GMB: Jill Dando 'injustice' is 'lasting' says Susanna Reid top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Jill Dando was a BBC journalist and presenter, famous for her role in popular shows such as Holiday and Crimewatch. On April 26, 1999, Ms Dando was fatally shot outside her home in Fulham, London, in broad daylight, with a single bullet to the head. 20 years on, her murder remains unsolved, however, a new ITV documentary "Jill Dando: The 20 Year Mystery" is set to re-examine some of the key parts of the case. Initially, local man Barry George was convicted of the killing but he was cleared after a retrial in 2008. Prior to his now-overturned conviction, Mr George had already attracted police interest due to a number of brushes with the law including convictions for indecent assault and attempted rape, and being found in the grounds of Kensington Palace – the home of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. He was discovered hiding in the grounds wearing a balaclava and carrying a poem he had written to Prince Charles. He was found by the royal protection squad but no charges ever came of the incident. Mr George, who was diagnosed as having Asperger's syndrome before the trial, was sentenced to life in prison on July 2, 2001, following a year-long hearing for the Jill Dando murder. Barry George was accused of using Freddie Mercury's surname Jill Dando was murdered on her doorstep During the case, it was claimed that he had also used the surname Bulsara, the same as Freddie Mercury’s real name – Farrockh Bulsara. It was claimed Mr George adopted several pseudonyms, which started at school, where he apparently used the name Paul Gadd – the real name of Gary Glitter. In 1980, after Mr George failed in his attempt to join the Metropolitan Police, he also posed as a policeman, having obtained false warrant cards, for which he was arrested and prosecuted. Later that year, he appeared in court again clad in glam rock clothing and once again stated his name to be Paul Gadd. He is also said to have told people he was the cousin of the late Queen singer, Freddie Mercury. Jill Dando was the nation's sweetheart Barry George was wrongfully convicted In 2008, after he had been released, journalist Anne Cuthbertson recalled the “stranger who had walked her home”. She wrote in the Telegraph: “Outside the Tube station, he had seemed friendly. ‘Nice flowers,’ he said, nodding at the bunch I had just bought. “The conversation had been so normal at first, but soon I knew something wasn’t right. “It was June 1994, I was just 22, new to London, and working as a secretary in a newspaper. “I was not to know the stranger’s background or that I was one of the numerous local women he pursued. “‘Newspapers’, his face lit up when I answered his question about where I worked. Jill Dando passed away 20 years ago Some women have recalled how he used Freddie Mercury's surname<doc-sep>Get email updates with the day's biggest stories Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice A top barrister who represented cleared Jill Dando murder suspect Barry George has said the police arrested him out of “desperation”. William Clegg QC, defended George at his 2008 retrial. He said: “He was certainly a vulnerable person. “The case reflects a desperation on the part of police that after a year they didn’t have the faintest idea who had done it. “It’s sad for Barry to be falsely accused and wrongly convicted.” TV favourite Jill was gunned down in the middle of the day on her doorstep, in a crime that shocked the nation, on April 26 1999. George, now 58, was found guilty of her murder in 2001. He spent seven years in prison before his acquittal in 2008 (Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror) (Image: Getty) Clegg’s view is contrary to that of the police chief who led the doomed murder probe. Former Met Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell, said: “There’s always been the view, in the media and elsewhere, that the police chose Barry George somehow as a scapegoat and for want of a better word, a patsy, for the investigation team because we couldn’t solve it. “That is somewhat insulting and completely untrue and wrong.” (Image: PA) Campbell said yesterday that we will never know who killed Jill. Clegg agreed: “After 20 years, it’s unlikely that we will know who killed her.” Clegg, 69, has been involved in more than 100 murder cases – more than anyone else currently practising at the English Bar – including the trials of Scottish serial killer Peter Tobin and Nazi war criminal Anthony Sawoniuk, who was convicted under the UK’s War Crimes Act 1991.<doc-sep>Jill Dando murder: Ex policeman says the evidence was FLAWED top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The murder of BBC news presenter Jill Dando rocked the nation. She was a household name, known for starring on Crimewatch. The murder shook the sleepy Fulham street where Miss Dando lived, as police tried to piece together the senseless killing. Miss Dando was just 37 when she was killed - and 20 years later, her kiler is still out there. How did Jill Dando die? Dubbed an execution-style killing Miss Dando was shot dead with a single bullet to the head. Police identified the gun as a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, which police say had been pressed against her head when she was shot. Police also believe a silencer was used on the gun, as no neighbours reported hearing a gunshot. Read More: Jill Dando: