Jill Dando: TV presenter’s brother Nigel Dando gives his theory on star’s unsolved murder 24 years on

Published

2 years ago

September 18, 2023

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The brother of murdered TV presenter Jill Dando says despite the case remaining unsolved 24 years, he has a theory about who could be behind her death.

The execution style killing of one of Britain’s best-loved broadcasters in broad daylight on her own doorstep in April 1999 shocked the nation, leaving the press, public and police united in disbelief.

One of the biggest homicide investigations in British history – finally resulting in a conviction one year after her murder, only to be overturned seven years on – remains unsolved to this day.

Her brother, Nigel Dando, has told Sky News he believes it was “a random killing” carried out by a stranger, and that the presenter “was just in the wrong place at the wrong time”.

Speaking ahead of a new Netflix documentary, looking into the murder and resulting police investigation, Mr Dando said that even all these years after his sister’s death, he is hopeful “the killer is out there watching” and could “come forward… to confess what they’ve done and get it off their chest”.

‘It’s a heck of a story’

Receiving news of the death of a loved one is hard – and all the more so when that death is sudden and violent.

Mr Dando says he hadn’t seen Jill for around three weeks before her death, but then received a phone call telling him his sister had been killed.

He says: “Within a couple of minutes, really, of hearing that Jill had died, half of my brain wanted to grieve for her loss and be close to my dad… He was in his eighties and not in the best of health. So, you had the family side of things.”

However, as a fellow journalist, Mr Dando also had a second part of his mind clicking into gear.

He goes on: “But, you know, one of the leading TV celebrities in this country gunned down on her own doorstep. It’s going to… It’s a heck of a story. And you kind of knew what was going to come down the line.

“I was trying to prepare myself to deal with that, knowing that you had to deal with the media. But trying to protect my dad from any excesses of it.”

It is of course that same power of the story that attracted true crime producer Emma Cooper to the case, and she would go on to spend over a year heading up the three-part documentary.

She explains: “An act that violent with a gun happening in an area of London, that would be outlandish now in 2023. So, to look back at that happening at that time is extraordinary.”

But she says it was also key to remember the person at the heart of the story: “It was very important to all of us that Jill was very present in the series and that we reminded people who knew her and remember her. And also [it was important] we brought it to a new audience of young people who don’t necessarily know about Jill and don’t necessarily know what happened to her and what a huge part she was in all of our lives.”

Who was Jill Dando?

Born in the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, Dando’s first job was as a trainee with her local weekly newspaper, the Weston Mercury, where her father and brother also worked.

Quickly progressing from print journalism to television, her talent paired with a girl-next-door persona saw her rise through the ranks of regional shows to national TV, going on to present Holiday, the Six O’ Clock News and Crimewatch.

Just two years before her death, she was voted BBC personality of the year.

On 26 April 1999 she was shot dead outside her home in Gowan Avenue, Fulham, southwest London. She had been due to present the Six O’ Clock News the following evening.

The many theories about Jill’s killer

One of the theories of a possible motive behind her killing, was that her presenting role on Crimewatch had made her vulnerable to criminals who might bear a grudge against her for her part in bringing them down.

Another was that a Serbian assassin could have killed her, in revenge for NATO bombing, after seeing her front an appeal for aid for Kosovar Albanian refugees.

However, Mr Dando doesn’t believe such theories stand up to robust investigation, calling them “interesting lines of inquiry” but which “never went anywhere”.

Of the Crimewatch connection he says “there was no evidence, it was just someone jumping on the bandwagon”.

And of the theory of links to Serbian mafia – Mr Dando says there was “no real evidence of a Serbian hitman”.

But he does have his own thoughts about who could have been behind his sister’s death.

“My theory before this happened and that’s been reinforced since by watching this documentary, is that Jill was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that somebody walking down the street, holding a gun for whatever reason, spotted her, either knowing her or not knowing who she was, and shot her dead.”

Mr Dando adds that some of the “theories would make great stories in fiction, but… There’s no line that really holds a huge amount of water apart from you know, a random killing, which I think it was.”

Who is Barry George, and how does he fit into the case?

Local man, Barry George, who had previous convictions and a history of stalking women, was arrested for Jill’s murder almost a year after her death, and later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mr George spent seven years in jail, but was later acquitted due to unreliable forensic evidence, leaving the case again unsolved.

Speaking about Mr George’s original conviction, Mr Dando says: “At the time I thought that the police had got the right person, and a jury agreed with that sentiment because he was obviously found guilty and jailed for life. But the legal system moves on.”

But Mr Dando does have one concern – that Mr George chose not to give evidence, at either his trial or re-trial.

Mr Dando says: “I would just liked to have seen him tell a jury exactly what he was doing on that day, because he’s never actually explained where he was. It’s all a bit jumbled up. It would have been interesting to have heard him explain where he was, and for him to have been cross-examined about his movements on that day.”

