Campaigners demand inquiry as weeping Barry George is cleared of Dando murder

BARRY George, who was jailed for the murder of Jill Dando, said he was "overwhelmed" after he was cleared yesterday – but campaigners called for an inquiry into the investigation which led to his conviction.

An epileptic who suffers from mental illness, Mr George was found not guilty by a jury at his retrial at the Old Bailey, after he served eight years in a high security prison. Evidence concerning gunpowder found in his coat pocket, which helped convict him at the initial trial, was ruled to be inadmissible.

Jurors were also not told about his previous involvement with the police, including being arrested outside Kensington Palace in an attempt to see Diana, Princess of Wales.

However, they did hear that he was a fantastist and a stalker who had an obsession with guns and photographed women without their knowledge.

In a statement read out by his solicitor, Jeremy Moore, Mr George, 48, said after the verdict: "I'm overwhelmed. I want to thank my family, my legal team ... my medical team and all the people who have supported me at Belmarsh, Whitemoor and Manchester prisons, and all my supporters."

Mr Moore said Mr George's first words on being cleared were: "I can't believe it."

The lawyer added: "We are obviously delighted with the outcome today that we feel is the only sensible verdict that the jury could have made on the evidence before them."

But he added: "This is not a time to celebrate. Barry George, an innocent man, has spent eight years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Those eight years could have been better served by the police in searching for the real killer."

Scotland Yard admitted it was disappointed at the verdict, but Commander Simon Foy, head of its homicide and serious crime command, said: "We respect the decision of the court. The investigation into her murder was complex, thorough and professional, with more than 2,500 statements taken and 3,700 exhibits recovered." He added that the Yard would "be reflecting on today's verdict and considering how best to proceed".

Following two days of deliberations, a jury of eight women and four men rejected the prosecution case that Mr George was the killer who shot Crimewatch presenter and newsreader Miss Dando, 37, through the head on her doorstep in Fulham, west London, in 1999.

Mr George, known by some as the "local nutter" because of his obsession with Queen singer Freddie Mercury, was arrested a year after the murder.

His home in Crookham Road, a few hundred yards from Miss Dando's, was searched and officers found 2,248 photographs he had taken of unsuspecting women, a gun holster, lists of guns, military magazines and a picture of him wearing a gas mask and holding a starting pistol. The prosecution said it was the sort of weapon which, if converted, could have fired the fatal shot.

But William Clegg, QC, defending, said the case was circumstantial and there was no direct evidence Mr George was the killer. Dr Susan Young, a psychologist who sat with Mr George in the dock throughout both trials, said his "eyes filled with tears" as the not guilty verdict was returned.

She said he would now have to come to terms with what had happened and "make some important adjustments to his life".

John McManus, project co- ordinator of Mojo Scotland, a miscarriage of justice organisation that supported Mr George's sister, Michelle Diskinin, in her campaign to prove his innocence, said Mr George would be "very damaged by all this and find it difficult to come to terms with his notoriety".

He also called for "an inquiry into this whole affair", including the way the investigation was run and the fact the Crown Prosecution Service had been allowed to take it to trial.

George, who always maintained his innocence, was supported in court by Ms Diskinin, who punched the air and cried "yes" at the verdict. She said afterwards the family was "really delighted to finally have justice" and paid tribute to the jury.

She had been instrumental in getting the Criminal Cases Review Commission to refer the case to the Court of Appeal.

Mr Moore said George was now "readjusting to being a free man again" but he would be looking at claiming compensation. Experts said this could reach £500,000 – which he could double by selling his story.

Jailed for a speck of soot

BARRY George stood trial for a second time for Jill Dando's murder after the Court of Appeal decided his conviction was "unsafe".

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, said his 2001 conviction must be quashed after hearing fresh evidence about a single particle of firearms discharge residue found in the pocket of Mr George's overcoat a year after the murder.

Lord Phillips said the court had now been told it was "just as likely the particle came from some extraneous source as it was that it came from a gun fired by the appellant".

It was Mr George's second legal challenge to an Old Bailey jury's majority verdict.

Mr Justice Griffith Williams excluded the residue particle evidence from the retrial, agreeing it was inconclusive.

We were right to bring case, lawyers insist

THE Crown Prosecution Service last night defended its decision to bring the case against Barry George to court, after he was cleared of killing Jill Dando.

Hilary Bradfield, a CPS lawyer, 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 to only bring cases where we were guaranteed a conviction."

The Irish defence minister Willie O'Dea, whose constituents include Mr George's uncle, Michael Bourke, said it was important now that "the investigation be reopened and the person actually responsible for her murder be found."

Detectives had examined a range of theories as to who killed Ms Dando. That favoured by Mr George's supporters was that a professional hitman did it – perhaps one hired because of her work on Crimewatch.

Other theories included an attack by an obsessed fan, given credence by the fact that she had reportedly been harassed in the year before she died.

There were also suggestions that the killing might have been linked to a charity appeal Ms Dando fronted for the Disasters Emergency Committee for people in Kosovo. Two weeks before she died, she reportedly received a letter from a Serb source criticising her involvement.