George's Dando appeal ruling due

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7095753.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Barry George is due to learn if an appeal against his conviction for the murder of BBC TV presenter Jill Dando in 1999 has been successful.

The Court of Appeal will decide whether a jury's guilty verdict is safe.

George, 47, is serving life for shooting Miss Dando dead outside her home in Fulham, west London.

His lawyer contends that the conviction was unsafe because of new scientific doubts cast on gunshot discharge residue submitted as evidence.

The prosecution says it was just one component of a "compelling circumstantial case".

JILL DANDO MURDER CASE 26 April 1999 Jill Dando is shot dead in west London25 May 2000 Barry George, also known as Barry Bulsara, is arrested29 May 2000 George is charged with murder2 July 2001 George is found guilty of murder and later sentenced to life in prison29 July 2002 George loses an appeal against his "unsafe" conviction16 Dec 2002 House of Lords refuses permission for further challenge20 June 2007 The Criminal Cases Review Commission grants George the right to another appeal7 November 2007 Judgement reserved on second appeal <a class="" href="/1/hi/uk/7073564.stm">Background to case</a> <a class="" href="/1/hi/uk/7072999.stm">Jill Dando: TV's golden girl</a> <a class="" href="/1/hi/uk/7073874.stm">Profile: Barry George</a>

In July 2001, George, now 47, was sentenced to life imprisonment after an Old Bailey jury found him guilty by a majority of 10 to one.

This latest hearing centred on the significance of a microscopic speck of firearm discharge found in George's coat following his arrest more than 12 months after the shooting.

William Clegg QC, for George, argued the firearm evidence carried "zero or neutral evidential weight" and if it was admitted again before a jury, it should have the proper weight attached.

Prosecutor Orlando Pownall QC told the court that in the event of the appeal being allowed he would be seeking a retrial.

The most recent proceedings come after the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which studies potential miscarriages of justice, referred the case to the Court of Appeal.

The three-day hearing was George's second legal challenge over the Old Bailey verdict.

He lost his first appeal a year after his conviction.