A van driver has come forward with a potentially significant eyewitness account related to the murder of BBC Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando, who was shot dead outside her London home on 26 April 1999. The witness, who prefers to remain anonymous, claims to have seen a man running near the scene of the murder who bore a striking resemblance to Milorad Ulemek, a Serbian paramilitary figure and convicted murderer.

The incident occurred on Fulham Palace Road in South West London, just minutes after Dando was fatally shot. The driver, travelling in a Ford Transit van, said he had to brake sharply to avoid colliding with the man sprinting across the road. Speaking to the Irish Mirror, the witness recalled: “I had to slam my brakes on to stop or I would have crashed into him. He ran out and I managed to stop about two or three metres away from him. I noticed that the man was looking behind him from where he had just run from.”

The man described the runner as wearing a dark suit jacket and matching trousers, standing around 5ft 10 or 11 inches tall, with a medium build, short black hair longer on top, and appearing to be in his late 20s or early 30s. Reflecting on the encounter, the van driver said: “I shouted ‘you arsehole’, the man was still running across the road, he didn’t look at me when I shouted to him, he just continued to run. I was still not moving and I watched him run into a park… It looked like he was running from something.”

The near-collision stuck with the witness, who promptly contacted police two days after the murder when news of Dando’s death became public. He expressed confidence that he might be able to identify the man if shown a photograph, stating: “I had a good clear look at this male as he was about two or three metres away from me, and was in my sight for about five seconds, I would possibly recognise him again.”

This new evidence comes amid other accounts pointing towards Ulemek’s possible involvement. Last year, a female motorist independently reported seeing a man she identified as Ulemek running on the same street shortly after the shooting. The Mirror’s investigation, including expert facial analysis of CCTV footage of an unidentified man known as N6814, found a close match with Ulemek’s appearance at the time.

Ulemek, now 57, led a paramilitary unit under the former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic and is currently serving a 40-year sentence in Serbia for political assassinations. His units have been implicated in atrocities during the Yugoslav wars. At the time of Dando’s murder, the region was embroiled in conflict, and the BBC received a statement claiming the killing was retaliation for NATO bombardment.

Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, the chief prosecutor in Milosevic’s trial, has urged police to consider fresh evidence, telling the Mirror: “I would encourage the police to be open minded given there are new pieces of evidence that may not have been considered and it would be helpful if they are considered.”

The Metropolitan Police acknowledge that the case has undergone numerous reviews over the years, with the investigation currently inactive but open to new information. A spokesperson said: “No unsolved murder is ever closed and detectives would consider any new information provided to assess whether it represented a new and realistic line of enquiry.”

Former Detective Chief Superintendent Barry Webb, who reviewed the case in 1999, described the “running man” as not being treated as a high priority due to insufficient links. Nonetheless, he suggested that new research should be taken into account during any review.

The renewed attention has drawn comments from public figures and experts. BBC correspondent John Simpson, a friend of Jill Dando, advocated for a full case review, stating: “There should, I think, be a full review of the case.” Labour MP for Hammersmith Andy Slaughter highlighted the importance of an investigation given the potential identification of a suspect, while Ben Coleman, Labour MP for Fulham, called for the recent findings and eyewitness reports to be fully investigated.

Former Chief Crown Prosecutor Nazir Afzal and miscarriage of justice campaigner Matt Foot also voiced support for a fresh inquiry. Foot criticised the Met’s reluctance to investigate new material, noting the plight of Barry George, who was wrongly convicted of the murder and spent eight years imprisoned before his conviction was quashed in 2008.

Milorad Ulemek has not commented on these claims through his lawyer, Aleksander Kovacevic, who declined to respond to requests for comment this year. Ulemek is serving his sentence in high-security Zabela prison in Serbia, having made three failed escape attempts, and is eligible to apply for early release in 2030.

This development adds to the complex history surrounding Jill Dando’s murder, which has remained unsolved for over two decades despite multiple investigations. The recent revelations and eyewitness accounts are renewing calls for the police to re-examine the case in light of new evidence and links to figures involved in the Yugoslav conflict.

Source: Noah Wire Services