Jill Dando police probe Serbian assassin after investigation into BBC star’s murder

Evidence includes a newly unearthed picture of the convicted double-killer wearing an unusual tie that matches one worn by a man caught on CCTV

Detectives are probing a Serbian assassin over Jill Dando’s unsolved murder.

The Metropolitan Police said it is assessing evidence published during a Daily Mirror investigation linking Milorad Ulemek to Jill’s 1999 shooting.

This includes a newly unearthed picture of the convicted double-killer wearing an unusual tie that matches one worn by a man caught on CCTV who is still wanted.

The force said: “No unsolved murder is ever closed and detectives are assessing this information to understand whether it’s a new and realistic line of enquiry.”

Cold case officers are set to examine the raw footage of the unidentified man, who was caught on camera on the gunman’s likely escape route around 20 minutes after the Crimewatch presenter, 37, was shot. The original CCTV is believed to be buried somewhere in 223 boxes of material in police deep storage. Modern forensic imaging technology should enable officers to decide whether Ulemek should be treated as a suspect.

The 57-year-old Serbian was first named in connection with the killing in April 2024 after a facial comparison expert found he was identical to “Man X” in the CCTV, the Mirror reports. Two key eye witnesses previously said that they think it was him who they saw running close to the scene of Jill’s murder in Fulham, south west London. One of them picked out Man X in the CCTV as the man she saw “running for his life” near the murder to police a month after the killing.

Ulemek, a former French Foreign Legionnaire, known by his nickname Legija, is Serbia’s most infamous paramilitary soldier whose units were allegedly responsible for some of the worst atrocities in the Yugoslav wars.

Man X was pictured in Putney Bridge tube station around a mile from where Jill was shot. He was white, believed to be in his 30s, with dark hair, wearing a dark suit, a light shirt and the striped tie.

A picture has now emerged of twice-convicted murderer Ulemek, who is currently serving 40 years in a Serbian jail, taken before the killing in which he is wearing a navy blue striped tie with a distinctive design just like the one worn by “Man X”. Certified forensic video analyst Emi Polito has compiled a report comparing the two garments.

Mr Polito found the most “significant” similarity between them is a number of dark tones in the light stripes of Man X’s tie which mirror Ulemek’s. Other similarities were the “general form and style”, the appearance of it under the knot and three dark stripes which are “broadly similar size and tone”. He said his detailed examination “lends moderate support” to the contention that they are the same “type and design”.

He said the poor quality of copy of the CCTV image made it impossible for him to make a more definitive judgement. The original moving film will be clearer and it will allow experts to compare Ulemek and Man X from different angles.

In a 2024 report the expert found Man X and the Serb killer, also previously known as Milorad Lukovic, have a similar shaped mouth, chin, hairline and right sideburn, while the general shape and sizes of their noses and right ear were the same.

Ulemek’s tie is understood to have been made by the late Serbian fashion designer Neven Vrgoc who handpainted his garments which were known for their flamboyant designs. Staff at the shop were unable to confirm if Ulemek’s tie was one of Neven’s, saying there was no record of all of his creations.

A Serbian source said: “Neven was famous in the nineties for his bespoke ties and that was one made for Legija probably.”

Smiling Ulemek was pictured wearing the tie and a dark pinstriped suit. Mr Polito said Google Lens image recognition technology shows the photo was taken in Serbia at some time between 1992 and 1998.

Jill, 37, was ambushed from behind as she was about to open her front door, forced to the ground and killed instantly by a single bullet fired from a gun pressed to her left temple. At the time Ulemek led a notorious paramilitary unit called the JSO that carried out assassinations for late Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic.

MPs have called for the case to be reopened and the top barrister who prosecuted Milosevic for war crimes says Ulemek should be investigated. At the time Jill was shot, UK planes were bombing Serbia and she was one of the most famous faces on TV, presenting BBC shows such as Crimewatch and Holiday. Within hours of her murder, the BBC took a call claiming it was in response to the Nato attack.

Jill fronted a BBC charity appeal for Kosovan refugees 20 days before her death. In a Disasters Emergency Committee appeal on April 6, Jill called Kosovo a “former Yugoslavian region”, which would have enraged the Milosevic regime which saw it as the “cradle” of the nation.

A source with knowledge of Serbia’s security services said Jill’s BBC appeal, on behalf of large UK NGOs, potentially made her a legitimate target in their warped view.

Ulemek, who speaks good English, has a similar build, height and hair colour to the descriptions given by eight witnesses in and around the murder scene.

The Mirror found the Met had the CCTV of Man X within two weeks of the murder. But the image was never released. Ulemek was of a similar build, age, height and hair colour. Detectives never went to Serbia.

The former French Foreign Legionnaire and gang boss is one of Serbia’s most infamous paramilitary soldier whose units were allegedly responsible for some of the worst atrocities in the Yugoslav wars. He was convicted in the murders of Serbian ex-President Ivan Stambolic in 2000 and its first democratically elected PM, Zoran Djindjic in 2003.

It was reported that Ulemek has had three escape bids foiled at Zabela high-security jail and he can request early release in 2030. His lawyer Aleksander Kovacevic last said his client did not wish to comment when asked if he murdered Jill.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “In the 26 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.

“The investigation is now in an inactive phase, which means that it is not currently subject to routine reviews. However no unsolved murder is ever closed and detectives are assessing this information to understand whether it’s a new and realistic line of enquiry.”