Barry George has been cleared of the murder of TV presenter Jill Dando after eight years of trying to prove his innocence.

The 48-year-old, an epileptic with mental disability, was originally found guilty of Ms Dando's murder in 2001. He was arrested a year after the 1999 murder.

Mr George's first appeal was rejected but a second appeal, in November last year, resulted in the conviction being quashed and a retrial ordered.

The second trial began on June 9 this year, with the judge ruling out evidence that a single particle of firearms discharge residue was found in the pocket of Mr George's coat.

The judge, Mr Justice Griffith Williams, was told that the speck, although of the same type as found on the victim, could have come from other sources.

A jury of eight women and four men rejected the prosecution case that Mr George was the killer who shot Ms Dando, 37, through the head on her doorstep in Fulham, west London, in April 1999.

In a statement read by his solicitor Jeremy Moore, Mr George said: "I'm overwhelmed. I want to thank my family, my legal team ... my medical team and all the people who have supported me at Belmarsh, Whitemoor and Manchester prisons, and all my supporters."

Mr Moore said that Mr George's first words on being cleared were: "I can't believe it."

Now police face the task of renewing the search for the gunman nine years after the popular Crimewatch presenter was murdered.

Mr George showed no reaction as the verdict was read out. His sister Michelle Diskin, who was also sitting in court, punched the air and cried "yes".

Mr George is expected to be released and walk free from the Old Bailey later.

His lawyers described him as the "local nutter" with psychological problems and argued that he did not have the ability to carry out the meticulously-planned murder, which appeared to be the "perfect crime".

Mr George was supported in court by his sister Ms Diskin, who has led the fight for his release.

She had been instrumental in getting the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body which investigates possible miscarriages of justice, to refer the case to the Court of Appeal.

Mr George was a fantasist who told people he was Freddie Mercury's cousin and called himself Bulsara, the Queen frontman's real name.

He became the prime suspect after detectives reviewed the evidence and his name came up among several others put forward after appeals to the public.

During three weeks of undercover surveillance, he was seen to approach 38 women in the area to try to make conversation with them.

His home in nearby Crookham Road was searched and officers found 2,248 photographs he had taken of unsuspecting women.

The pictures, on 100 rolls of undeveloped film, also had shots of a number of women TV presenters including Anthea Turner.

They also found a gun holster and lists of guns, military magazines and a picture of Mr George wearing a gas mask and holding a starting pistol. The prosecution said it was the sort of weapon which, if converted, could have fired the fatal shot.

Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said Mr George was a celebrity and gun-obsessed stalker with a grudge against the BBC. But William Clegg QC, defending, said the prosecution case was circumstantial and there was no direct evidence that Mr George was the killer.

He said the prosecution could not prove that the killer seen by two witnesses shortly after the shooting at just after 11.30am was Mr George.

The witnesses, one of whom has since died, did not identify Mr George. The case hinged on the killer being the same man that other witnesses had described as being of Mediterranean appearance who had been identified or partially identified as being Mr George.

Mr Clegg said: "There is insufficient evidence and a fatal weakness in the Crown's case."

During police interviews, Mr George said he did not know Ms Dando or where she lived before her death was in the news. He said: "I have never seen Jill Dando in the flesh in any shape or form."

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