Barry George, “oddball” and occasional Freddie Mercury impersonator was sent to jail after being convicted of the murder of popular TV presenter Jill Dando. A lot of the feeling generated towards George was on the basis of his personal life and character. The hype surrounding George’s strange behaviour and habits immediately put him on the backfoot.
George was after all (as we kept on being reminded) an eccentric saddo who previously in his life had assaulted one female neighbour and attempted to rape another, serving a jail sentence to boot. George was portrayed as a Walter Mitty daydreamer obsessed with military fatigues, weapons as well as fame and fortune.
George was subsequently convicted of the murder of Jill Dando by the discovery of a microscopic quantity of supposed gun residue a year after the death of the TV presenter.
Jill Dando was en vogue, celebrated like a Diana type figure and an immensely popular personality with both young and old viewers. The public interest, feeling of loss, and grief led to widescale demands for her killer(s) to be swiftly bought to justice. A year on, and with no convictions, it seemed that the beautiful charms and wide allure of Dando would overwhelm the detested local lothario crackpot.
This feeling is best summed up by Dando’s Crimewatch colleague Nick Ross who wrote in July 2001; “Look at the evidence from the murder, say the cynics, then look at Barry George and surely you have an obvious match. I have no interest in defending the indefensible and no reservations about criticising the police when censure is deserved.”
He wrote further; “There is no mystery. The answer is psycopathy of a sort epitomised by Barry George.”
“As for Barry George I hope he will be treated kindly, sent to a psychiatric unit, and regarded as a man with neural defects and a personality disorder which makes him play out his fantasies for real. I hope he never again toys with guns, takes photos of TV presenters from his television screen, collects lists of home addresses, hangs around near famous people's homes, seeks false alibis before anyone suspects him of a major crime, or follows and frightens women in the street. For his own sake, and for us all, may he live a quiet and happy life.”
As is the case regarding these matters, the Jury of twelve were completely reliant on the in court presentations and testimony of so called experts.
The bringing into disrepute of the original evidence used to convict George greatly led to his retrial.
George’s case, his conviction and acquittal makes one think - it seems that you do not have to be guilty to become a victim of a gross miscarriage of justice, relegated to a life of hell on earth, whilst destroying your reputation, and tearing apart your family and social life. And please explain how an innocent man who has spent 8 wrongful years in prison has received justice?
Suppose the arm of the law or the relevant authority approach you at work, make wild and very general accusations. You tick all the boxes and become a very convenient scapegoat. In the absence of strong union representation you end up becoming the villain of the show. The accuser is happy, your bosses score brownie points with each other and you are destroyed. I don’t say this lightly as an individual I happen to know of is suffering as such and it has just transpired that all accusations against them have absolutely no substance. The damage though is irreversible and has already been committed. Despite gluing together using expert skills, a cracked and shattered vase remains just that, a cracked and shattered vase. The worst aspect of this set of shambles has been the way the matter has been dealt with, publicly discrediting the individual and withholding details of accusations made (the said person did not even know what they were accused of). The stratagem employed to discredit and dishonour this said individual were nothing short of Gestapo like and have left very deep scars. As yet, there is no apology and no one is holding breath.
For many it’s clear - Barry George’s release after 8 long and tortuous years of imprisonment is testament to the notion that the dark days of miscarriages of justice are far from over.
A must win game lacking Christian charity 
