George hopes Dando’s killer found

Barry George, the man who was wrongly jailed and served eight years for Jill Dando’s murder, has spoken of his hope to see her killer face justice.

Mr George, 53, who was refused legal permission to continue his appeal for compensation last week, said: “I hope it’s in my lifetime that the real killer is caught.”

In an interview over the weekend he said: “A massive cheer went up at Belmarsh Prison when I was cleared but my first thoughts were of her not getting justice and for her family.

“Although I never met Jill Dando she was an innocent woman who was murdered and no person with any conscience could stand there and say they felt no compassion for her and her family.”

Ms Dando was shot dead outside her home in Fulham, west London, in Apr 1999. After his conviction in Jul 2001, Mr George was acquitted of killing the 37-year-old BBC presenter at a retrial in Aug 2008.

He said police targeted him because his life was “disposable” and the pressure was on to solve the Crimewatch presenter’s high-profile death.

“I couldn’t do that to anyone. Even the psychologists said I couldn’t do that. I would go to pieces. I’m all fingers and thumbs. I couldn’t walk up to someone and shoot them. I spill things and I can’t even keep my shirt clean. Effectively they tailor-made the case around me,” he said.

Hearing last week’s court of appeal ruling against his legal battle for compensation, Mr George’s sister Michelle Diskin said: “We cannot let this go unchallenged.

“Serving eight years in prison for someone else’s crime is not acceptable.”