MAN X & THE ASSASSIN
»»Serb killer looks similar to CCTV pic from scene »»He led feared squad behind political executions
MILORAD Ulemek’s movements at the time of Jill Dando’s murder should be probed by police in the light of the Mirror’s investigation, a leading lawyer has said.
The ruthless Serbian assassin bears a striking resemblance to a man wanted for questioning over the popular TV star’s shooting.
As yet unidentified, that person was caught on CCTV following the gunman’s likely escape route after the Crimewatch presenter, 37, was killed just after 11.30am outside her home on Monday April 26, 1999.
The shocking murder bore all the hallmarks of a professional hit.
And now, facial comparison expert Emi Polito has found a number of similarities between “Man X” in the image and twice-convicted murderer Ulemek, who is currently serving 40 years in a Serbian jail.
At the time Jill was killed, the 56-year-old led a feared squad of hitmen targeting opponents of dictator Slobodan Milosevic.
Jill’s brother Nigel, 72, told us: “I’m always interested in any new lines of inquiry about Jill’s death, especially if they might lead to somebody being arrested and convicted of her murder.” Michael Mansfield KC, who defended wrongly convicted Barry George during his first 2001 trial for Jill’s murder, argued then that it could have been a Serbian hitman.
As the 25th anniversary of Jill’s murder approaches on Friday, he said of our findings: “I would call for there to be a review and for the investigation to be resuscitated.
“There was a recent Netflix show called Who Killed Jill Dando? Well, you may have the answer.
“The Metropolitan Police has a duty to Jill’s family and loved ones, to Barry George and the public to fully investigate this new line of inquiry uncovered by the Daily Mirror.
“This should include a full forensic examination of the original CCTV of the man, all recovered finger and palm prints and to ascertain the movements of Ulemek at the time.”
Mr George, who was cleared of murder after spending eight years in jail, also urged police to investigate.
The 64-year-old who lived near Jill in Fulham, South West London, and has learning difficulties, said: “If he’s committed that crime then he should
There was a show called Who Killed Jill? You may have the answer MICHAEL MANSFIELD KC BARRY GEORGE BARRISTER
be brought from Serbia and be dealt with through the courts.”
The Mirror examined thousands of pages of police files, spoke to witnesses and former detectives and travelled to Serbia.
We found the Met had the CCTV of Man X within two weeks of the murder. It showed a white male with dark hair, wearing a dark suit, a light shirt and a tie. But the image was never released. Nor were the descriptions of the suspect; Ulemek was in his 30s and of a
EXPERT similar build, height and hair colour. Detectives never went to Serbia.
When Jill died, the Yugoslav war was raging and UK planes were bombing Serbia. She made an appeal for Kosovan refugees. Within hours of her murder, the BBC took a call claiming the death was in response.
A man said: “Tell your Prime Minister, in Belgrade 15 people were killed, so 14 more to go.” Ulemek looks similar to the “sweating man” e-fit of a suspect who got on a bus in Fulham, minutes after newly engaged Jill died.
Mr Polito, who gives expert evidence for the police, said Man X and the Serb killer 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.
His report concluded: “Within the imagery limitations, no differences were found between Man X and Mr
[Ulemek].” But he could only give limited support to their being the same person because of a lack of detail in the blurry CCTV image.
He said: “There are a number of similarities between the two men… in particular the appearance of the mouth and of the hairline that add
TV star Jill was 37 when killed
some light weight to the contention that they are the same person.”
Mr Polito added it may be possible to make a more definitive finding with better quality CCTV.
He highlighted a dent on the bridge of Ulemek’s nose which is not visible in the CCTV image but evident in the
police e-fit, which he had not seen.
Ulemek’s lawyer Aleksander Kovacevic said the killer did not wish to comment when asked if he murdered Jill. He wrote: “He is not interested in participating.”
Former French Foreign Legionnaire and gang boss Ulemek is 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. Jill was shot in the head once at point-blank range.
A bullet was used which experts had not seen in the UK before. It may have been from a small pistol.
These were hallmarks of Yugoslav murders abroad.
Scotland Yard said last night: “The investigation into Jill’s murder is in an inactive phase. No unsolved murder is ever closed and we would consider new information to assess whether it represented a realistic line of enquiry.”