Double jeopardy killer parole hearing delay ‘a disgrace’

A public parole hearing for a murderer whose conviction made legal history has been adjourned at the last minute.

William ‘Billy’ Dunlop killed Julie Hogg in Billingham, County Durham, in 1989, then boasted of getting away with the crime after jurors twice failed to reach a verdict.

A lengthy battle by Miss Hogg’s mother, Ann Ming, saw double jeopardy laws eventually overturned and, in 2006, the murderer was jailed for life.

Mrs Ming called the new delay a “sheer disgrace”. The Parole Board said it had an obligation to ensure the hearing was “fair for all parties”.

A panel was due to decide whether the killer should stay behind bars, transfer to an open prison or be released.

However, the court was told the hearing had to be delayed at the request of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) because new information had come to light that must be considered beforehand.

The MoJ later said it had not requested the adjournment.

Mrs Ming said her family had been warned on Friday that an adjournment might be requested but were given no further information until the hearing was called off at the 11th hour.

The family believe they were “lied to” by the Parole Board, which initially told them technical difficulties were to blame for delays to the hearing.

The Parole Board did not wish to comment when approached about this.

Mrs Ming, who appeared visibly angry when speaking to press outside the court, said: “We were there three hours and thought it was because of IT problems, but they issued a statement – not to my family, but to the press – saying it had to be adjourned.

“It’s absolutely disgraceful. I would like Caroline Corby, the head of the Parole Board to come and speak to us as a family.

“It’s a sheer disgrace what has happened today.”

Julie’s son Kevin, who was three when his mother was killed, described the impact of the adjournment on the family as “astronomical” and said they would continue their fight.

He added: “If this is how you are going to treat victims, you should be ashamed.”

A spokesman for the Parole Board said members were “very sorry” the hearing had not gone ahead.

“We realise that this can be disappointing but we have an obligation to make sure that the hearing is fair for all parties.

“That means that the panel need to see all of the relevant information and the parties need to have enough time to be able to respond to it.”

He added: “Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.”

A video link had been set up between courtroom 76 of the Royal Courts of Justice and the prison where Dunlop is being held, while members of Miss Hogg’s family waited elsewhere in the building.

Due to begin at 11:00 BST, the announcement about the adjournment was made at about 12:15.

The hearing will be rearranged.

Miss Hogg was subjected to a violent sexual assault after rejecting Dunlop.

As detailed in the BBC’s In Court podcast, the labourer then strangled her and hid her mutilated body behind a bath panel where it lay undiscovered for months.

Dunlop was tried twice for the 22-year-old’s murder but on both occasions jurors failed to arrive at a verdict.

While in jail for another offence, he confessed to killing Miss Hogg and bragged about getting away with murder because of the double jeopardy laws in place at the time, which meant people could not be charged with the same crime twice.

Miss Hogg’s mother campaigned tirelessly for more than 15 years to have the 800-year-old legislation overturned.

When he was jailed, Mrs Ming said: “We just hope after 17 years, when he’s eligible for parole, if I’m dead, someone carries on the good work and keeps him behind bars so he can never kill anyone else again.”