Popular female TV personality murdered, she was even host of Crimewatch tip show

At Death's Door

In Fulham, West London, a woman’s piercing screams prompted Mr. Hughes to open his shutters at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, April 26, 1999. He saw a well-dressed man in front of his next door neighbor’s Gowan Avenue house. When he peered out his door to get a better look, Mr. Hughes told BBC News that he was shocked at seeing his neighbor “lying on the doorstep unconscious and covered in blood.” The well-dressed stranger had disappeared.

Jill Dando later died of a severe head wound on her way to West London’s Charing Cross Hospital, shortly after her neighbor had discovered her. A post mortem investigation revealed that the cause of death was a single close-range gunshot wound to the head. Almost a year earlier, Dando had told a colleague of being frightened by threatening phone calls and letters.

Who had shot one of Britain’s most popular television personalities outside her front door?

At the time of her brutal slaying Dando’s life and career were at their pinnacle. She was newly engaged to gynecologist Alan Farthing, who was dumbfounded by the murder of his 37-year-old fiancée. Dando was at the time also hosting several popular television programs, including BBC Holiday and Crimewatch, a series which explored unsolved criminal investigations and attempted to elicit tips and additional information from the program’s viewers. Ironically, Dando’s own murder investigation was featured four days before her burial in hopes of obtaining information about her death. On May 21, 1999, Dando’s family, wedding guests and fiancé mourned her at Clarence Park Baptist Church. The Reverend Marc Owen asked the question many Britons were asking, “Why?”

Three weeks after her death the police had no motive and no suspect in custody.

Operation Oxborough

The investigation, dubbed “Operation Oxborough,” began immediately. Detective Chief Inspector Hamish Campbell led the inquiry, involving numerous criminologists, psychologists and other forensic experts in the investigation. A total of three teams of detectives were created. A forensic examination of the area surrounding Dando’s front yard yielded one single Remington brand cartridge from a rare short version 9 mm semi-automatic Browning pistol. Criminologist Kate Broadhurst described the weapon to BBC News on April 27, 1999, as being similar to the guns used by, “drug dealers and professional criminals.”

Given the execution-style manner in which Dando was murdered, Mr. Campbell stated to the press that the killer “could either be a stalker or hit man.” Weeks after the murder the police had no one in custody linked to the crime.

There were several people who came forward immediately following Dando’s murder to report seeing a man behaving strangely in the vicinity of the crime. One witness, a 10-year-old boy, was being driven to school by his mother when he spotted a “weird” man outside Dando’s home the morning of the murder. The boy told BBC News that the man, who was wearing a dated suit and cap, was pacing Gowan Avenue and had almost stepped in front of the vehicle in which the boy was riding. Neither the boy nor his mother got a good look at the man’s face.

A window cleaner in the area also told police he witnessed a man outside Dando’s home one hour before she had been shot. Still yet another witness had seen a man with large glasses loitering around Dando’s home shortly before the shooting. Other witnesses had seen a man fleeing with a mobile phone from Dando’s house after the murder and another saw a man climbing the fence at a nearby park. Another man was seen sitting in a Range Rover near Dando’s home before the slaying occurred. Investigators examining area traffic camera footage showed a blue Range Rover vehicle speeding down Fulham Road near the vicinity of the Dando’s house 22 minutes after her murder. Investigators were unable to trace the driver or the vehicle. Another man was seen, perspiring heavily and resting at a bus stop shortly after the murder had occurred. Other interesting tips were revealed to the police in the weeks following Dando’s slaying, including statements taken from passengers on the bus that passed near the murder scene and said they saw the prime suspect talking on his mobile phone. This suspect was seen exiting the bus at Putney Bridge subway station. It was unclear if any of the sightings matched the description of the strange man of whom Dando’s neighbor had earlier described.

Information was gathered by the witnesses and a composite of the chief suspect was drawn up. Unfortunately, the witness accounts, camera footage, composite sketch and psychological profile all failed to produce new leads in the investigation.

