Barry George to sue for compensation

Barry George, who spent eight years in prison after being wrongly convicted of the murder of the BBC TV presenter Jill Dando, is to fight a test case for compensation.

Mr George, 52, who was cleared after a retrial in 2008, will be one of five lead cases to be heard at the High Court in London this autumn, a judge ruled yesterday. The five will test the law on who is now entitled to payments in "miscarriages of justice" cases following a landmark decision by the Supreme Court in May last year.

Mr George's claim for damages for lost earnings and wrongful imprisonment was rejected by the Ministry of Justice on the grounds that he was not legally entitled to compensation. Gordon Bishop, appearing for Mr George, from Fulham, west London, told Mr Justice Irwin his client was "very happy" to put himself forward as a lead case.

Nick Baird, solicitor for Mr George, said that if Mr George eventually wins his claim the amount he can receive will be capped at £500,000.

Miss Dando, 37, was shot dead outside her home in Fulham in April 1999.