Mr Mansfield told jurors there is no scientific ev

Mr Mansfield told jurors there is no scientific evidence whatsoever linking George to the killing.

Not only were no weapons or ammunition found in his home but no gunfire particles were discovered on any surface of his grubby flat or on any of his clothing, said the QC.

And the single particle found inside his overcoat pocket was meaningless according to a forensic expert, he added.

He reminded jurors of Dr John Lloyd’s evidence that a single particle found one year after the murder casts a ‘serious doubt’ as to where it came from.

And that such a tiny find would not normally be reported by forensic labs.

Mr Mansfield said: ‘This is the first time a single particle has been linked to an event which occurred one year before.

‘

He told jurors it was the Crown’s case that George modified blank firing weapons to shoot real bullets – a procedure which requires a lathe, welding equipment and tools.

Mr Mansfield said: ‘During a thorough search of his home, police found nothing.

There is nothing to support that theory.

The evidence as a whole is a hole itself.

‘

The QC explained how the overcoat worn by his client on the day of the killing sheds fibres ‘readily’ yet no fibres found on Jill’ body matched his cashmere coat.

‘Her head was very close to the ground when she was shot.

The gunman must have forced her down by putting his right arm around her.

‘That’s not all – fibres were also found around the doorstep area but none came from this defendant’s clothing.

‘

He added that none of his client’s footwear seized during the search on his home matched a footprint found on Jill’s doorstep.

The trial continues.

ends