After 28 days, the trail of the killer had gone cold. The Dando case had undergone a re-examination and a new inspector, Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Edwards, replaced Campbell. A new team had been organized with some 44 inspectors. Campbell, however, remained in control of the daily aspects of the case. On May 27, 1999, a man was taken into overnight custody by police. Scotland Yard later released the man, a funeral director, the following morning, after he was found to have no connection with the case.

On June 16, 1999, BBC News broadcast that sources revealed it was unlikely Dando had been stalked and that the crime was believed to have been carried out by a professional criminal. Police, who had extensively examined video footage following Dando’s movements in the weeks leading up to her death, found no evidence suggesting she had been stalked. The source further stated that the shooting bore, “all the hallmarks of a very planned and precise homicide.”

During the last week of July 1999, forensic experts publicly disclosed that they had discovered unique markings on the bullet casing found at the murder scene. Detective Chief Inspector Hamish Campbell relayed that six tiny, yet distinctive marks, deliberately made with a hammer-like instrument, had been found on the casing. The markings were believed to have been made to hold the bullet in place and reduce the firing sound. He was further quoted, stating that the markings could have been a “trademark, habit or idiosyncrasy” of the killer.

Investigators appealed to the public, specifically to ammunition and gun dealers, for information concerning the strange markings. The Daily Mail and Sun newspapers offered 100,000 pounds each, along with a 50,000 pound reward offered by Crimestoppers, for further information leading to the capture of Dando’s murderer. One hundred days had gone by since her death yet no one had been charged for the crime. The police and investigators continued to search for vital clues.

Sparks of Hope

On December 10, 1999, The Sun newspaper interviewed a man working on the film “102 Dalmatians” who had found a strange object on the shore of the Thames during an afternoon stroll. Wrapped in newspaper, the man discovered a black 9mm automatic Beretta, believed to have been similar to the gun used in the Dando shooting. The gun was discovered on the same day police revealed that Dando was most likely not murdered by a professional killer, although it had not been totally ruled out. Police further revealed that during the weeks leading up to her murder, two men at different occasions showed a fixation with Dando. On one occasion a man attempted to place his name on Dando’s electricity bill, and on another, a man attempted to have her telephone changed to his name. Weeks later, detectives revealed that there was a third incident in which a man attempted to access Dando’s private documents. It was unclear whether the men were one and the same or were two or three different people. This new evidence led police to speculate that Dando’s murder was most probably carried out by a stalker.

The Psychopathology of a Stalker

Katherine Ramsland in her article, “Stalkers: The Psychological Terrorists,” presents the definition of a stalker, which is according to U.S. legislation, a person who “willfully, maliciously and repeatedly follows or harasses” another person and who threatens the safety of that person or their immediate family. Recently stalking has gained a great deal of media attention due to several high profile cases in which celebrities have been murdered or assaulted by obsessed stalkers. The problem has often been believed to have been one suffered exclusively by females, especially those who are continuously in the public eye. According to Dr. Phillip Resnick of Case Western Reserve University, one in 12 women is stalked by either sex at one time throughout her life. However, stalking is not a phenomenon to which only celebrities or females alone fall victim. Both stalkers and their victims are represented by both genders. Dr. Ramsland points out the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that one in 45 men are stalked at sometime in his life and that “90 percent of women killed by their husbands or boyfriends had first been stalked.” However, on average women are more likely than men to be the victims of a stalker.

Dr. Reid Meloy, author of several books on stalking and a leading expert on stalking behavior, stated that stalkers are mostly middle-aged men who develop pathological attachments and usually follow a predictable pattern of behavior. He describes the progression of a stalker in his book The Psychology of Stalking, as one which begins with infatuation-like feelings, eventually followed by contact with the person of interest. Contact with the person often ends in rejection, which Meloy states, “triggers the delusion through which the stalker projects his own feelings onto the object: She loves me, too.” He further explains that the stalker hides his shame with anger, leading to the desire to control or injure the person being stalked. Often, the stalker will attempt to fulfill his fantasy by devaluing the person and controlling the individual through violence.