While the conviction against Mr George was quashed, he has been unsuccessful in his attempts to gain compensation for wrongful imprisonment.

Mr George is also a contributor to the Netflix documentary.

Executive producer Emma Cooper says she felt it was vital to have Mr George’s side of the story in the film, to present “as clear of a rounded picture of all the events as possible from as many different perspectives as possible”.

In the documentary, she asks Mr George outright, “Did you kill Jill Dando,” to which Mr George answers, “No”.

She says: “I thought it was important to ask, I thought that the audience would expect that of us to ask him a straight question. And so, we did.”

One of the biggest homicide investigations in British history

Mr Dando says he bears no anger towards the police over the lack of a conviction, calling the investigation “a difficult job” and adding: “I don’t have any negative feelings towards the police at all with their inquiries. I didn’t at the time, and as the years have gone on, I don’t.”

As the documentary shows, while Dando’s fame ensured that news of her murder travelled far and wide, it also played a part in hindering the investigation.

Mr Dando says officers were inundated with people trying to “do the right thing” by offering up information, and the result was an avalanche of tips “overwhelming all the potential lines of inquiry that came in”.

While the investigation was moved into “an inactive phase” nine years ago, Met Police told Sky News detectives “would consider any new information provided” in a bid “to determine whether it represented a new and realistic line of enquiry”.

Offering further information around the combined reward of £250,000 which was initially offered for information leading to an arrest, the Met told Sky News, “Any discussion about any reward would have to take place in the event that new information came to light.”

Jill’s legacy

Mr Dando says he is still approached in public – in the supermarket, at the carpet shop – by people “wanting to talk about Jill” and “how they remembered her”.

Jill was just 37 when she died, and five months away from getting married to her fiance, Alan Farthing.

Mr Dando says: “She was on an upward trajectory… Whether family life would have taken over from her broadcasting career or whether she could have juggled the two. Who knows what would have happened, where she would have been today.”

Will we ever get an answer?

Ms Cooper says: “It’s really important for a shared audience to look back at that and for new people to discover what happened. And for older people to be reminded about it and to be reminded of the fact that it is still unsolved.”

The film documents aspects of the investigation that most – including some of Jill’s family – have never heard about before.

Other contributors to the film include Dando’s ex-partner, television producer Bob Wheaton, her agent Jon Roseman, and former detective chief inspector Hamish Campbell who headed up the murder case.

Ms Cooper says: “If somebody could see something that could jog a memory that has been unclaimed for 20 years, that would be an amazing outcome for all of us.”

Mr Dando too, has hopes – even if they are vanishingly slim – that the documentary could lead to some sort of answer for himself, and all those who loved and knew Jill.

He says: “We’ve lived for 24 years not knowing who did it, but maybe more importantly, why they did it. Why would you go up to a stranger and do what you did? I just don’t know. So, it would be nice to have some closure from that point of view to know why that person pulled the trigger.”

He goes on: “Maybe even the killer is out there watching this documentary and their conscience, even after all these years may be pricked and it may just encourage them to come forward to confess what they’ve done and get it off their chest.”

Who Killed Jill Dando? is released on Netflix on Tuesday 26 September.

UK

Elderly British couple detained in Afghanistan freed

Published

10 hours ago

September 19, 2025

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She smiled and his eyes filled with emotion - the moment the Reynolds were freed by the Taliban

An elderly British couple who were detained by the Taliban earlier this year have been freed.

Barbie Reynolds, 76, and her husband Peter, 80, were detained by the Taliban’s interior ministry on 1 February as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, central Afghanistan.

In March, they were moved to a maximum security prison in Kabul where they had been held without charge since.

They were safely released from detention on Friday and flown to Doha following mediation led by Qatar.

Sky Correspondent Cordelia Lynch was at Kabul Airport as the freed couple arrived and departed.

Mr Reynolds told her: “We are just very thankful.”

His wife added: “We’ve been treated very well. We’re looking forward to seeing our children.

“We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens.”

Asked by Lynch if they had a message for family and friends, Mrs Reynolds replied: “My message is God is good, as they say in Afghanistan.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the news in a statement thanking Qatar.

“I welcome the release of Peter and Barbara Reynolds from detention in Afghanistan, and I know this long-awaited news will come as a huge relief to them and their family,” he said.

“I want to pay tribute to the vital role played by Qatar, including The Amir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, in securing their freedom.”

Richard Lindsay, the UK’s special envoy to Afghanistan, told Lynch it remained “unclear” on what grounds the couple had been detained.

He said they were “very relieved to be going home and delighted to be reunited with their family”.

Asked about the state of their health, he said: “I am not a doctor, but they are very happy.”

