Double Jeporady

• Double jeopardy law - a basic principle of English common law that has existed for around 800 years, it stops people being tried multiple times for the same case once acquitted 
• In 1989 Julie Hogg was murdered and Billy Dunlop her boyfriend was charged with the crime however after 2 juries failed to reach a verdict he was acquitted (if two juries fail to reach a verdict the prosecutors drop the case)
• In 1998 whilst Dunlop was in jail for a savage attack on a former lover he admitted to a prison officer that he had murdered JUlie Hogg which was then reported.

  Dunlop was committed of perjury (lying on the stand) and was sentenced to 6 years in jail for this however no action was taken for the murder
• Ann Ming, Julie's mother, wanted to see Dunlop convicted so she campaigned to change the law, she lobbied politicians, used the press, TV and radio to publicise the case
• 2003 Criminal Justice act - Permitted certain serious cries to be re-tried, these crimes included - murder, rape, kiddnapping, major drug offences
• However the retrial can only occur if there is new evidence that emerges and if the Director of Public Prosecutions gives the go-ahead
• Steven Lawrence


  Calls for a change in the rule were also supported by Sir William Macpherson in his report on the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence - the police mishandling of the investigation led to failed prosecution of 3/5 of the original suspects. New DNA meant that Gary Dobson could be re-tried and convicted for the murder also with David Norris who was not tried in 1996