Jill Wendy Dando

Status:

Open

Offense Location:

Fulham, London, England

Summary:

Jill Wendy Dando (9 November 1961 – 26 April 1999) was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader who worked for the BBC. On the morning of 26 April 1999, Dando was shot dead outside her home in Fulham, London, prompting the biggest murder inquiry ever conducted by the Metropolitan Police. A local man, Barry George, was convicted and imprisoned for the murder, but was acquitted eight years later following an appeal and retrial. No other suspect has been charged, and the case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

On the morning of 26 April 1999, Dando left her partner's home in Chiswick, London. She then travelled by car to the house she owned at 29 Gowan Avenue, Fulham. As Dando got to her front door at about 11:32 BST, she was shot once in the head. Her body was found about fourteen minutes later by neighbour Helen Doble. Police were called at 11:47. Dando was taken to the nearby Charing Cross Hospital where she was dead on arrival at 13:03. Forensic examination indicated that she had been shot at close range with a 9mm Short semi-automatic pistol held against her head. Ballistics tests found that the bullet had been fired from a smooth, unrifled barrel, indicating the weapon was almost certainly a blank-firing pistol that had been illegally modified to fire live ammunition.

Additional Details:

The Metropolitan Police inquiry, named Operation Oxborough, became one of the force's largest investigations. Within six months, officers had spoken to more than 2,500 people and taken over 1,000 statements. On 28 May 2000, Barry George (aka Barry Bulsara) was charged with the murder of Jill Dando, and on 2 July 2001 he was found guilty at the Old Bailey. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. On Friday 1st August Barry Michael George finally stepped out of Court 1 at the Old Bailey a free man, having been unanimously acquitted of the murder of television presenter Jill Dando following a retrial. In November 2007, the Court of Appeal ruled that the original verdict was unsafe as the jury at the first trial had effectively been misled as to the value of the FDR evidence. Dando's co-presenter on Crimewatch, Nick Ross, proposed the formation of an academic institute in her name and together with Farthing raised almost £1.5 million (equivalent to £2.9 million in 2025). The Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science was founded at University College London on 26 April 2001, the second anniversary of her murder. She spent most of her career at the BBC and was the corporation's Personality of the Year in 1997. At the time of her death, her television work included co-presenting the BBC One programme Crimewatch with Nick Ross.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 27, 2026