KEY POINTS:
LONDON - Barry George, the man acquitted of the murder of the BBC TV presenter Jill Dando, is to be interviewed by police over claims that he is stalking Sky News presenter Kay Burley after she made an allegation of harassment.
Burley collapsed in her newsroom last Thursday and has not returned to work since. An ambulance and paramedics were called but she was not taken to hospital.
She made the harassment complaint to police 24 hours later.
George first met Burley when she interviewed him after he was acquitted of the murder of Dando at a retrial in August. He then visited the Sky News studios in West London two weeks ago.
A Sky News source said: "Barry George came to the building and asked for a copy of the interview. Kay was not in that day and he didn't get past reception."
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said police were investigating after a woman had made an allegation of harassment. It is unclear if George's alleged behaviour was the cause of Burley's discomfort.
A source told the BBC: "People are saying the two things are linked, but that is not necessarily the case. The truth is that Kay has been feeling unwell and needs to rest for a couple of days."
George, 48, a convicted sex attacker, was jailed for the murder of Dando, 37, in 2001. She was shot dead by a gunman on the doorstep of her West London home in 1999.
George's murder conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal after major doubts were raised about the validity of firearms residue said to have been found on his coat. An Old Bailey jury cleared him at his retrial in August after he had spent seven years in prison. He has previous convictions for attempted rape and indecent assault. He also tried to break into Kensington Palace to see Diana, Princess of Wales, armed with a hunting knife and rope.
Burley, 47, who presents a three-hour daily programme on Sky News, was offered personal security by her employers after she raised concerns.
George's spokesman said: "This is absolute rubbish. Barry hasn't made any such harassment. He wanted a videotape. He told them he was going along to pick it up and that was fine. They eventually sent him a copy."
He said Burley's allegation was part of a vendetta against George waged by a small section of the press. Reports last week claimed that George had asked a friend to help him download images to a laptop of Burley appearing on a television programme, and then slept alongside them. George's spokesman said that was nonsense.
Scotland Yard is understood to have brought together a group of senior officers to determine the risk posed by George, who is regarded as a threat to women. In an interview after his acquittal, George said he could not have killed Dando because he was stalking another woman at the time in April 1999.
- INDEPENDENT
