This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7536815.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| George not guilty of Dando murder | George not guilty of Dando murder |
| (21 minutes later) | |
| Barry George has been found not guilty of murdering BBC television presenter Jill Dando outside her London home. | Barry George has been found not guilty of murdering BBC television presenter Jill Dando outside her London home. |
| Mr George, 48, of Fulham, west London, denied shooting 37-year-old Miss Dando on her doorstep on 26 April 1999. | Mr George, 48, of Fulham, west London, denied shooting 37-year-old Miss Dando on her doorstep on 26 April 1999. |
| He was retried at the Old Bailey, having first been convicted in 2001, and he spent eight years in prison. | |
| His defence argued he was not capable of carrying out what could be seen as the "perfect crime" that required "meticulous" planning. | His defence argued he was not capable of carrying out what could be seen as the "perfect crime" that required "meticulous" planning. |
| Mr George has consistently insisted he did not murder Jill Dando. | Mr George has consistently insisted he did not murder Jill Dando. |
| He was arrested on 15 May 2000, a year after the shooting. | He was arrested on 15 May 2000, a year after the shooting. |
| Forensic evidence about a tiny speck of gun residue in Barry George's coat helped secure his original conviction. | Forensic evidence about a tiny speck of gun residue in Barry George's coat helped secure his original conviction. |
| The prosecution said this proved that he had fired the fatal shot and he was convicted by a majority of 10 to one. | The prosecution said this proved that he had fired the fatal shot and he was convicted by a majority of 10 to one. |
| Extracts from Barry George police interviews. | |
| But the evidence was not permitted at the retrial. | But the evidence was not permitted at the retrial. |
| The Court of Appeal ruled new scientific doubts over gunshot discharge residue evidence meant the conviction had to be quashed and ordered a retrial. | The Court of Appeal ruled new scientific doubts over gunshot discharge residue evidence meant the conviction had to be quashed and ordered a retrial. |
| His sister Michelle Diskin, who has led the fight for his release, was instrumental in getting the Criminal Cases Review Commission to refer the case to the Court of Appeal. | |
| The jury of eight women and four men were sent out to deliberate on Wednesday after an eight-week trial. | The jury of eight women and four men were sent out to deliberate on Wednesday after an eight-week trial. |
| Mr George showed no reaction as the verdict was read out. He nodded as psychiatrist Dr Susan Young, who sat with him in the dock during trial, whispered to him. | Mr George showed no reaction as the verdict was read out. He nodded as psychiatrist Dr Susan Young, who sat with him in the dock during trial, whispered to him. |
| He is expected to be released later and walk free from the court. | |
| If you look at the facts of the case they will give you a very different story William Clegg QC defence counsel | |
| The Crown Prosecution Service defended its original decision to bring the case. | The Crown Prosecution Service defended its original decision to bring the case. |
| In a statement it said: "Mr George now has the right to be regarded as an innocent man. But that does not mean it was wrong to bring the case. | In a statement it said: "Mr George now has the right to be regarded as an innocent man. But that does not mean it was wrong to bring the case. |
| "Our test is always whether there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction; it would be wholly wrong only to bring cases where we were guaranteed a conviction." | "Our test is always whether there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction; it would be wholly wrong only to bring cases where we were guaranteed a conviction." |
| The Met Police said it would reflect on George's acquittal and "consider how best to proceed". | |
| Commander Simon Foy, head of Scotland Yard's homicide and serious crime command, said: "We are disappointed by today's verdict but especially disappointed for Jill's family and friends. "However, we respect the decision of the court." | |
| Mr George was arrested after detectives reviewed the evidence and his name came up. | |
| The prosecution told the jury Mr George was a celebrity and gun-obsessed stalker with a grudge against the BBC, where he had worked as a messenger for a short time in the past. | |
| He was said to have stalked and photographed hundreds of women in the Fulham area and was described as a fantasist who told people he was the cousin of the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury. | |
| 'Personality disorder' | |
| When police searched his home in Crookham Road, officers found 2,248 photographs he had taken of women. | |
| Jill Dando was one of the most popular presenters on television | |
| However, defence counsel William Clegg QC maintained the prosecution case was circumstantial and said there was no direct evidence that George was the killer. | |
| The court has heard that Mr George has an IQ of 75, in the lowest 5% of the population. | |
| The jury at the retrial was also told that the defendant had a history of complex medical problems and told police that he had a "personality disorder". | |
| Mr Clegg told jurors: "The only reason that the prosecution say that this is the work of the local loner, the local nutter, the man with these serious psychological problems, is because that is the man they arrested. | |
| "But if you look at the facts of the case they will give you a very different story." |