I Fought the Law is based on the true-life murder of Julie Hogg and her mother’s fight to bring her killer William ‘Billy’ Dunlop to justice – but is he still in prison?
The new “inspirational” four-part series is airing on ITV and sees Sheridan Smith take on the lead role of Ann Ming, Julie’s mother.
Julie’s killer managed to evade punishment for almost two decades due to an 800-year-old double jeopardy law.
The ‘inspirational’ drama will see how Ann worked tirelessly for 15 years and changed a law that had stood since the time of the Magna Carta.
Sheridan Smith stars in ITV’s new drama I Fought the Law (Credit: ITV)
Ann’s tenacious fight paid off, as it saw killer William ‘Billy’ Dunlop finally jailed for his horrific crime against her daughter.
But who is Billy Dunlop, how did he know Julie and where is he now? We take a deeper look into the real life case behind ITV’s I Fought the Law.
Who is William ‘Billy’ Dunlop?
William ‘Billy’ Dunlop is a former labourer from Billingham in Stockton-upon-Tees. He is 61 years old.
In 1989, Dunlop was 25 and living close to pizza delivery driver Julie Hogg. Julie, estranged from her husband Andrew, was 22 years old and had a three-year-old son called Kevin. Andrew’s name has been changed to Matthew in I Fought the Law.
Dunlop had a violent record dating back to his childhood. He even described himself as a “violent, hideous, uncaring person” years later during a parole hearing.
How did Dunlop know Julie Hogg?
Dunlop has been described as ‘an acquittance’ of Julie. In 1989, he was living two streets away from her marital home. Dunlop was also best friends with the son of Julie’s next-door neighbour.
On the night of Julie’s murder, it was revealed in court that Dunlop had been thrown out of a rugby club. He had been drinking heavily at a stag party and made unwanted advances towards a stripper.
Once outside, Dunlop was said to have been involved in a fight in the street. Later, he noticed Julie’s lights were on and knocked on her door. Julie had just finished a late shift at the pizza shop and her son, Kevin, was with his grandparents, Ann and Charlie Ming.
Dunlop strangled and sexually assaulted Julie after she mocked his injuries sustained in the earlier fight. He wrapped her body in a blanket and hid it behind a bath panel.
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