Dando shooting was almost flawless, says expert

A retired army major told a jury at the Old Bailey yesterday that the way in which Jill Dando was shot dead was technically almost flawless.

The television presenter died from a single bullet through the head as she bent down to unlock the front door of her home in south-west London. The muzzle of the gun had been pressed against the side of her head, which muffled the sound of the shot.

Major Peter Mead was asked by Michael Mansfield QC, for the defence: "What is your view of this case ­ the shooting?"

The former officer replied: "It is difficult to imagine how it could have been bettered."

The defence has argued that Ms Dando was most likely to have been murdered by a professional killer, possibly a Serb gunman, or a hitman working for a disgruntled crime baron. Barry George, 41, from Crook-ham Road, Fulham, is accused of the murder on 26 April 1999. He denies the charge.

Mr Mansfield has suggested that the killing was a "carefully planned assassination" that could have been ordered by a Serbian war criminal as revenge for a Nato attack on a Serbian radio station in Belgrade. The attack, in which 17 people died, took place a week before Ms Dando died.

In support of this theory, Mr Mead said the cartridge case found on Ms Dando's doorstep had crimp marks on it of the type often found in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries.

The "crimping" around the top of the bullet casing was a technique also used by the Yugoslav military, Mr Mead added. He explained how the dents ensured the round was secured in the casing and did not fall out.

He told the jurors: 'This is most common in ammunition made by the Soviet Union, the Eastern Bloc and Yugoslavia because of the environment of the gun's use.

"The Soviet Union, for example, had vast resources of manpower and their tactical philosophy was to have a lot of men for weapons with a lot of rounds enabling them to fire fully automatic bursts.

"If the bullet is not secured in its casing, it either won't feed properly or it will get jammed in the magazine," he explained.

When cross-examined by the prosecution, Mr Mead agreed that, unlike in Ms Dando's murder, professional hitmen fired more than one shot to make sure their target was dead and not just wounded. But he added: "I cannot see someone who has killed with only one shot would be very severely criticised when reporting back."

Mark Webster, a forensic scientist, also called by the defence, said that a single blue-grey polyester fibre, which was part of the prosecution's scientific evidence, was unreliable.

The prosecution says the fibre suggested Mr George's trousers had come into contact with Ms Dando's coat. Mr Webster said: "A single grey polyester fibre is not in my view significant evidence. It is not something you should rely on.

"I do not go along with the 'no smoke without fire' argument. I do not think it is reliable evidence. If you see evidence as rungs on a ladder, this one is going to give way under weight."

On Monday, the defence also dismissed as "unreliable evidence" a speck of firearm residue found in Mr George's coat. Dr John Lloyd, a scientific expert, said: "The evidence is dependent on flawed police procedures."

Closing speeches for the prosecution and defence are due to start today.