The man who was wrongly convicted of killing Jill Dando has today been charged with rape and indecent assault.
Barry George has been charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl almost 40 years ago.
The 65-year-old would have been in his 20s when the alleged attack happened.
He faces one charge of rape and two charges of indecent assault.
Mr George was convicted of the 1999 murder but was unanimously acquitted in 2008 after a retrial.
He served eight years in prison before being freed after experts raised concerns about the legal significance of a single particle of gunshot residue that was found in his overcoat pocket.
The killer of the 37-year-old Crimewatch host who was forced to the ground and shot in the head on her doorstep on April 26, 1999 has never been found.
Following his acquittal, Mr George went to live with his sister in Cork, Ireland in 2010.
Barry George in 2001
Jill Dando was murdered on her doorstep
Barry George has always denied any involvement in Jill Dando’s murder
He has always denied any involvement in her murder and has called for Scotland Yard to reopen the investigation to identify the killer.
Milorad Ulemek, a convicted Serbian assassin who is serving a 40-year prison sentence, has been named as a possible suspect in the case.
After her murder the BBC received a call saying she was killed in revenge for a recent Nato attack on a Belgrade television station in which 17 people died.
Weeks earlier she had hosted a television appeal that raised £54 million for Kosovan refugees who fled Serbian paramilitaries during the Yugoslavia civil war.
Mr George is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl on two separate occasions between 6-12 September 1987.
The alleged victim is now in her 50s.
The attacks are reported to have taken place in west London.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, from the Metropolitan Police Service, said: ‘These charges follow an investigation by a team of Met detectives.
‘Specially trained officers continue to support the woman who has come forward.’
Lionel Idan, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London South, said: ‘Having carefully reviewed a file of evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service has taken the decision to prosecute Barry George, 65, on charges of rape and two counts of indecent assault.
‘These relate to non-recent allegations that took place in 1987 against a woman who was a teenager at the time.
‘He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 29 October 2025.
‘We remind all concerned that proceedings against the suspect are active and he has a right to a fair trial.
‘We recognise there is likely to be considerable interest in this case, however it is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.’