Dr. Ramsland describes the F.B.I.’s four distinct types of stalkers:

1. Non-domestic stalker, who has no personal relationship with the victim
2. Organized
3. Delusional
4. Domestic stalker, who has had a prior relationship with the victim and feels motivated to continue the relationship

Ramsland says stalkers tend to be, “unemployed or underemployed,” and more intelligent than other criminals.

Therefore, stalkers are more likely to be middle-aged, unemployed, obsessed, psychopathic men. However, one can not and should not myopically view all stalkers as such. Stalkers and their victims are not limited to any particular gender, age, sex, race or culture. Thus, anyone at anytime or anywhere can be stalked. Ramsland does state that although many stalkers do threaten their victims, only a “small percentage carry out their threat.” Unfortunately, there is no way to differentiate between those who make idle threats and those who actually follow through.

Suspect of Many Identitites

After one year and many appeals made by police for information into Dando’s murder, a 40-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the crime on May 25, 2000. The suspect, whose name was initially withheld from the public, was held in police custody at the London police station for 84 hours. He eventually appeared at the West London Magistrates Court on May 29, 2000. Police had asked the judge for an extension to hold the suspect in custody three times in order to question him more extensively before he was formally charged for the crime.

Police had begun to focus on the suspect following an interview with him concerning Dando’s murder. He was one of more than 2,000 people listed as potential suspects in the investigation. Before his arrest, police set up surveillance cameras outside of the suspect’s residence. Investigators claimed that they had discovered new circumstantial evidence taken from his home that linked him to the murder of Dando. Interestingly, police had already obtained several tips from anonymous callers about the suspect just days following the murder. However, the information was overlooked by investigators in the flurry of activity surrounding the case. Following his arrest, the suspect denied ever knowing Dando or having ever caused her physical harm.

The world was told that the name of the suspect was Barry Bulsara, several days following the arrest. However, police discovered that Barry Bulsara was not his real name. Neither were the names Steve Majors or Thomas Palmer, which he also frequently used. Eventually the police learned the real identity of their suspect, Barry Michael George. Neighbors and acquaintances told police that Mr. George often assumed false identities and claimed to be employed by the government to work high security positions. Mr. George also claimed to be related to the classic rock group Queen’s lead singer Freddy Mercury, whose original surname was Bulsara. However, ABC News reported that Mercury’s family denied that Mr. George ever had any affiliation with the singer’s family.

Mr. George’s home, located a half mile from Dando’s residence, was searched by police. Investigators lacked important evidence needed to build a solid case, including a lack of motive, eyewitnesses to the crime and a murder weapon. It was hoped that such evidence could be found at the suspect’s apartment. Many items were eventually removed from Mr. George’s residence and used as evidence in one of Britain’s most publicized trials of the century.

The Trial

Almost eight months following Mr. George’s arrest, the Dando trial began at the Old Bailey with a bumpy start. Four days after arguments began with prosecutor Orlando Pownall QC and defense attorney Michael Mansfield QC, the proceedings were adjourned by Mr. Justice Gage for unknown reasons. Legal arguments resumed during the last week of April 2001 but were once again delayed until the first week of May. Finally on May 4, 2001, the trial began again with the prosecution building up its case against Mr. George before a jury of seven women and five men. It was the beginning of a trial that would span five weeks and captivate news audiences worldwide.

During the first week in May, the jury learned of the details surrounding the death of Dando and the murder scene. Then they heard about Miss’ Dando’s history, including her engagement, successful career and accomplishments. Subsequently, the prosecution described the evidence concerning Mr. George, creating a picture of a man obsessed by fame. Mr. George had an intense interest in firearms and the military, gauged by the large quantity of magazines and books found at his house on those subjects. George had also a habit of using false identities throughout his life.

Mr. Pownall told jurors how in 1982 George had joined a pistol club using the name Steve Majors. George’s use of the name was in honor of the character Steve Austin, played by Lee Majors in the popular Bionic Man television series, according to BBC News. Pownall also told jurors that George had assumed other famous identities, including that of a heroic SAS soldier who helped end the siege on the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980.

