MISSING LINK
Inside Jill Dando theory that cops dismissed almost immediately – but could hold key to solving TV presenter’s death
A THEORY about TV presenter Jill Dando's murder almost immediately dismissed by cops could hold the key to solving the case.
Fresh scrutiny has been put on the BBC star's death almost 25 years ago thanks to a new three-part Netflix series Who Killed Jill Dando?.
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One particular theory was raised with cops almost immediately after Jill, 37, was shot dead.
The Crimewatch, Holiday and Songs Of Praise presenter was killed by a single bullet on April 26 1999, on the doorstep of her home in Fulham, south-west London.
Earlier that month she had presented a charity appeal for Kosovan refugees fleeing persecution from the late Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic's regime.
And there have been claims her killing was a revenge attack by Serbian warlords.
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The lead cop on the case has said this was one of the possible trails they considered.
But Detective Chief Inspector Hamish Campbell told the 2001 trial of Jill's alleged killer Barry George that the Serbian link was only considered "for a short while".
George was convicted of her murder but his conviction was later quashed and he was acquitted after a retrial in 2008.
Jill and boyfriend Alan Farthing had only recently got engaged when she was murdered.
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They were scheduled to marry later that year on September 25, nearly five months to the day from her death.
Jill presented the Kosovo Crisis Appeal which was broadcast on April 6 1999, just 20 days before she was killed.
Also murdered that month was campaigning journalist Slavko Curuvija, who had been a fierce critic of Milosevic's government.
He was shot dead outside his apartment in Serbia's capital Belgrade 15 days before Jill was killed.
It was suggested his killing was as a targeted hit orchestrated by notorious Serbian paramilitary leader Željko Ražnatović, also known as Arkan.
Four ex-Serbian spies were jailed in April 2019 for Curuvija's murder, two sentenced to 30 years apiece and the others to 20 years each.
The reporter's widow Branka Prpa told the Telegraph in 2012: "I think there is a link between Dando and Curuvija.
"I think they were both executed."
Jill's agent Jon Roseman has revealed she received menacing letters after fronting the Kosovo appeal which raised more than £1million for refugees in the Balkans.
He said: "We had a lot of mail, but not usually threatening.
"Then we received a letter that mentioned the appeal she had given earlier that month for Kosovo - it seemed to be somewhat threatening."
The BBC also received phone threats, including one from a Serbian man claiming to have killed Jill, but cops were unable to trace the call.
And police were also given a tip-off saying Serbian criminals in Britain shot Dando in response to NATO bombing the Radio Television of Serbia HQ three days earlier, killing 16 people.
There was a Serbian connection right there on the doorstep
Barry George's lawyer Michael Mansfield
But Mr Campbell told the Netflix doc: "The threat to the BBC, saying that was retaliation - we weren’t able to trace that particular caller because it was anonymous.
"And then the next question is the Serbian government, the Serbian state, an individual Serb living in London on their own who's angry.
"We then did explore obviously with security services here for any intelligence or information they had."
The BBC's former royal correspondent Jennie Bond said in the new series: "It was a bit scary to think that might have been the motive behind Jill’s death, that it might have been a Serbian warlord.”
George, now 63, has also been interviewed for the Netflix programmes about his time behind bars and eventual acquittal.
He said: "It makes me angry that they have taken eight years of my life."
And George's lawyer Michael Mansfield told the doc: "The file should still be open. They should be looking."
He said a "crimping" pattern found on a bullet casing outside Jill's home was often seen on ammunition used in the Balkans.
Mr Mansfield said: "There was a Serbian connection right there on the doorstep."
He added, "And it had happened before", referring to Curuvija's murder.
He said: "It has all the hallmarks of an organised, orchestrated execution - which in my view points heavily away from Barry George."
Other theories about who murdered Jill have also been offered.
The Metropolitan Police were contacted by a woman insisting the IRA were to blame.
Speculation has also alleged it was a hit by a London underworld gang in retaliation for Jill reporting on them for Crimewatch.
Reports last year said she was shot on the orders of a Russian mafia don after rejecting his advances when filming a holiday programme in Cyprus.
Meanwhile, French court documents say she was murdered by a Russian hitman in a case of mistaken identity.
Papers submitted to a Paris court allege Elite model agency boss Gerald Marie - accused of raping several women - called for undercover journalist Lisa Brinkworth to be "dealt with" after she exposed his company.
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But Jill's brother Nigel Dando believes her killer was a lone gunman acting spontaneously and wanting "five minutes of notoriety".
He also said he hoped the new series would "prick the conscience of whoever did it" and prompt them to come forward.
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