Witness Identifies Serbian Assassin in Jill Dando Murder Case

A witness who saw a man running from the scene of Jill Dando's murder in 1999 has identified him as a Serbian assassin. The female motorist reported seeing the man sprinting with a startled look on his face shortly after Dando was shot dead outside her home in Fulham, London on April 26, 1999.

The witness later picked out the man in CCTV footage from Putney Bridge Tube station, which showed him walking through the ticket barriers, stopping, looking up at the camera, and then walking back out of the station. She found the man's behavior to be "very, very bizarre" and said it stood out to her.

Police had previously described a man matching the witness's description as a suspect, but had not released the CCTV footage. The witness's account provides a potential new lead in the unsolved case as the 25th anniversary of Dando's killing approaches this Friday.

The man identified by the witness resembles Milorad Ulemek, a notorious Serbian assassin known as "Legija" who led a squad targeting opponents of Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic at the time of Dando's death. A facial recognition expert compared the CCTV footage to images of Ulemek and found similarities in their facial features.

The witness is "completely and utterly adamant" that the man she saw running from the murder scene is the same person shown in the CCTV footage and the one who looks like Ulemek. Ulemek is currently serving a 40-year sentence in a Serbian prison for his role in assassinations and other crimes.

Why this matters: The identification of a potential Serbian assassin suspect by an eyewitness brings renewed attention to the high-profile unsolved murder of BBC presenter Jill Dando. As the 25th anniversary of her killing approaches, this development could prompt authorities to reexamine the case and explore new investigative avenues.

Barry George, who was wrongly convicted of Dando's murder before being acquitted in 2008, believes the police should reopen the case and investigate Ulemek as a suspect. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he wants Dando's family to get justice. The case, which has been officially deemed "inactive" for ten years, remains one of Britain's most notorious unsolved murders and has long been the subject of intense speculation.

Key Takeaways

• Witness saw man running from Jill Dando's 1999 murder scene.
• Witness identified man as Serbian assassin Milorad Ulemek in CCTV footage.
• Facial recognition expert found similarities between CCTV footage and Ulemek.
• Witness is "completely and utterly adamant" the man is Ulemek.
• Dando's family seeks justice as 25th anniversary of her murder approaches.