Barry George, 65, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering BBC presenter Jill Dando, has been charged with rape and indecent assault. The charges stem from allegations that a girl was sexually assaulted on two occasions between 6 and 12 September 1987. The alleged victim, now in her 50s, reported the incidents occurring in west London.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy from the Metropolitan Police Service stated, "These charges follow an investigation by a team of Met detectives. Specially trained officers continue to support the woman who has come forward." George is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 29 October.

George spent eight years in prison for Dando's murder before being acquitted in 2008 after a retrial. At the time of her death in 1999, Dando was a prominent television figure, known for presenting shows like Crimewatch and Holiday. She was just 37 years old and engaged to gynaecologist Alan Farthing, with plans to marry in September of that year.

The investigation into Dando's murder initially focused on George in February 2000, following a directive to trace him. Police searched his flat near Dando's home in Fulham, south-west London, shortly after. George, who has frontal lobe brain damage, Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, learning difficulties, and epilepsy, has maintained that he was "transparent and truthful" during the investigation. He currently resides in Ireland.

In recent years, a separate investigation has uncovered new evidence suggesting links between the Serbian security services and Dando's unsolved murder. A van driver reported being "80% sure" that convicted assassin Milorad Ulemek was near the murder scene, while another witness claimed to have seen him in the area on the morning of the crime.

Dando was shot from behind as she approached her front door, with a single bullet fired at close range to her left temple. Ulemek, now 57 and serving a 40-year sentence in Serbia, was involved in assassination plots for the late dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Following the recent findings, MPs have called for a reopening of the investigation, and a leading barrister who prosecuted Milosevic has urged that Ulemek be investigated in connection with Dando's murder.