'Monster' murdered neighbour and hid body beneath bath in crime 'fuelled by rejection'

Mother of three Ann Ming was an ordinary theatre nurse when her life was irrevocably changed one chilly November evening in 1989.

Her 22-year-old daughter, Julie Hogg - a devoted mother to a three-year-old toddler - went missing. Ann’s worst fears were confirmed when she discovered Julie’s body hidden beneath her own bath panel, 80 days later.

The subsequent investigation highlighted glaring miscarriages of justice. William 'Billy' Dunlop, the neighbour and prime suspect, was tried twice but walked free both times, owing to jury indecision. Though evidence, including the victim’s key under his floorboards and DNA on the blanket, strongly implicated him, the double jeopardy law shielded him from retrial.

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The breaking point came when Dunlop later boasted about the crime while incarcerated for a separate assault. Ann suspected that the law unjustly protected him, and she refused to let it stand.

Dunlop strangled and hid Julie beneath a bath at her home in Billingham, County Durham. Dunlop had been seeking release from prison for a separate crime but, after hearing professionals were recommending he only be moved to open conditions, he amended his application.

On the second day of the partially public Parole Board hearing, Dunlop, 61, said his confession was purely for "selfish" reasons and not to help Julie's family.

Ann Hogg's campaign began - a lone, fiery crusade across legal institutions, Parliament, and House of Lords - to dismantle an 800-year-old barrier to true justice.

After years of tireless campaigning, the law was finally abolished in 2005. A year later, Dunlop became the first person convicted under the reformed legislation.

Dunlop, who previously told the panel he had been a "violent" and "hideous" person fuelled by drink and rage when he killed Julie, said he was "not comfortable" with the "monster" he used to be.

Julie, who had a three-year-old son, was recently separated from her husband and working as a pizza delivery driver in the area at the time of the murder.

He told the panel he tried to implicate another person because he was only thinking about himself. When asked how he had been able to lie for so long about the murder, Dunlop said: "With great difficulty."

He said his violence was motivated by rejection, humiliation and his pride being hurt and he "never dealt with life's problems", adding: "From an early age [violence] was what I knew best."

He admitted there was a "sexual element" to the killing of Julie and he felt disgusted.

When asked what he would say to Julie's family now, he said he wanted to apologise to them for all "these years and the years to come".

"I know it's of little consequence but I do regret what I have done to them," Dunlop said, adding his anger "destroyed so many lives" and Julie was a "lovely" and "really witty" woman.

He also said he had no animosity towards Julie's family and had no interest in resuming old relationships as his violence had "destroyed them beyond all repair".

Ann's quest had reshaped UK criminal justice and she was later made an MBE for her contributions.

Her remarkable story now serves as the storyline of I Fought the Law, a stirring four-part ITV drama starring Sheridan Smith, who plays Ann. The series captures not only legal reform but the emotional toll exacted by grief, determination, and the enduring fight for closure.

Sheridan, who immersed herself in Ann’s memoir For the Love of Julie, described the role as deeply transformative: “The strength [Ann] had... is incredible, I’m absolutely in awe of her.”

Despite the killer being brought to justice, Ann said she's "living a life sentence", adding: "You’re forever haunted by what happened."

Even now, approaching 80, she remains vigilant while fighting to ensure her daughter’s killer faces no leniency.

He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years in 2006.

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