Acquitted ‘killer’ may face new trial
A SELF- CONFESSED killer may become the first person in the UK to be tried for the same murder twice after the scrapping of double jeopardy laws.
William Dunlop, 42, was accused of murdering 22year- old Julie Hogg in 1989 and hiding her naked, mutilated body behind a bath.
He was charged with her murder, but two juries failed to reach a verdict and he was formally acquitted.
However, the labourer was jailed for six years for perjury in 2000 after confessing to a prison inmate that he had murdered Mrs Hogg, who had been his lover.
Yesterday the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald, QC, announced that Dunlop’s case would be referred to the Court of Appeal – which will decide if he can be retried for Mrs Hogg’s murder.
The case is the first to be affected by the ending of the 800year- old double jeopardy law.
This prevented someone who had been acquitted by a jury being tried again on the same charge. Mrs Hogg’s mother, Ann Ming, had campaigned for the law to be changed.
Mr Macdonald said yesterday: ‘ It falls to me to authorise a police investigation and to give my written consent for a case to be referred to the Court of Appeal if certain conditions are met, including that there is new and compelling evidence and that it is in the public interest.
‘ I am satisfied the conditions are met and the CPS should apply to the Court of Appeal for William Dunlop to be retried for the murder of Julie Hogg.’ The reform of the double jeopardy rule came into force earlier this year under the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
Under the Act, the Court of Appeal has the power to quash an acquittal and order a retrial where there is new and compelling evidence relevant to the guilt of the acquitted person and it is in the interests of justice to do so. D u n l o p , o f B i l l i n g h a m , Teesside, was acquitted of the murder at two separate trials at Newcastle upon Tyne Crown Court in 1991. Mrs Hogg, who was estranged from her husband, was a pizza delivery woman. Her disappearance in November 1989 was initially treated as a missing persons inquiry.
But 80 days after she vanished, her corpse was found hidden behind a bath panel at her home.
Her house keys were found in Dunlop’s flat, his hair and sweater fibres were discovered on her body and other forensic evidence on a towel wrapped around her body.
The progress of the Dunlop case will be watched closely by police officers.
In future, the discovery of compelling new evidence such as DNA is likely to prompt further referrals of previously unsolved cases to the Appeal Court.
Scotland Yard has previously pledged to have the suspects for t h e m u r d e r o f S t e p h e n Lawrence tried again.
Five men – David Norris, Neil Acourt, Jamie Acourt, Gary Dobson and Luke Knight – were named as the 18- year- old’s killers by the Daily Mail in 1997.
But senior detectives remain pessimistic of a new prosecution without the discovery of significant new evidence.
b.taylor@dailymail.co.uk