He added the British government’s travel advice to the country was clear. “We advise British nationals not to travel to Afghanistan. That remains the case and will remain the case,” he said.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesperson at the Taliban government’s foreign ministry, said in a statement posted on X that the couple “violated Afghan law” and were released from prison after a court hearing.

He did not say what law the couple were alleged to have broken.

Qatar, the energy-rich nation on the Arabian Peninsula that mediated talks between the US and the Taliban before the American withdrawal, helped in releasing the Reynolds.

Mirdef Ali Al-Qashouti, acting charge d’affaires at the Qatar Embassy in Kabul, told Lynch that Qatari officials ensured the couple were kept in “comfortable” conditions during talks.

He told Lynch the Reynolds’ release was because of “continuous efforts by my government to keep our policy in helping releasing hostages and our mediation and diplomacy”.

“Throughout their eight months in detention – during which they were largely held separately – the Qatari embassy in Kabul provided them with critical support, including access to their doctor, delivery of medication, and regular communication with their family,” a Qatari official told Reuters news agency.

Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in a statement: “The UK has worked intensively since their detention and has supported the family throughout.

“Qatar played an essential role in this case, for which I am hugely grateful.”

The couple have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years and run an organisation called Rebuild, which provides education and training programmes.

They have been together since the 1960s and married in the Afghan capital in 1970.

Read more from Sky News:
Afghans relocated to UK ‘exaggerating’ Taliban threat

Their son, Jonathan, told Sky News in April his parents had “never heard one accusation or one charge”.

He said the British government had offered to evacuate them when the Taliban took over, to which they replied: “Why would we leave these people in their darkest hour?”

Mr and Mrs Reynolds are now on their way home, where they will be reunited with their family.

UK

Trump tells PM how to stop small boats and makes Putin admission – but saves harshest words for Sadiq Khan

Published

22 hours ago

September 19, 2025

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Trump tells PM how to stop small boats and makes Putin admission - but saves harshest words for Sadiq Khan

Donald Trump has told Sir Keir Starmer he should use the military to stop migrants crossing the Channel.

The US president made the suggestion while stood alongside the prime minister for a typically wide-ranging news conference on Thursday afternoon, bringing his state visit to Britain to an end.

Catch up on updates from Trump’s state visit

Speaking at Chequers, Sir Keir‘s country retreat, Mr Trump warned illegal migration is “going to destroy […] countries from within” and said “it doesn’t matter if you call out the military” to deal with small boats.

He talked up his own record of stopping people crossing the US-Mexico border.

Sir Keir instead pointed to his government’s migrant return deal with France, with the first deportation of a man who arrived via small boat taking place on Thursday morning.

Further flights are scheduled to take place this week and next, starting Friday, while exchange arrivals to Britain via the legal route agreed with the French are due in the coming days.

Mr Trump also used the news conference to admit Vladimir Putin “has really let me down”, having stepped up his attacks against Ukraine since the two men held a peace summit in Alaska last month.

But asked by Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby if it was a mistake to invite Mr Putin and if he regrets it, the president replied: “No.”

It’s the “biggest disappointment” of his presidency that he hasn’t managed to end the war, Mr Trump admitted.

He said he thought it would be the “easiest” to solve because of his relationship with Mr Putin.

Sir Keir said the Russian president has “shown his true face”, and more “pressure” is required to make him stop.

Trump reignites war of words with Khan

While disappointed with Mr Putin, Mr Trump spared his harshest rhetoric for Sir Keir’s friend Sadiq Khan.

Speaking on Air Force One on his way back to the US, where he touched down in the early hours of Friday, he said he asked for the London mayor to be banned from attending the state banquet at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

“I didn’t want him there,” the president said. “I asked that he not be there.”

He claimed Sir Sadiq had wanted to be at the event, adding: “I think the mayor of London Khan is among the worst mayors in the world, and we have some bad ones.”

Sky News understands the mayor didn’t seek or expect an invitation. A source close to Sir Sadiq said the capital is a “global success story” and “record numbers of Americans are choosing to make London their home”.

The Trump-Starmer news conference also covered the war in Gaza, the sacking of Lord Mandelson as Britain’s US ambassador, energy policy, and a newly signed UK-US tech deal.

Speaking about the situation in Gaza, Mr Trump said: “Simply I want all hostages to be released now.”

He said he disagreed with the UK’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN within days, should Israel not improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Trump claims not to know Mandelson

Also asked by Beth Rigby if he has sympathy with Lord Mandelson, who was sacked by Sir Keir over past links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, the president simply said: “I don’t know him.”

That’s despite the president being pictured shaking hands with the Labour peer in the Oval Office after announcing a trade deal with the UK back in May.

There had been concerns that the Epstein issue could cast a shadow on the president’s second state visit to the UK, not least because Mr Trump was also close to Epstein, although they fell out before his conviction in 2009.

