Excerpts from Andy Rigsby’s blog
“The image of Barry George when he was released on appeal in 2008 was that of a victim. Slow and lumbering with his movements, his obese frame had an awkwardness. Dependent on help and support from friends, family and his legal team he was the very image of a miscarriage of justice, he certainly did not fit the profile of the murderer who would have swiftly escaped from the scene in 1999. At that time however, 39 year old Barry George was lighter and fitter, he looked completely different.
Despite being diagnosed with a host of disabling mental conditions he was extremely ambitious. Burdened with learning difficulties his schooling was a frustrating and unsuccessful period in his life. To escape this dull reality he moved into his own fantasies adopting pseudonyms associated with glamourous rock stars and masculine real life hero’s which he would to link to fictitious careers
He had unsuccessfully tried to join the police force in 1980 but he passed selection to join the Territorial Army in the same year, (but was released before completing his training in 1981). He would up to that point have received some weapon training. He then tried to pursue a film stunt career. He continued an interest in firearms and shooting and had attempted to secure full membership with a London gun club but was unsuccessful. Clearly his mental illness issues were stopping him from ultimately succeeding but they weren’t preventing him from trying. He had sufficient cognitive aptitude and orientation to focus on and pursue his interests.
When Barry George was convicted in 2001 the jury were unaware that he had a history of extreme violence towards women. In 1981 he was given a suspended sentence for indecent assault. In 1983 he was sentenced to 33 months in prison for attempted rape, he served 18 months. In May 1989 he married a Japanese student, Itsuko Toide; it was a marriage of convenience but 4 months later he was arrested and charged for assaulting his wife. The charge was later dropped. They were divorced in April 1990. Itsuko described their relationship as “violent and terrifying“
I visited Fulham on the 27th February 2019. It was a bright spring like day. The vicinity could be described as a pleasant London suburb. Gowan Avenue in particular, has an elegant exclusive air, the Victorian terraced properties are all well maintained. The Avenue is adorned with a mixture of expensive and tidy vehicles. The relevant neighbouring locations, Crookham Avenue and Greswell Street are surprisingly close. Whilst this was made accurately apparent in media reports, actually being there really does make a difference to your viewpoint.
When Barry George turned up at HAFAD on the morning of the murder he was a wearing a yellow top, blue jeans and carrying a carrier bag full of written material. The perpetrator however was a described as wearing a dark jacket. George’s defence maintained that if he was the killer he would have gone home to Crookham Road, changed, picked up the carrier bag and used a route to Greswell Street sensibly avoiding Gowan Avenue. They decided this would take 28 minutes and that did not include changing clothes. This would mean that if he had committed the murder at 11:30 a.m. he could not have got to the HAFAD at or before 11:50 a.m. On that basis they argued he could not possibly have committed the crime.
I tried the route adding just 1 minute to change a top and pick up a bag. Turning left away from Jill Dando’s property at number 29 and backtracking along the next available right turns, Sidbury Street and Wardo Avenue to sweep back to Crookham Road and then routing back towards Greswell avoiding Gowan took 21.5 minutes. Turning left initially and then turning back along the other side of Gowan Avenue to Crookham Road and then the same avoiding route to Greswell took 18.5 minutes. That was all at a brisk walk with no adrenalin assist and I’m 63 not 39. If George chose to jog at every street crossing, (not an odd action in normal circumstances), the time would be even less. I did exactly this on another visit and completed the full route in 20 mins.
Jill Dando laid dead or dying for at least 5 minutes before she was found. That is a massive amount of time for George to decide on an escape route even if the initial period was a frantic and confused moment in time. It was also merged with an element of pure luck. It could have been completely different. Nobody did a thing for at least 5 MINUTES. A brisk to fast walking pace is 4 mph / 6.5 Km hr. In that time the George could have covered over 500 metres, that is a long way.
A court of appeal and an ordered retrial found him not guilty in 2008 by a unanimous verdict. Could he have done it however. His defence always maintained he didn’t have a motive, desire, a weapon or the physical and mental prowess to execute such a plan. Some years ago, a work colleague of mine, himself an ex-convict turned writer totally convinced me that Barry George could not have been at the HAFAD in Greswell Street at the given time if he had been the perpetrator. I read some narratives supporting this and I firmly believed it. When I physically researched it myself, I found these well courted “hard facts” to be completely false, the routes and timings were entirely possible
This murder remains a cruel mystery, a much loved and admired TV personality brutally slain in front of her property for a reason only known to her killer. Perhaps we convicted the right man, perhaps we didn’t. No one else has ever come into the frame, no hard intelligence, no reliable informers, no twisted political statement, no bloodthirsty underworld warning, no sick perverted claim. Nobody has ever been able to claim the substantial reward; nothing. The press courted with the professional hitman. So many could not accept her death being perpetrated so randomly by a local loner
Michelle Diskin Bates has gone on to become a standard bearer for miscarriages of justice. We don’t need her to misdirect justice, however. Her credibility has recently taken a U turn; she has taken on the “plight” of the mass murderer Jeremy Bamber. She is now a respected “patron” and part of his naïve campaign team. Jeremy Bamber was convicted in 1986 for shooting to death his mother, father, sister and his two 6 year old nephews. Initially an inquest concluded it was his sister, Sheila Caffell who carried out the murders; Bamber had successfully made it look like a murder suicide. He fooled enough people initially but was eventually caught out. Hugely frustrated he has always insisted on his innocence.
If you don’t closely study the circumstances you would feel sorry for this suave, articulate and very convincing psychopath.
Michelle has been drawn in, perhaps a little intoxicated with her well founded reputation. She has accepted the part without reading the script. That is surely dangerous ground. Please see my blog – Murders at Whitehouse Farm.
Towards the end of my first visit to Fulham I walked into Bishops Park to find the small café there. A young man was walking towards me. Sporting a white T- shirt, we could all reflect on the script which read,
“Don’t believe everything you think”.
Read in full here -
http://gunfire-graffiti.co.uk/who-didnt-kill-jill-dando/
