Julian Barnes 'relieved and delighted' at winning Booker Prize

Julian Barnes has won the Man Booker Prize for his novel The Sense of an Ending, having missed out on three previous occasions.

The 65-year-old writer had been the bookmakers' favourite to win.

Barnes thanked the "judges' wisdom" as he was presented with the £50,000 prize at London's Guildhall.

"It is a beautifully written book," said ex-MI5 boss Dame Stella Rimington, chairwoman of the 2011 judges.

"We thought it was a book that spoke to humankind in the 21st Century," she said.