Mr. Pownall spoke of Mr. George’s obsession with the BBC, where the defendant worked for a stint as a messenger in 1976. Pownall stated that the defendant had an “unusual interest in the BBC” and would often collect copies of the staff newspaper containing articles and photos of employees. The collection of the articles continued on a weekly basis over a seven-year period. One of the employees often featured in the BBC’s staff newspaper was Jill Dando. During a police search of Mr. George’s apartment, two cut out {Metro} newspaper articles referring to Jill Dando’s death had been found.

Jurors also learned that although Mr. George had claimed not to have known of Jill Dando, he had displayed enormous sympathy for her following her death. Mr. Pownall said that a member of the local council had remembered Mr. George saying that a memorial should be built for the murdered television presenter and that the defendant had actively sought letters of condolence following her death. During an interview with a journalist on the Dando case, Mr. George claimed to have watched Jill Dando on the {Crimewatch} television series and was quoted as saying that he thought her to be, “a lovely lady.” Prosecutor Pownall told the jury that the journalist’s account contradicted a statement Mr. George had given the police. An even more compelling account linking Mr. George to the Dando murder case came from a witness named Sally Mason. Mason had been an acquaintance of Mr. George for 15 years. During a conversation with Mason about the murder of Dando, the defendant had remarked to her that he had indeed been there, although he had claimed on other occasions to police to not have been.

Critical Evidence

During the second week of the trial, jurors were told of a police search of Mr. George’s apartment. One of the critical pieces of evidence was a coat which contained discharge residue particles in one of the pockets. The coat was similar to the one worn by the suspect witnesses claimed to have seen on the morning of Dando’s murder. The prosecution told jurors that particles found in the coat originated from the fired gun that contained the cartridge case recovered from the murder scene of Dando. Forensic scientists had found a similar match between the particles found in Mr. George’s coat pocket and particles found on the coat and in the hair of Jill Dando at the murder scene. Moreover, at the scene of the crime investigators found a single fibrous strand that matched the material of a pair of pants owned by the defendant.

Another particularly damaging witness account was relayed to the jury before the end of the prosecution’s opening speech. A witness named Susan Mayes said that she saw the defendant standing across the street in front of Dando’s house on the morning of the brutal murder. The witness also claimed that the defendant had been wearing a black suit with a white shirt. Mr. Pownall ended his speech by telling jurors that, “although he might have not had a rational motive, this defendant shot Jill Dando.”

During the third week of the trial, jurors were given a tour of several of the key places involved in the investigation. Following a visit to the houses where Dando and Mr. George lived and surrounding areas, jurors were once again escorted to the courtroom to hear the testimony of other key witnesses. One witness, who was a friend of Dando’s, described how she had found her friend’s body on the front step. In fact, several people came across the body of Dando immediately after her death. However, no one had seen anyone suspicious near the crime scene, except for Miss’ Dando’s neighbor Mr. Hughes. Jurors were also shown videotaped interviews, in which Mr. George had been questioned extensively by investigators. Once again, Mr. George was heard saying he had never before seen Jill Dando in the flesh, yet he was shocked upon learning about the circumstances of her death. Investigators also asked Mr. George if he had killed Dando, which he denied doing.

The Defense

On the fourth week of the trial, the defense attorney Michael Mansfield QC told jurors that there was evidence that Dando had been assassinated by a professional Yugoslavian hit man. He suggested that her death was caused in retaliation for NATO bombings in Belgrade. His claim was further supported by a National Intelligence Crime Service report, which ordered the death of the famous television presenter. “Miss Dando’s murder was a hit ordered by Arkan, the leader of the Tigers,” Mansfield said. The arguments made by the defense, focusing on the hit man theory, extended into the fifth week. Mansfield also told jurors that there were threatening phone calls received by Television Centre in London and BBC Belfast in the days following Dando’s death. The caller had been said to have had a foreign accent and had referred to Dando’s murder as an act of revenge. The jurors learned that the caller had also threatened other news personalities with being future targets. In a rebuttal against the prosecution’s earlier statements, Michael Mansfield told the jury that evidence linking Mr. George to the crime was “non-existent” and that the prosecutors failed to produce a motive, weapon or witnesses who saw him commit the murder.

