It is difficult to imagine that something positive could arise out of a life that had been unnecessarily and violently destroyed. However, as a lasting legacy to Jill Dando, Mr. Farthing, friends and family of the TV station banded together with numerous supporters to create one of the world’s first criminal science institutes. Mr. Farthing said that those who knew and loved Jill were, “trying to turn the tragedy into something positive.” The Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science was developed to assist in the prevention of crime. The institute provides degree courses on crime prevention, in the hopes that other unnecessary acts of violence could be prevented in the future.

Appeals by Mr. George’s lawyers

Unsatisfied with the trial ruling, the lawyers appointed by Mr. George appealed to the courts for a retrial. On July 15, 2002, the BBC reported that Michael Mansfield QC petitioned the Court of Appeals, stating that the evidence against his client was “flimsy.” Mansfield stated that during the four-day hearing the forensic evidence used in the case was dubious. Mansfield told the judges at the hearing that the only thing that could be proved was that Mr. George was vulnerable. Mansfield argued that the murder weapon had never been found. The Beretta gun that was discovered during the earlier stages of the investigation had been found to have had no connection with the Dando crime. The Court of Appeals also heard in defense of Mr. George that the motive presented by the prosecution was questionable and the proof of obsession non-existent.

Several weeks following the filing of the appeal, three senior judges rejected the claim. The judges stated that they were satisfied with the evidence admitted and found it compelling enough to convict Mr. George. They found further evidence that offered proof that Mr. George had indeed committed the murder. The evidence included articles taken from Mr. George’s apartment, which pointed to an obsession with Jill Dando and other television personalities.  Other evidence included the blatant lies about George’s experience with firearms. The court believed these and other facts, coupled with the scientific evidence provided in the trial, created sufficient grounds for conviction. One of the judges, Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf commented that after “looking at the evidence as a whole we have no doubt as to the correctness of the conviction.” Mr. George was returned to prison, where he remains for life for the murder of Jill Dando.