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Barry George loses Jill Dando compensation bid ruling | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Barry George, who spent eight years in prison after being wrongly convicted of the murder of BBC TV presenter Jill Dando, has lost a bid for compensation. | Barry George, who spent eight years in prison after being wrongly convicted of the murder of BBC TV presenter Jill Dando, has lost a bid for compensation. |
The Court of Appeal decision follows the dismissal of his claim by two High Court judges in January. | The Court of Appeal decision follows the dismissal of his claim by two High Court judges in January. |
Mr George had been seeking to claim for lost earnings and wrongful imprisonment as the victim of a "'miscarriage of justice". | Mr George had been seeking to claim for lost earnings and wrongful imprisonment as the victim of a "'miscarriage of justice". |
Miss Dando, 37, was shot dead on her doorstep in west London in April 1999. | Miss Dando, 37, was shot dead on her doorstep in west London in April 1999. |
Mr George was convicted in 2001 but was acquitted of the killing at a retrial in 2008 after doubt was cast on the reliability of gunshot residue evidence. | Mr George was convicted in 2001 but was acquitted of the killing at a retrial in 2008 after doubt was cast on the reliability of gunshot residue evidence. |
'Travesty of justice' | |
In January, the High Court had ruled that Mr George did not qualify for compensation because jurors could still reasonably have convicted him despite new evidence that led to his acquittal. | |
Mr George had called for a reconsideration of his case, which would have opened the way for him to claim an award of up to £500,000. | |
Lord Justice Richards, sitting at the Court of Appeal in London, rejected Mr George's application for permission to challenge the January decision. | |
He said the 53-year-old, who was present for the ruling, had "no realistic prospects" of success on appeal. | |
Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Mr George's sister, Michelle Diskin, described the judge's decision as a "travesty of justice". | |
Ms Diskin said: "There never was any viable evidence against Barry. | |
"This whole case from April 2000 until today has been a smoke and mirrors exercise designed to placate a worried public, and give the impression that justice had been done. | |
"Well, neither the Dando family, nor our family, has seen any justice in the past 13 years." | |
Ms Diskin continued: "Barry is innocent. He deserves a financial settlement to compensate for all that was taken from him - everything he owned and eight years of his life. | |
"We are extremely disappointed with today's decision and will need to go away and regroup to decide what to do next. We cannot let this go unchallenged." |
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