Mansfield presented a witness who claimed to have seen a man in a Range Rover car parked near Dando’s house on the morning of the murder. The witness, a traffic warden, told the court she had noticed the man waving at her while talking on a mobile. She told the court that when she had first approached the car, she did not see the man and was startled when she eventually noticed him. She believed the man on the phone in the car had been attempting to attract her attention. There was no evidence presented by either side that connected Mr. George with a Range Rover vehicle.

Following closing statements by the defense and prosecution, Mr. George’s fate lay in the hands of the jury. On July 2, 2001, the jury returned after five days of deliberation. Barry Michael George had been found guilty of the murder of Jill Dando and sentenced to life in prison.

According to British law, previous convictions of the defendant could not be told to the jury to prevent prejudicing the case. The BBC News reported what the jury had never learned -- that Barry George had been previously arrested for crimes, some of which were assaults against women. In 1980, George had been fined for the impersonation of a police officer. That same year, he was arrested for the molestation of two women. One of the women had been attacked by Mr. George in an elevator, a crime for which he was later acquitted. The same year, Mr. George had been arrested for indecent assault of a second woman. She had told the judge at the hearing that he had followed her for several weeks prior to the attack. Mr. George was convicted for indecent assault in 1982 and of attempted rape in 1983.

What jurors had also not learned throughout the trial proceedings was that Barry George had been arrested in 1983 for trespassing on the property of Diana, Princess of Wales. Mr. George had been found armed with two knives, rope, combat paraphernalia and a gas mask. George had been seen loitering near the grounds around Diana’s home a total of four times during the same year before he was turned away from the area. Therefore, Mr. George was a more threatening and disturbed character than what his defense team had initially portrayed. Based on Mr. George’s prior criminal records from before the Dando charge, it was evident that stalking and other violent acts were not unknown to him. According to The Mirror newspaper who had interviewed the former wife of Mr. George, the marriage was described by the Japanese national as “violent and terrifying.” The marriage lasted from 1989 until the couple’s divorce in 1994.

Aftermath




It is difficult to imagine that something positive could arise out of a life that had been unnecessarily and violently destroyed. However, as a lasting legacy to Jill Dando, Mr. Farthing, friends and family of the TV station banded together with numerous supporters to create one of the world’s first criminal science institutes. Mr. Farthing said that those who knew and loved Jill were, “trying to turn the tragedy into something positive.” The Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science was developed to assist in the prevention of crime. The institute provides degree courses on crime prevention, in the hopes that other unnecessary acts of violence could be prevented in the future.

Appeals by Mr. George’s lawyers

Unsatisfied with the trial ruling, the lawyers appointed by Mr. George appealed to the courts for a retrial. On July 15, 2002, the BBC reported that Michael Mansfield QC petitioned the Court of Appeals, stating that the evidence against his client was “flimsy.” Mansfield stated that during the four-day hearing the forensic evidence used in the case was dubious. Mansfield told the judges at the hearing that the only thing that could be proved was that Mr. George was vulnerable. Mansfield argued that the murder weapon had never been found. The Beretta gun that was discovered during the earlier stages of the investigation had been found to have had no connection with the Dando crime. The Court of Appeals also heard in defense of Mr. George that the motive presented by the prosecution was questionable and the proof of obsession non-existent.

Several weeks following the filing of the appeal, three senior judges rejected the claim. The judges stated that they were satisfied with the evidence admitted and found it compelling enough to convict Mr. George. They found further evidence that offered proof that Mr. George had indeed committed the murder. The evidence included articles taken from Mr. George’s apartment, which pointed to an obsession with Jill Dando and other television personalities. Other evidence included the blatant lies about George’s experience with firearms. The court believed these and other facts, coupled with the scientific evidence provided in the trial, created sufficient grounds for conviction. One of the judges, Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf commented that after “looking at the evidence as a whole we have no doubt as to the correctness of the conviction.” Mr. George was returned to prison, where he remains for life for the murder of Jill Dando.