George 'poses no danger to women'

11:40pm Tuesday 5th August 2008

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Barry George is a reformed character who poses no danger to women, it was claimed.

Police moves to monitor his behaviour and protect the public will not be necessary, his spokesman said.

Surjit Singh Clair said Mr George, 48, acquitted last week of murdering TV presenter Jill Dando, now realised his past stalking and pestering of women was wrong.

He said: "It was inappropriate. He was lonely at the time and that was the only way he knew to communicate. But he said he has learnt from that and he won't be doing that kind of thing again. It's a case of self-policing for Barry. He now realises it is wrong."

Mr Clair was speaking after it emerged officials want to keep a close eye on Mr George amid fears over his former lifestyle. Police, prison and probation staff are discussing whether they can put in place special supervision arrangements.

The set of arrangements, known as Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements, involves agencies sharing information on how they can best manage violent and sexual offenders.

Mr George will be treated as a category three offender, reserved for people who are not registered sex offenders or violent but may pose a risk to the public. Representatives from health services and the local housing authority will also be involved in supervising and supporting him.

But sources said several legal hurdles remain as Mr George has not been convicted of an offence for more than 20 years. Officials believe Mr George could be made subject to the same terms because of his admissions and police evidence of his disturbing past behaviour.

Although Mr George was freed at the Old Bailey last Friday, he has admitted following, approaching and photographing women. These activities were observed by surveillance officers in the weeks before his arrest. Hundreds of photos of women, including other television personalities, were found at his home. It also emerged that he was jailed for an attempted rape in the 1980s and once assaulted a neighbour.

Scotland Yard said it was keeping the murder investigation open as a top detective was given the go-ahead to review evidence to find new leads. Assistant Commissioner John Yates, Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell and Commander Simon Foy have met to discuss the case.

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