'George and no other killed Dando'

3:43pm Thursday 24th July 2008

The case built by police investigating the murder of Jill Dando showed celebrity-obsessed Barry George "and no other" could have killed her, jurors have heard.

Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said while the picture was not straightforward, the various pieces of evidence against George were no coincidence.

Mr Laidlaw said prosecutors "do not lack any confidence at all" that the man in the dock was the gunman who shot Miss Dando on her doorstep.

George, 48, denies murdering the Crimewatch presenter in Fulham, west London, in April 1999.

In his closing speech to the jury, Mr Laidlaw said it had been from the start a "demanding and exacting case" for the police.

There were no DNA or fingerprint clues and neighbours, unaware of the shooting, had no reason to pay much attention to a man they saw walking quickly away.

"There was no obvious candidate for this killing, nobody with anything approaching a rational motive to kill this woman," Mr Laidlaw said.

"Miss Dando was attractive and talented but also an extremely popular journalist and presenter. Nobody speaks ill of her."

She was "happy and content" and had not been the subject of any threats as a result of her work on Crimewatch.

Nor had she been the target of a hate campaign or fallen out with any ex-boyfriends, the court heard. The trial continues.

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