‘Double jeopardy’ killer Billy Dunlop on brink of transfer to open jail | UK | News | EUROtoday

The household of a lady who was sexually abused and ­murdered concern her “pure evil” killer might strike once more as he tries to modify to an open jail. Billy Dunlop, who killed Julie Hogg, might have his transfer permitted by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood immediately after finishing his minimal 17-year jail time period.

Parole chiefs help transferring Dunlop, 62, to a website the place he can take pleasure in “unsupervised” time in the neighborhood. But Julie’s mom Ann Ming pleaded: “Please do not let this man out into the community.” The Parole Board suggestion is the newest in a sequence of its controversial judgments. Dunlop was jailed for all times in 2006 for the 1989 homicide of Julie, who he strangled and hid behind her bathtub.

But final month officers determined he was appropriate for launch to an open jail, noting there had been “a very substantial change in his degree of self-knowledge and self-control”.

Ms Mahmood has already delayed making a willpower as soon as however is because of give her remaining resolution on Thursday.

On Wednesday Julie’s grieving mom Ann Ming urged the Justice Secretary: “Please, please do not let this man out into the community and risk ­putting another family through what we have gone through.”

Ann, 79, whose ebook For The Love Of Julie about her battle for justice is being dramatised by ITV with Sheridan Smith because the retired nurse, added: “Dunlop spent years bragging in pubs he killed my daughter.

“He has never apologised or reached out to us. There is no remorse there. He made a mockery of justice in the past and it was only because of our campaign that we got this dangerous individual behind bars.

“He evaded justice for 17 years and there’s a risk he makes another mockery of justice now.”

Juries twice didn’t convict Dunlop, prompting him to boast of committing the “perfect murder” and proceed his lifetime of violent crime on Teesside, together with stabbing a pregnant ex-partner and battering her newest boyfriend with a baseball bat.

It was solely after Ann gained her tireless marketing campaign to overturn the “double jeopardy” regulation which had stopped him being prosecuted once more for killing Julie – regardless of him confessing to a jail warder – that he was lastly handed a life sentence in 2006.

This is the third traumatic parole nightmare for Julie’s household.

In 2019 the Parole Board determined Dunlop was not match to be transferred to an open jail – however in 2022 it modified course and stated he was.

The then-Justice Secretary Sir Brandon Lewis vetoed the transfer, writing in a letter in October that 12 months {that a} switch “would undermine public confidence in the Criminal Justice System” and was “not essential” for Dunlop’s rehabilitation.

Ann Ming declared: “We do not believe he is reformed at all. Because of the seriousness of what he has done, if [Ms Mahmood] does agree to an open prison, the minister should meet us and explain why she is going against the previous justice minister.

“He is pure evil, he should never, ever be released. He should spend the rest of his natural life in prison and keep the public safe.”

Julie’s son Kevin, who was simply three when his mom was murdered, stated: “Victims’ families don’t have any form of redress, what the minister decides is final.

“We made a request to meet her over six weeks ago and it’s still going back and forth with no commitment.

“Our family has been failed from day one and if she re-categorises him that is just another failing.” The 39-year-old continued: “The minister has a responsibility to protect the public, and if she does make the ­decision to re-categorise him we hope she takes the responsibility for any further offending.”

Dunlop himself instructed the newest Parole Board listening to in December that he nonetheless has “mad thoughts”.

When panel members requested how he now handled unfavorable considering in relation to reacting to conditions with violence, Dunlop stated: “I had 50 years of being a violent person. The mad thoughts are getting less but they will always be there.”

A retired detective who encountered Dunlop throughout his reign of terror on Teesside has additionally spoken out towards the open jail suggestion by the Parole Board.

John Matthews stated: “Their comments, that he’s no longer the evil violent sexual predator and murderer he once was, are naive. I’m sure the public would love to know how someone so violent and evil can suddenly become a decent, reasonable human being when that’s never previously been part of his character. The trouble is those professionals have only known him for a very short period.”

He added: “They never met the real Dunlop.”

Katie Brett, from stress group Justice for Victims, commented: “Dunlop’s ‘life’ sentence serves as another reminder that ‘life’ doesn’t mean life if he is able to serve part of his sentence unsupervised.”

Parole Board hearings have been topic to elevated scrutiny since a panel dominated that “Black Cab Rapist” John Worboys was match to be launched, regardless of police believing that he had greater than 100 victims in whole.

The resolution, overturned within the High Court, prompted the resignation of chairman Nick Hardwick in March 2018 and reforms together with some hearings being held in public.

A board spokesman stated: “We will only make a recommendation for open conditions if a Parole Board panel is satisfied that the risk to the public has reduced sufficiently to be manageable.”

The spokesman added: “Prisoners moved to open conditions can be returned to closed conditions if there is concern about their behaviour.”

The Ministry of Justice was contacted for remark.