Dando jury retires for day

Barry George denies murdering TV presenter Jill Dando

The Jill Dando murder trial jury has been sent to a hotel overnight after failing to reach a verdict on Wednesday on the man accused of killing her.

Miss Dando was shot through the head with a single bullet outside her home in Gowan Avenue, Fulham, on 26 April 1999.

Unemployed Barry George, 41, of Crookham Road, Fulham, west London, denies murdering the BBC TV presenter.

Miss Dando was shot through the head

The jury of seven women and five men were sent out by the trial judge on Wednesday, after hearing evidence since the start of the trial on 4 May.

Mr Justice Gage said the jurors would resume deliberations on Thursday, and earlier told them they should not feel under any pressure to reach a verdict.

He also warned them at the start of his summing-up to put out of their minds any feelings of emotion, sympathy or prejudice when deciding their verdict.

Forensic evidence

He told them to concentrate on the evidence they had heard in court with a "cool head and dispassionate view".

In his summing-up he also reminded them of the evidence.

Mr Justice Gage said they had to be convinced by three main planks of the prosecution's case.

These were the implausibility of Mr George's alibi; the strength of the eyewitnesses who placed him in Gowan Avenue and the forensic evidence against him.

He spoke about the particle of firearm discharge residue found on the defendant's inside pocket - a result, according to the defence, of innocent contamination.