A mother who spent 15 years campaigning for her daughter’s murderer to face justice after he violently sexually assaulted and murdered her, became emotional as she retold the story of when her ‘worst nightmare’ came true.
Appearing on new BBC 2 series ‘Catching Britain’s Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us’, Ann Ming recalled the murder of her daughter Julie Hogg, 22, in 1989.
She was sexually assaulted and murdered by her former boyfriend Billy Dunlop in Billingham, Teeside, but he was found not guilty at his trial after claiming evidence against him had been planted.
Despite ‘bragging’ about her death while in prison for another crime, he was not convicted because an 800-year-old law prevented him from being re-tried for the same murder.
Viewers took to Twitter to praise Ann for being ‘truly inspirational’ after spending the best part of two decades fighting to bring her daughter’s killer to justice, which finally saw Dunlop sentenced to life in 2006 for Julie’s murder.
Pizza delivery woman Julie Hogg was brutally murdered by Billy Dunlop at 22 in 1989 in Billingham, Teeside
Remembering the day her daughter went missing, Ann told how she phoned Julie at 7.30, as she did everything and had a ‘gut feeling’ that ‘something wasn’t right’ when there was no answer.
She said: ‘I was up early because I had Kevin at 7.30. I telephoned Julie’s house and I got no reply, I just thought oh she’s slept in.
I drove down the house and when I got there the curtains were closed, the doors were locked and my gut feeling just felt something wasn’t right.
Julie’s brother investigated and found the house was unusually clean, prompting the pair to phone the police.
Despite ‘bragging’ about her death, Billy was not sent to prison as an 800-year-old law prevented him from being re-tried after being found not guilty
Ann became emotional on new BBC 2 series ‘Catching Britain’s Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us’ where she opened up about her daughter’s death, which would finally challenge this ancient ‘double jeopardy’ law
Ann continued: ‘Looking at the house now, when I’m back to that day all the emotions are back there again. Thinking that was the day I came down and she just wasn’t there.’
Police originally treated Julie’s case as a missing person, and three months after her disappearance her family decided to move her son Kevin back into her home with his father.
Ann told: ‘There was a smell. I’d gone down the house on the lunchtime to see if he’d got rid of the smell, and he opened the door and he said, “it’s getting worse”.
‘So I went and had a look myself. At that point i’d worked in an operating theatre for 20 years and I just knew what the smell would be.’
Viewers took to Twitter to praise Ann for being ‘truly inspirational’ after spending the best part of two decades fighting to bring her daughter’s killer to justice
‘I’m going up the stairs to the bathroom inside I’m screaming please god don’t let it be Julie.
‘As I leaned over the bath to smell the wall and where it was loose, it wobbled and the smell became stronger, so I pulled it open. She was under the bath.
‘She was my daughter, at least she was found. But you knew that your worst nightmare was coming true .’
After her mutilated and partially decomposed body was found, it was discovered that Julie’s body had been subject to ‘violent sexual assault.’
Police began investigating by collecting evidence gathered from semen found on Julie’s bed and began looking into her private life.
Ann Ming appeared on new BBC 2 series ‘Catching Britain’s Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us’ where she revisited the house her daughter disappeared from
She became emotional while looking at the home that she found her daughter’s mutilated and partially decomposed body was found behind a panel on the bath
It was found that Dunlop, a violent individual, was the prime suspect after evidence against him including fingerprints were found on Julie’s keys, located under the floorboards.
In May 1991, Dunlop stood trial for Julie’s murder in Newcastle Crown Court but was not found guilty because the jury failed to come to a conclusive verdict, after Dunlop claimed that evidence had been planted against him.
Revisiting the courthouse, Ann admitted: ‘I can picture him just down there. I didn’t think I’d feel this funny, but I suppose it’s because it’s taking you back. We sat here.
‘You wanted to shout down “why are you saying things like that?”. But you can’t, and it’s horrible.’
Ann is seen revisiting Newcastle Crown Court where in May 1991, Dunlop stood trial for Julie’s murder in but was not found guilty as the jury failed to come to a conclusive verdict
Ann became emotional while revisiting the courtroom and reflecting on the trial of her daughter’s killer admitting ‘I can picture him just down there’
Nine years after Julie’s murder, in 1997, Dunlop stabbed his ex-girlfriend with a carving fork and beat up her lover, and was sentenced to seven years in prison for grievous bodily harm.
While in prison, the killer bragged to a guard that he had murdered Julie but would never be able to go to prison for it because of the, ‘double jeopardy’ law meaning an individual couldn’t be re-tried once they’d been cleared of the crime.
Revealing what her lawyer told her at the time, Ann recalled: ‘He said “we know he’s bragging, but nothing can be done because of the double jeopardy law”.
‘You just felt in a state of limbo there was no closure and he was walking free bragging he’d killed her.
‘There was nothing you could do, you can’t bring her back but you want justice.’
After 15-years of campaigning from Ann, in 2006, 17 years after her death Dunlop was found guilty and jailed for life for the murder of Julie Hoggs
With the help of Brian Mckenzie, a leading police officer the mother began campaigning, determined to change the law and see her daughter’s killer face justice.
Ann campaigned alongside the family of murdered black teenager, Stephen Lawrence.
Eventually, a letter written to her MP got her an appointment with then home secretary Jack Straw and few weeks later, a retrospectively applying bill was passed, which meant Dunlop would once again go on trial.
In 2006, 17 years after her death, Dunlop was found guilty and jailed for life for the murder of Julie Hoggs.