Barry George has been cleared of the murder of Jill Dando. He was convicted on evidence that was not strong enough to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he did the crime. Other evidence of being spotted in the area and of stalking other women is circumstantial and irrelevant. He spent eight years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Those eight years from 40 to 48 years old are not only some of the prime years of life but they were uttely miserable with the whole world against him. They are talking about substantial monetary payments to try and compensate Mr George for this heinous miscarriage. The real murderer is still out there. These are the facts as we know them today.

How could this happen? How could such a big and well-publicised case allow such a huge error? Who will be accountable for this? Did a single person decide to push through and convict the man for a crime where the evidence did not support the conviction or did a chain of events happen that meant the blame was shared across a number of people or is the system fundamentally flawed enough that there is no blame for any individual or group of individuals? I mentioned before that this was well publicised: how many other people are sitting in prison for a crime that they did not commit with no chance of release because their case was not newsworthy and/or they did not have a supportive sister who crusaded tirelessly on behalf of their brother? How many people from poor backgrounds particularly or with mental health issues such as George are being denied their right to live free lives? If we found them all, how much compensation would be due? How much compensation is enough? Can only money do this? What alternatives are there?

This leads me to consider who did it. This person (or people) committed a crime and had the fortune to have a man come along and virtually fit himself up. The circumstantial evidence is still compelling. How many other criminals are free and free to commit other crimes because the wrong person has been convicted? This person or the organisation they represent will now not ever be caught. How can they with a gap of nine years and no evidence at all? The criminal is either another individual with personal issues like Mr George who was lucky enough to get away with it or (given the style of the killing) is a professional with a military background (or both). I mention the link to a military background because the bullets were modified to maximise damage and minimise noise. We will never know.

Let’s consider for a moment that Barry George DID do it. The circumstantial evidence lead the police to him – quite rightly. He was (or perhaps still is) a self-confessed pest to women (and was spotted many times by police doing this under suveillance); he raped or attempted to rape at least one woman; he kept cuttings of women (Dando included) under the dubious argument that he was a hoarder; he was in the Territorial Army and may have known how to modify the bullets and how to operate a gun effectively; he did have gunpowder residue in his pocket that was matched to that on the victim – although cross contamination was possible, rendering it irrelevant in a legal sense – however, this is in a legal sense and was probably due to police incompetence(?). The toy gun found at his house is an obvious red herring. To say his low IQ would stop him being able to effectively kill is absurd given his military background (albeit limited). I’m pretty certain I could make a bomb by looking it up on the internet – this does not mean I’ve had military training. He would only have needed to have been told (and taken in) that an execution should be quick and quiet (not rocket science and probably is shown in many films). None of this means he did do it, of course – and God help us the day that circumstantial evidence of this type is used to convict people as the prisons would be full of people with ruined lives from it. Can you imagine the fear if you were heard to comment on someone who was later murdered near a place where you were known to be without an alibi? Just being arrested for such a thing would tarnish your reputation and put doubts into people’s minds. Who would ever employ Barry George off the back of this circumstantial evidence? I wouldn’t. Not with the other things I definitely know about him, like his propensity to pester women, let alone the rape.

Barry George has loss of earnings for eight years and can never work again, so his payout will be huge. This will be borne by the tax payer – people like me and you. Unless something changes, no one will be held accountable. He will live out his remaining days, free to pursue whatever interests he chooses. Has his fixation with women been released by careful counselling and will he be monitored? Who would dare to say he should be watched / monitored after what the system has put him through already? I think, given he can’t work again, given his freedom was stolen during the prime years of his life and that people will steer clear of him means that his payout should be substantial so that society can try and compensate him… however, I hope he doesn’t move near to me and I bet you honestly feel the same.