Detective says people confessed to her murder Jill Dando documentary: Miss Dando was murdered aged just 37 Shockingly, the murder took place in the daylight hours, at approximately 11.30am. Attempts were made to save her life both at the location and in Charing Cross Hospital but Miss Dando was pronounced dead at 1.03pm. On May 25, 2000, police arrested suspect Barry George, also known as Barry Bulsara, following a surveillance operation. Mr George was found guilty of murder in July, and sentenced to life in prison. In March 2006 lawyers for Mr George submitted new evidence to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) which they believed undermined the safety of his conviction. The Criminal Cases Review Commission then referred the conviction to the Court of Appeal and a second appeal against Mr George's conviction took place at the Court of Appeal on November 5, 2007. His appeal was upheld and a retrial was ordered after scientists claimed a particle of firearms discharge residue (FDR) found in his pocket was too small to say where it came from. The retrial began on June 9, 2008, at the Old Bailey with the judge ruling out the inclusion of the FDR evidence. Jill Dando documentary: A documentary on the murder investigation will air soon In August 2008, Mr George was cleared of Miss Dando's murder - having spent eight years in prison for her death. The documentary which will air on Tuesday, April 2 at 9pm marks 20 years since Miss Dando’s death. Hamish Campbell, the detective who led the inquiry into the newsreader’s murder told the BBC he believes her case will never be solved. Mr Campbell said: “Do I think somebody will come back to court? Probably not, no. Jill Dando documentary: A timeline of events following Miss Dando's murder<doc-sep>
A TOP lawyer believes that former Jill Dando murder suspect Barry George was only charged as “cops didn't have faintest idea” who killed her. William Clegg QC represented Mr George in 2008, when he was found not guilty of the TV star’s murder by a jury at the Old Bailey following an eight-week trial. 4 Jill, 37, was shot in the head by a ­gunman on her doorstep in Fulham, West London, in April 1999 Credit: Rex Features 4 William Clegg QC has written about representing Barry George in court, in 2008 Credit: Mike Sewell/Canbury Press Mr George was represented by the barrister, who he first appeared for in the Court of Appeal when the original conviction was quashed, because of doubts over forensic evidence. Mr Clegg, who has written about his courtroom experiences in Under the Wig: A Lawyer’s Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence, told the Mirror that George was “certainly a vulnerable person”. He added: “The case reflects a desperation on the part of police that after a year they didn’t have the faintest idea who had done it. “It’s sad for Barry to be falsely accused and wrongly convicted.” Mr Clegg said that, 20 years after the star's murder, "it's unlikely we will know who killed her". Jill, 37, was shot in the head by a ­gunman on her doorstep in Fulham, West London, in April 1999. Local loner Barry George was jailed for murder in 2001 but his conviction was quashed six years later. He was found not guilty following a retrial. After being cleared of the BBC television presenter's murder, his lawyer, Jeremy Moore, told The Guardian in 2008 that his "overwhelmed" client's first words were: "I cannot believe it." The cop who led the probe into the murder of the TV star two decades ago fears she may never get justice. Former Met Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell says the Crimewatch presenter's murderer will probably never be caught or convicted. He defends the investigation into Mr George, 58, and the lack of new suspects or lines of inquiry in a new BBC documentary to mark the 20th anniversary of her murder. Mr Campbell tells the film: “Do I think someone will be brought back to court? Probably not, no.” Most read in UK news HEATWAVE Scorching 23C temperatures to hit THIS WEEKEND as rain & wind make way for summer Exclusive THIEF 'COP' Shamed ex-cop stole thousands of pounds from 2 hotels to blow on coke & hookers 'HELP ME!' Mum's screams as baby 'slipped under duvet and died while sleeping with parents' RUFF TIME Why was dog walker Amy Cooper fired from Franklin Templeton? CLAWS SHAVE Lobsters saved from the pot when shopper realises they're among world's rarest Exclusive IT’S HIGH TREESON Dad who spent 3 months building huge kids' treehouse told to demolish it Asked if a new suspect would appear in court he replied: “No, no.” His case notes showed theories of an assassination by a Crimewatch villain or a Serbian hitman were ruled out. He said: "There's always been the view, in the media and elsewhere, that the police chose Barry George somehow as a scapegoat and for want of a better word, a patsy, for the investigation team because we couldn't solve it." Mr Campbell said, however, that belief was "insulting" and "wrong". William Clegg QC’s Under the Wig: A Lawyer’s Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence is available in paperback from May 2, for £8.99 4 Retired Det Chief Supt Hamish Campbell says Jill’s killer will probably never be caught or convicted Credit: BBC Pictures' Digital Picture 4 Local loner Barry George was jailed for Jill's murder in 2001 but his conviction was quashed six years later Credit: Rex Features Barry George speaks on being falsely accused of BBC journalist Jill Dando's death