Jill Dando 'killer' sentenced to life

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JULY 3. One of Britain's most sensational criminal trials has ended amid controversy with a man variously described as a ``fantasist'' and an ``obsessive'' who once famously stalked Diana, the late Princess of Wales, being jailed for life for killing a high- profile BBC presenter, Jill Dando two years ago.

The conviction of Barry George, a 41-year-old unemployed man with an unusual interest in celebrities and a passion for arms, was greeted with widespread scepticism - and his lawyers said they would appeal. Dando, known as British television's ``golden girl'' and remembered for her presentation of such prime-time shows as ``Crimewatch U.K.'' and ``Holiday'', was shot dead at her doorstep in west London, on April 26, 1999, for no apparent motive, which prompted questions whether the police got the wrong man. There was no history of his obsession with Dando, though he lived only a few yards away from her home and the prosecution admitted that it was ``impossible to determine (the motive) with any degree of certainty''.

Soon after George's conviction at the Old Bailey here on Monday, the verdict came under fire with not only his family members and a former wife protesting his innocence but even some independent experts questioning the outcome of the trial. The prosecution case was widely seen to be based on the ``thinnest'' of evidence - no motive, no weapon, no evidence of obsession with the 37-year-old T.V. celebrity and no eyewitnesses to the shooting. The two neighbours who saw a man fleeing from Dando's flat did not identify George at the identification parade.

The entire case, critics pointed out, was based on circumstantial evidence, much of it relating to George's disturbed personality and his earlier convictions. The only piece of ``direct'' evidence was a speck of gunpowder residue found in the lining or a pocket of his coat. The speck was similar to the material found in Dando's hair. Yet when it was discovered, the police themselves did not attach it much significance, and questions have been raised as to why the coat was not immediately sent to a forensic laboratory. ``Instead it went to a photographic studio...and left on a crate close to where the police had kept firearms and ammunition from other jobs, thus leaving it open to the possibility of contamination,'' The Independent pointed out.

A jury of 11 took more than five days to return a 10-1 guilty verdict convicting George ``despite no witnesses, no motive, no history of stalking in Ms. Dando's past, limited scientific evidence and sketchy identification...'' as one newspaper remarked. Even the judge, handing down a life term, observed: ``Why you did it may never be known, since, in my view, it is probable you can give no rational explanation for what you did.'' George showed no emotion as the judge read out the sentence, but his lawyers later said he was ``devastated''. They said they would appeal against the judgment.

Police investigations which reportedly cost over œ2 million have been heavily attacked for their ``sloppiness'', particularly the fact that it took them nearly a year to question George while they went about pursuing other leads. Police have also been criticised for poorly handling scientific evidence putting it at risk of contamination. George's former Japanese wife, Itsuko Toide told The Timesthat though he was a violent and deeply disturbed man and once tried to rape her, he was not capable of murdering someone. ``I am sure that my ex- husband is not a murderer. I know that 100 per cent. Barry's hand shook so much he had trouble putting a few coins into his purse. Even if he fired the gun, and even if he managed to stuff it in his coat, his movements are so slow there would have been a crowd of people at the scene before he could get away.''

The ``Jill Dando Case'' dominated media headlines today, sweeping everything else off the front pages. Dando was a household name, and one of BBC's most familiar faces. She was making preparations for her wedding when she was killed.

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