Energy policy

Mr Trump urged Sir Keir to exploit the UK’s North Sea oil and gas resources, dismissing wind power as a “very expensive joke”.

The UK government has ruled out new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, focusing on renewables and building nuclear power stations.

Despite their differences, Mr Trump said the bond between the US and Britain is like no other, and he described the prime minister as a “tough negotiator”.

The pair signed a technology prosperity deal, offering major investment by US tech firms in the UK, that will help to develop artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

Sir Keir also hailed the prospect of £150bn flowing into the UK from big US companies such as Palantir and Blackstone, part of a wider £250bn package that officials say will benefit both sides.

Jimmy Kimmel controversy

Meanwhile, Mr Trump also commented on US late-night chat show host Jimmy Kimmel, whose programme has been pulled from schedules after his remarks about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The president claimed the show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, was suspended because he “is not a talented person” and had “very bad ratings”.

UK

Trade unions gear up to nominate candidate in contest for Labour deputy

Published

22 hours ago

September 19, 2025

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Trade unions gear up to nominate candidate in contest for Labour deputy

Two of the most important Labour-affiliated unions are set to nominate their choice for who should replace Angela Rayner as the party’s deputy leader.

Unison and GMB will pick their candidate on 25 September – two days ahead of the deadline for nominations for Labour affiliates and local party branches.

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, is seen as the government’s choice of candidate in the race, which has effectively turned into a de facto confidence vote on Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.

She is up against Lucy Powell, who was sacked as Commons leader in the recent reshuffle and has become the candidate for MPs who are unhappy with the party’s direction after a difficult first year in government.

Ms Phillipson has already secured the backing of the two unions – Community and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers.

Will unions want to say ‘sod you’ to PM?

There are question marks over who Unison, GMB and Unite will back in the race, triggered by Ms Rayner quitting as deputy leader, deputy prime minister and housing secretary over underpaid stamp duty on a second home.

While Ms Phillipson may be boosted by having the backing of Number 10, the level of discontent in the Labour Party and wider union movement is at such a level that Ms Powell’s “outsider” status may benefit her.

One union source told Sky News that while they felt Ms Phillipson was the “better candidate”, “the temptation to vote Lucy to give a ‘sod you’ to government is a lot”.

They added: “Number 10 need to start fearing the party. They’ve had it too easy.”

Another union insider said there was a “sense among union leaders that they wish this wasn’t happening”.

They questioned how important a role the unions would play in this contest due to the tight timetable, making it harder for them to mobilise behind a candidate.

“Most unions feel this is not a hugely impactful moment either way,” they said.

“Many of their members will be feeling quite grumpy at how things are going with the government, but at the same time, union leaders won’t want to get on the wrong side of Number 10 over something that is not going to make a meaningful difference in the long term.”

There are questions over the extent of Unite’s involvement and interest in the race.

Although the union is Labour’s biggest supporter, Sharon Graham, its general secretary, has sought to turn its focus away from internal party politics and on to industrial disputes.

On the first day of the Trades Union Congress in Brighton, she told Sky News she’d be “looking very much at their track record – have they backed workers? That’s what I’ll be looking for”.

How will the race play out?

In order to proceed to the next stage of the contest, the two candidates must each secure nominations from at least 5% of constituency Labour parties, or at least three organisations affiliated that to the party. At least two of these must be trade unions which make up 5% of fully paid-up affiliated party members.

The deadline to secure the necessary support is Saturday 27 September.

The Labour Party’s annual conference begins the next day, where the candidates who have secured the required backing will be able to make their pitches directly to members in a final hustings.

Ms Phillipson has pitched herself as the candidate who can “unite” the party after a difficult first year in power, which has seen Labour sink to just 20% in the polls, behind Nigel Farage’s Reform, which is leading on 28%.

Ms Phillipson, who has spoken of growing up in a working class area of Sunderland before going on to high office, said she was the person to take on Reform and secure a second term for Labour.

Speaking at a hustings event last week, she told members: “You can use this contest to look backward, to pass judgment on what has happened in the last year, or you can use it to shape positively what happens in the run-up to the next election.”

‘Unforced errors’ cost government

Her message comes in contrast to that of Ms Powell, who has pitched herself as the “shop steward” of the parliamentary party willing to deliver criticism to the prime minister if necessary.

She said Labour’s mistakes in office over welfare and winter fuel payments had given the impression that it is “not on the side of ordinary people”.

In an interview with the BBC, Ms Powell praised the government’s “many achievements”, but added: “Some of the mistakes that we’ve made, or some of the unforced errors, have given a sense that we’re not on the side of ordinary people.”

Although Ms Powell secured fewer nominations from MPs than Ms Phillipson, recent polling by Survation suggests she is ahead with members on 47%, compared with 30% for her rival.