Exploring the Wrongful Imprisonment of Barry George for the Murder of BBC Crimewatch Journalist Jill Dando
Key Highlights :
When beloved BBC journalist Jill Dando was shot to death, it rocked the nation and became one of the most complex police investigations in British history. As the police grappled to solve the case, one man became their sole focus - Barry George, who was wrongfully convicted of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2001. After eight long years behind bars, Barry was acquitted at a retrial and released in 2008. Now, 15 years later, the impact of his wrongful imprisonment still haunts him. As Netflix’s new true-crime documentary dives back into the unsolved murder of journalist Jill Dando, we take a look at what happened to Barry George and where he is now.
Barry George, now 63, was arrested on May 25 2000, nearly one year after the Crimewatch presenter was shot on April 26th, 1999. The Metropolitan Police had drawn on the fact Barry lived close to Dando’s flat in Fulham and had a record of stalking women. They had also found a picture of Barry dressed in a leather jacket and gas mask, with a blank-firing pistol in his hand, in his flat. Barry was charged with murdering Jill just a few days after his arrest and sent for trial in July 2001 - where he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Barry George tried to appeal against his conviction at the Court of Appeal in London but his claim was rejected by three judges as “unsafe”. The House of Lords similarly refused permission for George to mount another challenge to his conviction in December 2002. It wasn't until August 2008 - after he had spent eight years behind bars - when Barry was finally acquitted unanimously by a jury after being granted a retrial following new evidence which undermined the safety of his conviction.
Not long after his release, Barry moved to Ireland for a quieter life and to be closer to his sister, Michelle Diskin, who had fought tirelessly for her brother’s case to be retried. In the trailer for the new Netflix series investigating Jill’s murder, Barry is seen saying: 'It makes me angry that they have taken eight years of my life.' Speaking to The Mirror, Barry said he hoped the show would finally present that “there’s no way I could have done this”. He said both himself and his family are still haunted to this day by what happened.
Two years after his acquittal, the Ministry of Justice denied a claim of £1.4million compensation for his "wrongful imprisonment" for Jill Dando's murder. In August 2010, the High Court ruled that Barry was entitled to a judicial review of the case and in 2011, the Supreme Court defined "miscarriage of justice" as evidence "so undermined that no conviction could possibly be based upon it". His claim was heard in the High Court, but summing up, judges Lord Justice Beatson and Mr Justice Irwin said: "There was indeed a case upon which a reasonable jury properly directed could have convicted the claimant of murder” and was denied compensation. Barry was then refused compensation again at the Court of Appeal in 2013 for his wrongful conviction as he was “not innocent enough”.
Earlier this month, Barry was spotted visiting his sister in Ireland and relaxing in Cork on a bench. He will feature in the new Netflix documentary, Who Killed Jill Dando? Which airs tomorrow (September 26).
Barry George’s wrongful imprisonment for the murder of BBC Crimewatch journalist Jill Dando serves as a reminder of the fragility of justice and the importance of seeking truth and justice for all.
