Barry George - NOT GUILTY

[Dame Starry]

Barry George has been acquitted of the murder of Jill Dando after spending seven years in prison.



Justice at last.



DS x.

[Harleybloke]

name='Dame Starry']Barry George has been acquitted of the murder of Jill Dando after spending seven years in prison.



Justice at last.



DS x.

Thank God above we no longer have the death penalty..................

[narabdela]

I'm very glad to hear that. It always struck me as being a very unsafe conviction.

[batman]

Although I new the evidence was very flimsy, I am actually surprised by the verdict. Nevertheless good for Barry George, I hope he gets suitably recompensed.

[Marky B]

So who did kill her?

Mark

[CaptainWaggett]

He was a regular reader at a library I used to work in (one of my colleagues was a witness at the original trial). Such a regular reader that we were all quite surprised that he had any time for any other activities.

[Lord Brett]

There is a distinct pattern in murder cases where the police are unsure that they have enough evidence of a conviction, which involves leaking damaging, but irrelevant, information about the defendant.



The same thing happened in the Sion Jenkins trial, where we were suddenly told that he's lied on his CV when applying for a headmastership. So what?



I never thought they had the evidence for a conviction in either case, and, as Bats wrote, if ever there was a case against capital punishment, the George and Jenkins cases make it.

[pitchfork]

Despite what was reported in the Press, Barry George never actually joined a Target Rifle Shooting club.The gunshot residue was never presented as conclusive evidence.

There was so much reported about him that it did seem a trail by Press.

I too was suprised by the original conviction. Both the families of Jill Dando and Barry George have gone through a hell of a lot grief.

[Jackdaw]

name='Lord Brett']

There is a distinct pattern in murder cases where the police are unsure that they have enough evidence of a conviction, which involves leaking damaging, but irrelevant, information about the defendant.



The same thing happened in the Sion Jenkins trial, where we were suddenly told that he's lied on his CV when applying for a headmastership. So what?



I never thought they had the evidence for a conviction in either case, and, as Bats wrote, if ever there was a case against capital punishment, the George and Jenkins cases make it.

With you all the way, Milord.

High profile cases with convictions based on tenuous circumstantial evidence and suggestion of bad character.

Reminds me of Colin Stagg, and what about Michael Stone?

[Chevyman]

name='Marky B']So who did kill her?

Mark

Good question. I often wondered if she was mistaken for someone else?



I hope we get an answer

[Dame Starry]

name='batman']Although I knew the evidence was very flimsy, I am actually surprised by the verdict. Nevertheless good for Barry George, I hope he gets suitably recompensed.

Sadly, Bats, that could take years to come through - and hasn't the government 'capped' those compensation claims now?



We should also remember that, when our INjustice system makes a monumental cock-up like this, the innocent get booted out of prison with no aid or support from the authorities whatsoever - many end up on the streets penniless. Thankfully, Barry has a good family behind him.



I have often wondered what would have happened if the original investigation team (led by DCI Campbell I think) had been left on the case.

IIRC, after a year had passed, the government insisted that the Met put another team onto the case and within days Barry George was in custody.



The government should never be allowed to interfere in the process of the Law because our government is not above the Law itself - well, it isn't supposed to be anyway!



DS x.

[Gazza]

name='Dame Starry']We should also remember that, when our INjustice system makes a monumental cock-up like this, the innocent get booted out of prison with no aid or support from the authorities whatsoever - many end up on the streets penniless. Thankfully, Barry has a good family behind him.

Not to mention the psychological effects. Seven years inside would do me in!

[Dame Starry]

name='Gazza']Not to mention the psychological effects. Seven years inside would do me in!

His state of mind wasn't good BEFORE he was imprisoned either, Gazza.

Actually, I incorrectly stated that he was in prison for seven years, but it was in fact EIGHT - I forgot that he spent a year on remand before his first trial.



I have to commend the Judge who presided over the retrial because he more-or-less insisted that the jury disregard the unsafe 'gunpowder' evidence which, effectively, stuffed the prosecution's case. (Where's a smiley punching the air when you want one?)



Justice For Barry (Jf



DS x.

[samkydd]

name='Marky B']So who did kill her?

Mark

There was a conspiracy theory at the time that a certain TV presenter who was on the down escalator, and later sold her soul to a celeb magazine by letting her wedding party advertise choccy bars, was responsible by allegedly hiring a hit-man. The glamourous Jill was on the cover of the previous week's Radio Times and it was all too much for this other presenter to take.



It's pure idle gossip of course, but food for thought.



Another theory was that someone who'd been caught out by Crimewatch wanted revenge but this was dismissed as far fetched.



The public were shocked at the time at the millions spent on the investigation just because it was a TV celeb, and then coming up with a woolley conviction. Had the murder victim been you or me the budget spent on finding our killer would have been miniscule in comparison.



The shooting was by all accounts very clinical and so rather than look for the person pulling the trigger maybe establishing someone who would pay to get the job done would have revealed a motive.

[Mark O]

name='samkydd'] The glamourous Jill was on the cover of the previous week's Radio Times and it was all too much for this other presenter to take.

I'm happy for Barry then as it obviously wasn't him, but I admit I had my doubts at the time, he seemed just an oddball at first, and has been said 'Trial by Newspaper' begun.......I do recall the Radio Times cover clearly and I have wondered if that semi-provocative pose of poor Jill in Black Leather draped on an Aston Martin DB5 (to promote her new programme, Antiques round the Country wasn't it?) did tip some Misogynist over the top........guess we'll never know now.

[EHV_Emmetts]

name='Marky B']So who did kill her?

Mark

Jill Dando did present a charity fund-raising show for the victim's of the war in Serbia. This raised over £1M. It is alleged that someone from the Serbian secret service murdered her as revenge.

[MovieLover12]

Now, how about his payout?!

[DB7]

name='MovieLover12']Now, how about his payout?!

What about it? If he has been wrongly imprisoned then he should receive financial compensation.

[MovieLover12]

name='DB7']What about it? If he has been wrongly imprisoned then he should receive financial compensation.

He was wrongfully imprisoned either that or guilty til proven innocent.

[batman]

name='MovieLover12']He was wrongfully imprisoned either that or guilty til proven innocent.

He was found gulty at his first trial and imprisoned. The evidence was weak so a second trial was ordered at which he was acquitted/found innocent. Therefore he was wrongly imprisoned for 8 years (inc 1 year on remand prior to his first trial).