover and Jill Dando’s fiance Alan Farthing.

Police ruled them out by checking her phone records.

A resident, Barry George, became the centre of the Scotland Yard investigation.

He had a history of sexual offences and odd behaviour.

During a search of his home Police discovered rolls of film and photographs taken of unsuspecting women and female presenters.

There was also a photograph of him holding a gun.

Barry George had names, registration plates and addresses of local women in the area close to Jill’s home.

He was placed under surveillance for three weeks, and during this time approached 38 women.

Barry George – Conviction and Acquittal

Barry George was convicted of Jill Dando’s murder on July 2nd 2001, after 5 days of jury deliberation.

He was later sentenced to life imprisonment.

George was convicted due to the forensic evidence, a single particle of gunpowder residue found in his coat pocket.

Barry launched two appeals against his conviction unsuccessfully, but his third appeal was successful.

This was due to gunshot residue found on Barry being discredited as inconclusive.

The remaining evidence was circumstantial.

The original conviction was quashed, and a second trial was ordered.

In August 2008, after an 8-week trial, Barry George was acquitted of the murder of Jill Dando.

The defence argued that he did not have the IQ to plan such a complicated murder.

They also said there was no physical evidence presented that he was at the crime scene.

After his acquittal, he was subject to several news articles still claiming that he was her killer.

He sued the newspapers for libel, resulting in substantial damages.

His sister wrote a book about the case against her brother called Stand Against Injustice: The untold story of the family of Barry George, wrongly convicted for the murder of Jill Dando (AD*)

Suspects

Primarily, the police thought the crime was committed by a crazed individual who was working alone due to the bullet they found at the scene.

But, in 2008, a review revealed that they had switched their theory to it being that of an organised hit.

There were several Jill Dando conspiracy theories, including a case of mistaken identity.

There was one that a deranged fan may be responsible for or that the killing was ordered by a rival.

Due to her involvement with Crimewatch, there was a theory that a criminal had ordered the hit in revenge.

There was a theory that the hit may have been a gangland hit.

Jill was said to have some leads on a paedophile ring featuring celebrities.

Some say she was close to exposing the members to the BBC bosses.

The BBC has said that nothing was presented to them before her death.

The IRA were suspected as Jill Dando was connected to the police through her position as presenter on Crimewatch.

A letter from an IRA member claimed responsibility, although it was never able to be confirmed as legitimate.

More Theories

A popular theory was that the Jill Dando assassination was ordered by a Serbian group in retaliation for bombings of a television station in Serbia.

This was due to the similarities in assassinations carried out by Yugoslav Communists.

These assassinations were often carried out by a gunman on the doorstep of the victim with expert precision, and little evidence was left.

An assassination had been carried out days earlier that was said to be identical to that of Jill.

However police were unable to find evidence to support the theory.

Joe, an acquaintance of killer Kenneth Noye, was also suspected.

Kenneth was imprisoned as a result of a Crimewatch appeal, and Joe was said to owe him money.

He was reputed to be a skilled gunman and wanted to build some credibility in the gangland scene.

In 2017, an anonymous hit man revealed that he knew the identity of her killer to a journalist.

He was on the list of potential suspects from the original investigation.

The hit man would not name the killer due to fear of being targeted.

The Jill Dando mystery remains unsolved, and we may never know who murdered Jill Dando.

The Murder of Jill Dando

Jill Dando documentary The Murder of Jill Dando was released by the BBC on April 2nd 2019.

Several family members, friends, colleagues, witnesses and the police were interviewed.

The documentary revealed threats to other BBC staff and new evidence unknown to the public, including crime scene photos taken at Jill Dando’s house.

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