Nov. 15 (Bloomberg) -- A man found guilty of murdering British Broadcasting Corp. journalist Jill Dando had his 2001 conviction overturned by a U.K. court.
Judges at the Court of Appeal in London ruled that Barry George must be given a new trial after new findings about scientific evidence put the jury verdict in doubt.
``If this evidence had been given to the jury at the trial, there is no certainty that they could have found Barry George guilty,'' said Nicholas Phillips, the U.K.'s most senior judge, at a hearing today.
Dando hosted the BBC's ``Crimewatch'' and ``Holiday'' programs. The 37-year-old was shot dead on the steps of her home in the Fulham area of southwest London in 1999. There were no witnesses and the murder weapon wasn't found.
George was arrested a year later, found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in 2001. He lost his first appeal in 2002 and has maintained his innocence.
The second appeal took place after a recommendation earlier this year by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which is responsible for examining potential miscarriages of justice.
The main scientific evidence against George was a speck of residue found in an inner pocket of his overcoat. Prosecution witnesses at the original trial said it was likely that speck came from a gun fired by George.
``Those witnesses and other witnesses told the Court of Appeal that this was not the right conclusion,'' Phillips said. ``It was, in fact, no more likely that the particle had come from a gun fired by Barry George than that it had come from some other source.''
George must be re-arraigned within two months, Phillips said. He didn't apply for bail.
To contact the reporter on this story: James Lumley in London at jlumley1@bloomberg.net .
