Steven Lawrence murder evidence could bring hope for unsolved Jill Dando case
After a breakthrough in the Steven Lawrence murder case, police are hoping other cold cases could be solved
POLICE are hoping a set of vital clues could bring a breakthrough in Jill Dando's unsolved murder case.
The BBC Crimewatch presenter was shot dead on her doorstep in 1999 - and her killer remains on the loose more than 15 years later.
But after a new never-before-seen CCTV image of a potential witness of Steven Lawrence's murder was released last week, detectives hope further breakthroughs could be in store for cases such as Jill's.
There are 1,583 unsolved murders in England and Wales and detectives are committed to cracking as many as possible.
Police said CCTV showing a potential key witness to the Steven Lawrence case was "recently identified as part of a regular internal review of the case".
It was digitally enhanced and released as a public appeal - and there is now hope for further breakthroughs in similar cold cases.
Police have reportedly had "numerous calls and pieces of information" since releasing the footage, which shows a man wearing a jacket with a distinctive V design in an off-licence.
An image of the jacket was circulated by police shortly after the murder after witness reports placed a man in a "V" emblem jacket near Well Hall Road roundabout around the time Steven was attacked.
The 18-year-old was murdered by a gang of six white youths in Eltham, in what is believed to be a racially-aggravated attack.
The Met said the potential witness was in an off-licence on Well Hall Road, Eltham at 8pm on April 22, 1993.
As calls come flooding in with information, hope is sparked for the families of other murder victims - such as Jill.
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Jill was killed on her doorstep in Fulham, south west London in 1999, aged 37.
Forensics showed she was shot with a 9mm automatic pistol, which was pressed to her head.
Loner Barry George, a neighbour, was convicted to the murder in 2001 but was freed on appeal in 2007.
George had been convicted of indecently assaulting a number of women and was obsessed with multiple celebrities.
Hundreds of people have been quizzed over the murder but there have been no further theories.
At the time of her murder there were suggestions Jill had been targeted due to her Crimewatch work.
Some said she was killed by the IRA or Serbian hitmen, after launching an appeal for victims of the Kosovo crisis.
Fears the killer was a professional were reinforced by the lack of evidence and witnesses, despite it happening in the middle of London in broad daylight.
While the Dando enquiry is still open, no police work is thought to have been done since December 2013.
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