- Barry George was wrongfully convicted of the murder of presenter Jill Dando
- He’s been spotted relaxing in Ireland ahead of a brand new Netflix documentary
Barry George, who was wrongly convicted of murdering Jill Dando, has been spotted visiting his sister who lives Ireland.
A new Netflix documentary called ‘Who Killed Jill Dando’, which is due to be released September 26, delves into the 1999 cold case.
The popular Crimewatch presenter was shot dead on her doorstep in Fulham, West London in broad daylight.
On July 2, 2001, Mr George was found guilty by a majority of 10-1 for her murder.
He spent eight years in prison for her murder before it was quashed in 2008 after several appeals.
Barry George is spotted relaxing on a bench. He was wrongfully convicted of the murder of Jill Dando
Barry George relocated to Ireland in 2010 for a quieter life. His conviction was overturned in 2008
A new Netflix documentary will feature Barry George and show police interviews in the early 2000s
Now he has been spotted relaxing in Cork on a bench.
In 2010 he fled for a new life in the Republic of Ireland for a quiet life.
Speaking on Netflix, Mr George said: ‘It makes me angry that they have taken eight years of my life.’
The new series will showcase old police interview footage of Mr George.
In the trailer, Mr George – who had claimed to be the cousin of Queen singer Freddie Mercury – is seen being asked about the picture by detectives after his arrest on suspicion of murder.
When he says ‘it could be anyone’, they reply: ‘That’s a picture of you Mr George.’
Barry George has renamed himself several times. He was described as a fantasist and a loner
Mr George’s calls for compensation for his imprisonment and wrongful conviction have been consistently rebuffed
Born in West London in April 1960, George’s early life had been defined by his parents’ acrimonious divorce
The image helped police to build a case against him after officers had found a single grain of gunshot residue in his coat pocket.
Ms Dando’s murder prompted a huge investigation led by the Metropolitan Police and resulted in Mr George – a local loner and fantasist who had already served a prison sentence for attempted rape – being convicted of her murder in July 2001.
However, he was granted a retrial on appeal and was unanimously acquitted by a jury in August 2008.
Mr George’s calls for compensation for his imprisonment and wrongful conviction have been consistently rebuffed since then.
It is believed that Jill Dando may have been assassinated after she was shot on her doorstep in broad daylight
A newly released trailer for an upcoming Netflix documentary series about the unsolved case reveals the fury of Barry George, the man who spent eight years in prison for Ms Dando’s murder before his conviction was quashed in 2008. Above: Mr George in the documentary, and right, before his original court appearance in 2001
It was a photograph which would raise the suspicions of any police officer. Dressed menacingly in a leather jacket and gas mask, with blank-firing pistol in hand, Barry George, looked like he could be a killer, police believed
The Daily Mail’s coverage of Ms Dando’s shocking murder, which gripped the nation
Born in West London in April 1960, Mr George’s early life had been defined by his parents’ acrimonious divorce.
He attended a school for children with educational and behavioral problems and by the age of 16 had left education with no qualifications.
Just a day after Ms Dando’s killing, police received an anonymous call concerning a ‘mentally unstable man’ who lived just 500 yards from the presenter’s home.
As a result of that, police had made an order for the tracing and identification of Mr George, who was then known as Barry Bulsara.
It has long been suspected that Ms Dando was shot by a professional assassin.
One of the leaflets that was handed out in an effort to trace Ms Dando’s killer
Jill (pictured on holiday in the Seychelles) first got her big break in broadcasting in 1988 when she started presenting the BBC’s hourly national bulletins
A blue Range Rover that was parked illegally on the street where she lived, Gowan Avenue, was caught on CCTV driving away at speed from the area.
Speaking in 2019, Ms Dando’s neighbour Vida Saunders recalled the moment she discovered the presenter’s body.
She told the Daily Mail: ‘Jill’s body was lying at such an odd angle.
‘She looked like she had collapsed on the spot. The back of her head was against the front door and her chest was facing towards the pavement.
‘She was in a pool of blood, and I noticed her lips were blue and there were some small drips of blood running from her nose. I think we knew immediately that she was critically injured.’
Despite her grave injuries and the fact she appeared to be dead, extensive efforts were made to resuscitate her both at the scene and at Charing Cross Hospital, where she was declared dead.
#Barry #George #visits #sister #Ireland #years #acquitted #Jill #Dando039s #murder #days #ahead #global #release #Netflix #documentary #case #gripped #Britain