The Metropolitan Police are reviewing enhanced CCTV footage from Putney Bridge Underground station as part of ongoing inquiries into the unsolved murder of BBC broadcaster Jill Dando. Scotland Yard confirmed that recent advancements in CCTV enhancement technology have enabled detectives to re-examine 27-year-old footage from the station.
Background of the case
Jill Dando, a former presenter of Crimewatch, was shot and killed outside her home in Fulham on April 26, 1999, at the age of 37. An unidentified person, referred to as "Man X," was captured on camera approximately a mile from Ms Dando's home shortly after the attack.
A driver reported seeing a man "running for his life" on Fulham Palace Road around the time of the shooting, according to the Mirror. The driver later identified Man X in the station CCTV as the person she had seen sprinting.
Met Police statement
A Met Police spokesperson said: "In the 27 years since Jill Dando’s murder, the investigation has been subject to numerous reviews, aiming to identify whether matters could be progressed with advances in technology and forensics. Recent advancements in CCTV enhancement technology have provided investigators with the opportunity to re-examine original footage from Putney Bridge train station."
The spokesperson added: "The review of CCTV footage forms part of ongoing inquiries and should not be interpreted as a significant line of inquiry nor as a new investigation being opened on this matter."
Jill Dando's career and the murder
Beyond Crimewatch, Ms Dando appeared on BBC programmes during the 1980s and 1990s, including the travel show Holiday and The Antiques Inspectors. She started as a reporter at her local paper, The Weston Mercury in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, before joining the morning programme Breakfast Time, which later became BBC Breakfast.
She won the BBC's Personality of the Year in 1997 and was a popular public figure across British television. On the night of her murder, neighbours reported hearing nothing resembling a gunshot. Forensic studies indicate she was shot with a pistol pressed against the left side of her head. She was taken to Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith, where she was declared dead on arrival.
Legal aftermath
In 2001, Barry George was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, after serving eight years in prison, George faced a retrial at the Old Bailey in 2008 and was unanimously cleared of the charges following concerns over forensic evidence. Ms Dando's death remains one of the UK's most high-profile unsolved crimes.
