This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-50418212

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Michael Weir: Burglar guilty of 1998 double murders Michael Weir guilty of 1998 'double jeopardy' murders
(32 minutes later)
A burglar who beat two elderly people to death in their homes to steal a watch and jewellery has been convicted of their murders two decades on. A jewel thief who beat two elderly people to death in their own homes has been convicted of their murders two decades on.
Michael Weir fatally attacked 78-year-old Leonard Harris and Rose Seferian, 83, in 1998, the Old Bailey was told.Michael Weir fatally attacked 78-year-old Leonard Harris and Rose Seferian, 83, in 1998, the Old Bailey was told.
The original investigation missed clues to the killer but DNA testing linked Weir to the London attacks after 20 years, the court heard.The original investigation missed clues to the killer but DNA testing linked Weir to the London attacks after 20 years, the court heard.
Weir, 52, of Hackney, had denied two counts of murder.Weir, 52, of Hackney, had denied two counts of murder.
Prosecutor Tom Little QC told the jury the "defenceless pensioners" had been struck repeatedly and knocked to the ground then left for dead.Prosecutor Tom Little QC told the jury the "defenceless pensioners" had been struck repeatedly and knocked to the ground then left for dead.
Weir was previously acquitted of the murder of Mr Harris by the Court of Appeal, jurors were told. Weir was originally found guilty of murdering Mr Harris by an Old Bailey jury in July 1999, but his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2000 on a technicality.
But he was retried under the so-called double jeopardy law which allows a defendant to be retried if new and compelling evidence is brought forward and it is in the interests of justice. He was retried under the so-called double jeopardy law when new forensic evidence came to light, and prosecutors believe Weir is "the first convicted man to be convicted twice".
Trial judge Mrs Justice McGowan told the jury they had made "legal history".Trial judge Mrs Justice McGowan told the jury they had made "legal history".
On 28 January 1998, Weir broke into Mr Harris's flat in East Finchley, north London, leaving him with serious head injuries.
The pensioner was found by an estate agent while his wife, who suffered from dementia, was left badly injured on a bedroom floor.
An 18-carat gold watch Mr Harris had taken from a German soldier during the Second World War and his gold ring were missing.
Three days after the attack, police found a palm print on the bedroom door but missed the match to the defendant at the time, the court heard.
On 5 March, Weir violently attacked Ms Seferian in her bedroom when she was at home on her own.
He stole jewellery including a gold wedding ring with her husband's initials and the date of their marriage engraved on it, a diamond solitaire gold ring, and a silver diamond ring, as well as cash.
Jurors were told a palm print found inside her Kensington flat on a window frame where Weir broke in was not matched to him until 2017.
Sentencing was adjourned until a date to be fixed.Sentencing was adjourned until a date to be fixed.