Jill Dando’s brother believes the TV presenter’s death was a ‘random killing’ carried out by a stranger who wanted ‘five minutes of notoriety’ – while his sister was ‘just in the wrong place at the wrong time’
- Ms Dando was shot dead on her doorstep in Fulham, West London, in April 1999
- Nigel Dando saw her just weeks before her death on Easter weekend
The brother of murdered Jill Dando believes she may have been shot dead by someone looking for ‘five minutes of notoriety’.
In a crime that shocked the nation, the TV presenter was killed on her doorstep in Fulham, West London, on April 26, 1999.
New Netflix series Who Shot Jill Dando is set to explore the cold case, which led to one of the most high profile and complex police investigations in history.
Now, Ms Dando’s brother Nigel, who recently relived his sister’s final days in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, has said he believes his sister was the victim of a random attacker and was in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’.
Twenty-four years and five months after his sister was killed, Nigel and his family are still no closer to the truth (Pictured – Jill with Nigel and their father Jack)
She was Britain’s best loved TV presenter who was shot dead in cold blood on her doorstep. Jill Dando’s murder on April 26, 1999, shocked the nation and became one of the most high profile and complex police investigations in British history
He told the BBC: ‘My theory, which I had before this documentary and more so since I’ve seen a greater insight into the police investigation, is that it was just someone who was in that street who may or may not have known that she lived there, who was armed at the time, who may have recognised her, who perhaps thought he or she could get five minutes of notoriety by shooting her.’
READ MORE: Almost 25 years after she was gunned down on her doorstep, Jill Dando’s murder is the subject of a Netflix documentary. Now, in a rare interview, her brother relives her final days
Mr Dando, who is now 71, added: ‘And that is my view as to what happened, no matter how odd and strange people may think that is, it’s certainly one of the theories that’s abounded; that Jill was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
Speaking to Sky News about the myriad theories surrounding Ms Dando’s murder, he added: ‘There’s no line that really holds a huge amount of water apart from you know, a random killing, which I think it was.’
Mr Dando was himself a journalist – working for the Bristol Evening Post – when his sister was murdered.
It comes after he opened up to the Mail on Sunday about the murder of his sister.
‘It was a busy London street, and whoever did it would have escaped in a car, on a motorbike or on foot – so somebody would have seen them,’ he said.
‘There were, I thought, no doubt lots of clues outside Jill’s house, or perhaps somebody had seen someone following her.
‘But it became clear quite quickly that none of those things was true. Whoever did it seemed to have vanished into thin air, which was remarkable.’
Mr Dando said he hopes the Netflix series – which he participated in – might spur his sister’s killer into giving themselves up.
Nigel Dando, now 71, pictured with his little sister Jill during their childhood
Ms Dando is pictured with her fiancé Alan Farthing in 1999, months before she was shot dead on the doorstep of her home in Fulham
At the time of her death, she was best known for co-presenting the BBC One programme Crimewatch with Nick Ross
Barry George spent eight years in prison for Ms Dando’s murder before his conviction was quashed in 2008. Above: Mr George in the documentary, and right, before his original court appearance in 2001
READ MORE: The photo that led to innocent man being jailed for the murder of Jill Dando: How picture of Barry George wearing gas mask and holding pistol led police to believe fantasist shot presenter dead in 1999 before conviction was quashed
‘I wanted to give a more rounded picture of Jill, and to show why she was so popular with millions of people,’ he says of his decision to participate in the series.
‘I also hope it might encourage someone to come forward with a snippet of information that didn’t seem important before.
‘There’s even the possibility that whoever killed Jill might watch it, and it may prick their conscience.’
He also told of the last time he saw her. The pair enjoyed a roast dinner with her fiancé Alan Farthing on Easter weekend.
‘You couldn’t wipe the smile off her face, he said.
‘She was getting married in five months and the talk was all about that. Her plans, how excited she was: she was full of it.’
He added: ‘She and Alan were so good together. They had an instant attraction, and they shared the same sense of humour. It just worked.
‘It was lovely for Dad, and for me, to know that she was happy. A lot of her friends had settled down and had families and, at 37, I guess she was looking forward to going down the same route.’
The documentary, which will launch globally on Netflix on September 26, is directed by Marcus Plowright (Fred and Rose West: Reopened) and executive produced by Emma Cooper (The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes).
One of the leaflets that was handed out in an effort to trace Ms Dando’s killer
Six distinctive marks were found on the cartridge case used by the gunman who killed Jill Dando
Police pictured outside the home of Ms Dando in 1999 following her murder
Another image shows her walking through the shopping centre with her raincoat and bag
These are the haunting last images of Ms Dando, pictured just 40 minutes before she was assassinated outside her home
The Daily Mail’s coverage of Ms Dando’s shocking murder, which gripped the nation
Ms Dando’s murder prompted a huge investigation led by the Metropolitan Police and resulted in Barry George – a local loner and fantasist who had already served a prison sentence for attempted rape – being convicted of her murder in July 2001.
However, he was granted a retrial on appeal and was unanimously acquitted by a jury in August 2008 after spending eight years in prison.
In a trailer released last month, Mr George was seen saying: ‘It makes me angry that they have taken eight years of my life.’
At the time of her death, she was best known for co-presenting the BBC One programme Crimewatch with Nick Ross.
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