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Barry George Pleads Not Guilty to 1987 Rape and Assault Charges

The case revives scrutiny of a figure once cleared in Jill Dando’s still-unsolved killing.

Overview

  • Barry George, 66, pleaded not guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Monday to one count of rape, one of attempted rape and two counts of indecent assault.
  • He appeared by video link from County Cork in the Republic of Ireland and remained on conditional bail.
  • Judge Alexander Milne set a September 30 hearing to fix a trial date, and a High Court judge has been identified to preside over the case.
  • Prosecutors say the charges relate to a 14-year-old girl in Hammersmith and Fulham over six days between September 6 and 12, 1987.
  • George was convicted in 2001 of BBC presenter Jill Dando’s 1999 murder before the Court of Appeal quashed the verdict in 2007 and a 2008 retrial cleared him, leaving the killing unsolved.