Tried and acquitted over the murder of British television presenter Jill Dando in 1999, Barry George has been refused a £1.4 million claim for compensation.

Jill Dando was shot dead outside her Fulham home on 26 April 1999. Two years later, on 25 May 2001, Mr George was arrested and charged with her murder.

A bit of a loner, with a troubled childhood behind him, Barry George already had a string of convictions dating back several decades before he was arrested for Miss Dando’s murder. These included indecent assault and rape and, at his trial, evidence was heard from 14 women that he had followed or frightened whilst they walked home alone.

Mr George was known for having an avid interest in the BBC which was sparked when he worked there for four months in 1977. He was also found to have an unhealthy interest in celebrities, including the Princess of Wales and Prince Charles.

In 2007, Mr George’s conviction for Miss Dando’s murder was judged unsafe by the court of appeal and quashed. He was then retried, before finally being acquitted on 1 August 2008.

Having spent nearly eight years in prison before being found not guilty at his retrial, Mr George was seeking compensation for stress, wrongful imprisonment, loss of earnings and destruction of character. He has been refused on the grounds that he has no reputation to damage and that no new evidence or suspect has ever been found by police investigating in the case.