The tireless fight of Ann Ming, who campaigned to see her daughter’s killer brought to justice, has been retold in a powerful new ITV drama, I Fought the Law. The series revisits the harrowing 1989 murder of 22-year-old Julie Hogg in Billingham, County Durham, and the extraordinary determination of her mother to overturn centuries-old legal barriers that once shielded her daughter’s killer from prosecution.
Julie Hogg was strangled by domestic abuser William “Billy” Dunlop, but two juries failed to reach a verdict at the time. For years, Dunlop appeared to have escaped justice, even boasting about the killing, while being protected under the double jeopardy law, which prevented retrials for the same crime. Unwilling to accept defeat, Ms Ming launched a relentless campaign to change the law so that dangerous offenders could be tried again if new evidence or admissions came to light. Her efforts ultimately led to a landmark reform of the 800-year-old legislation.
Speaking to the BBC after the release of the four-part drama, Ms Ming said watching her story play out on screen was deeply emotional. “There were cries all the way through it. All I was doing was reliving it all and I knew what it felt like inside,” she recalled. She praised actress Sheridan Smith, who portrays her in the drama, saying: “Sheridan portrayed me as though she was inside me.” The series depicts pivotal moments in her journey, including the devastating discovery of her daughter’s body hidden beneath a bath and her agonising wait for news during the search.
Sheridan Smith, known for her roles in Cilla, Benidorm, and Gavin & Stacey, described taking on the role as an “honour.” She explained that once she read the script, she immediately began researching the case and Ms Ming’s memoir For the Love of Julie. Sitting alongside Ms Ming during interviews, Smith admitted feeling “starstruck” by the woman she plays, saying: “The fight for justice, fighting and fighting to change this 800-year-old law to pave the way for other families, is just such an inspiration, so I was just in awe of her.”
Ms Ming’s successful campaign ensured that Dunlop was eventually convicted of her daughter’s murder in 2006, following his confession. Her landmark victory not only secured justice for Julie but also reshaped British law, giving hope to countless other families seeking accountability. With I Fought the Law, ITV has placed a spotlight on both a mother’s grief and her extraordinary courage in ensuring no killer could again exploit the law to escape justice.
