The question of who killed Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando has remained unanswered for years, but a new investigation has opened up fresh leads. Investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas has taken a closer look at the case and was given access to the police investigation files. He saw a list of over 100 potential suspects that were never followed up, and managed to speak to one of the men anonymously. This man claims he knows who shot Jill back in 1999.
READ:Jill Dando's brother Nigel opens up about theory on who killed his sister
When Mark asked who he thought killed Jill, the man, whose voice was disguised, said: "Certainly someone professional." He then added that he believes he knows who was behind organising Jill's murder. "I want you to have a look at this list of potential suspects, have a flick through to see if there's any on there that you know or would have a particular concern that they are out there…" said Mark. The anonymous man replied: "There are names here that I recognise. And there's one in particular that stands out to me. But I wouldn't identify that person because it's very dangerous."
Investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas appeared on This Morning to talk about the case
"You have lived in that world and even now you are still fearful about how much you can say? Worrying that if you said too much that someone might come after you?" Mark asked the anonymous hitman. He replied: "Of course I am. I'm sure that they would come after me." Mark was appearing on This Morning to talk about the show's brand new crime series Unsolved, which aims to help family and friends of victims find answers. Mark, who uncovered the Jimmy Savile scandal, revealed that he had also spoken to the witness who found Jill dead, and she too agreed that "it all looked very professional".
This Morning host Phillip Schofield asked Mark if he was any closer to finding out why Jill was shot. Mark said he believed it had "something to do with her work on Crimewatch". He explained: "There are some very nasty horrible people out there – criminals – and the crucial element, from their point of view, is that they may perceive that Crimewatch puts criminals away, therefore putting their friends and colleagues away, and I think that was the reason."
Mark says a hitman revealed he knows who killed Jill
Mark has submitted his report of findings to the police, who have agreed to act upon the new information. Mark said that police need to reopen the case and look at it with a fresh pair of eyes. "I would go back over the file, get a cold case team looking at it, start to do those inquiries that were never followed up," he said. "Crucially Barry George was fully acquitted, so it's now an unsolved case." Jill Dando was fatally shot outside her Fulham home in April 1999. A local man, Barry George, was convicted and jailed for the murder but was later acquitted after an appeal and retrial.