Killer said he ‘hated’ victim’s family for campaigning against his release
Professionals have recommended double jeopardy killer Billy Dunlop be moved to an open prison.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A murderer has said he “hated” his victim’s mother for campaigning for a key change in the double jeopardy law that eventually brought him to justice.
The public parole hearing for William Dunlop, who strangled pizza delivery woman Julie Hogg in Billingham, County Durham, in 1989, began on Monday.
The killer was jailed for life in 2006 after Miss Hogg’s mother, Ann Ming, campaigned for 15 years to get the 800-year-old double jeopardy law changed so that he could be charged with the same crime twice.
He became the first person to be tried under the new rules in a case that made legal history.
Speaking from an unnamed prison, Dunlop told the parole hearing: “(Ann) was the bane of my life. I used to hate her. I won’t deny it. But who wouldn’t do (what she did)? I’ve now got a lot of time for her and (Julie’s son) Kevin. I have no malice towards them whatsoever.”
The killer subjected Miss Hogg, who had a three-year-old son, to a violent sexual assault after she rejected him and hid her mutilated body behind a bath panel where it lay undiscovered for more than two months.
He was tried twice for the murder, but both juries failed to reach a verdict.
Three years later, while in jail for another crime, Dunlop confessed and admitted lying in court, boasting there was nothing anyone could do about it because of the double jeopardy rule in place at the time.
He told the hearing his confession was “selfish” and had nothing to do with the family. Instead, he knew he “needed help” and believed this was the best course of action.
But he claimed he has since changed – a key moment in his life being a failed suicide attempt while in prison – and spoke of his “deep regrets” over the murder.
He said: “I was a violent, hideous person. I put the family through 10 years … through the rest of their lives. It also affects me. I was a car crash waiting to happen.”
“I shouldn’t have any sympathy, but it affects me … It was about people rejecting me and not dealing with it properly. Julie got all of that. All of this anger and rage. That’s all I was. I was a horrible individual.”
Earlier during proceedings, Miss Hogg’s family branded the hearing – which started after an hour’s delay – a “shamble” after technical difficulties meant they could not hear proceedings.
Members of the press and public were watching the proceedings – taking place at the unnamed prison where Dunlop is being held – on a live stream from a courtroom where large screens had been set up.
Ms Ming and her family were watching the hearing separately but later joined the press room, where she said: “It’s an absolute shambles. We couldn’t hear a thing.”
A prison offender manager, who declined to share their name but said they had been working with Dunlop since he arrived at the prison in December 2022, told proceedings they are confident Dunlop can be moved to an open prison.
They said he had shown “genuine remorse” for the murder of Miss Hogg – a revelation that resulted in groans from the victim’s family – and had done sufficient work to address risk factors, ranging from violence to substance misuse.
The hearing was also told about historic allegations Dunlop was not prosecuted for, and which he denies.
No further details about the nature of the allegations were heard by the panel.
The prison offender manager said professionals were aware of the allegations, but believed them to be “part of a pattern of behaviours” and that his denial was “more about shame rather than being about him being open and honest”.
During his time behind bars, Dunlop has been employed in a position that includes him supporting other prisoners, the hearing was told.
He has also undertaken development programmes, including an IT course that resulted in him accidentally having access to the internet once the course was completed. The hearing was told this mistake was noticed and quickly rectified.
Parole reviews typically take place behind closed doors but legal reforms which came into force in 2022 now allow some to be heard in public, when requested, in a bid to remove the secrecy around the process.
Last year, Caroline Corby, chairwoman of the Parole Board for England and Wales, ruled Dunlop’s parole hearing could be held in public partly due to the unique legal background of the case.
The hearing has been listed for two days and a decision is expected at a later date.