JILL DANDO was shot dead on her West London doorstep 20 years ago. Now a documentary looks back at the BBC News presenter’s murder and the subsequent conviction and release of suspect Barry George. Jill Dando’s killer still walks free – but will they ever be found?

Jill Dando’s murder rocked the nation. 

The Crimewatch presenter was just 37-years-old when she was killed in cold blood in a sleepy Fulham Street on April 26 1999.

Following her harrowing death a man called Barry George was arrested, tried and jailed for her murder. 

He served eight years behind bars before he was cleared of the killing and allowed to walk free.

Two decades after Jill’s murder a documentary has revisited the crime and the subsequent, conviction and release of Barry George, whose name was cleared in 2008.

No one else has been arrested in connection with Jill Dando’s murder following George’s release.

Will Jill Dando’s killer ever be found?

Hamish Campbell, the detective who led the inquiry into the newsreader’s murder told the BBC he believes her case will never be solved. 

Mr Campbell said: “Do I think somebody will come back to court? Probably not, no.

“Sometimes I felt we were a day away from solving it and other times, I thought: ‘No, we’re a long way away.’
“Senior officers were asking: ‘What are the likelihoods of this case being resolved?’“We had over 2,000 people named as potential suspects or responsible. Some actions to trace and eliminate one person might take a day. “One action might take two weeks. But there’s thousands of them and that’s the issue of managing stranger homicides.”

Jill Dando timeline from murder to today

April 26, 1999 – Jill Dando was shot dead on her doorstep in Munster Road, Fulham, London
May 25, 2000 – Police arrest Barry George
July 2, 2001 – A jury finds Mr George guilty of murder on a 10 – 1 majority
July 29, 2002 – Mr George loses an appeal against his conviction
December 16, 2002 – The House of Lords refuses permission for Mr George to mount a further challenge to his conviction
March 25, 2006 – Lawyers for Mr George submit new evidence which they believe undermines his conviction
June 20, 2007 – The Criminal Cases Review Commission refers the conviction to the Court of Appeal
November 5, 2007 – Mr George begins second appeal
November 15, 2007 – Mr George’s appeal is upheld and a retrial ordered
June 9, 2008 – Retrial begins at the Old Bailey
August 1, 2008 – Mr George clear of Dando’s murder

The documentary will air on BBC One on Tuesday, April 2 at 9pm and will mark 20 years since Miss Dando’s death. 

Source: Read Full Article