I DO not know whether Barry George is guilty of the murder of Jill Dando, and I sincerely hope that justice has been done, but I have my doubts considering the evidence given regarding the supposed murder weapon.

I am a qualified pistol coach under the County of Lancaster and the National Small-Bore Rifle Association and, until the confiscation of handguns, I owned a number of pistols and also reloaded my own ammunition. I therefore feel qualified to speak on the subject of firearms.

The pressure which is generated when a pistol, or indeed any firearm, is fired is very great and the chambers of a gun must be made of quality steel to contain that pressure, so as not to explode in the shooter's face.

It was reported that the police have a picture of Barry George holding a blank-firing Bruni handgun which, it is claimed, could have been converted to fire regular ammunition, and subsequently used to murder Miss Dando. Blank-firing replica firearms can be legally owned in this country and are usually made of a weak, die-cast metal. It is impossible for this metal to withstand the pressure generated from standard, factory-produced ammunition.

A case for appeal is being brought on behalf of Barry George, and I look forward with interest to further evidence being given to explain the claim that this blank-firing replica could have been the murder weapon.

A. P. TOBIAS