Serial Killer Jailed Under Landmark Double Jeopardy Law Says He Would Have Killed Again

William Dunlop, the first murderer to be jailed after changes to the double jeopardy law, has stated he would have committed further violence if the victim's mother had not spearheaded a campaign that ultimately led to his conviction. Dunlop, 63, is currently undergoing his fourth parole hearing, seeking a move to an open prison.

Dunlop strangled Julie Hogg, 22, in her Billingham home in 1989 and concealed her body behind a bath panel. Her mother, Ann Ming, discovered the remains more than two months after her death. Prosecutors described the attack as premeditated and horrific. Dunlop had been at a rugby party with Miss Hogg, a pizza delivery woman with a three-year-old son, and attacked her after she rejected him.

Dunlop was initially charged with murder, but two separate juries failed to reach a verdict in 1991, leading to his acquittal under the existing double jeopardy law, which prevented individuals from being tried twice for the same offense. He was later jailed for seven years in 1998 for inflicting grievous bodily harm on a new partner. While serving this sentence, Dunlop confided in a prison guard about killing Miss Hogg and admitted to lying during his earlier trial, for which he received an additional six-year sentence.

Ming's 15-year campaign to reform the legislation culminated in the 2006 changes, making Dunlop the first person tried under the new rules. He pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years. The campaign by Mrs. Ming was later depicted in the four-part ITV drama "I Fought the Law."

During his parole hearing, Dunlop acknowledged that he would have killed again or engaged in serious violence if he had not been apprehended. He stated, "I thanked Mrs. Ming for doing it because I’ve not hurt anybody else – by me being in prison all this time I’ve not hurt anybody." He added that he would have continued to suppress his actions if the double jeopardy law had remained unchanged.

Dunlop appeared at the hearing via videolink from an unnamed prison, with his back to the camera. He told the parole board that he now understood the feelings of Miss Hogg's family, having recently lost his own son. Regarding his risk to the public, he expressed fear of being found by others, stating, "I’m more concerned about people finding out where I am and causing me harm… I don’t want to cause anybody any harm." A prison psychologist and an independent psychologist have assessed Dunlop as posing a low risk of violence, increasing to moderate in the community.

Miss Hogg’s son, Kevin, addressed the hearing, stating that time has not healed his pain. "As the years pass, the pain of losing my mother to this murder remains acute," he said. The parole hearing is ongoing.