A campaign launched last year by The Northern Echo to scrap the “double jeopardy” rule in exceptional cases has taken a significant step forward.

A long-awaited report by the powerful Law Commission has backed the calls for a fundamental change in one of the cornerstones of the British legal system.

Double jeopardy is a rule preventing defendants being tried twice for the same crime, and could be scrapped in murder cases.

Home Secretary Jack Straw must now decide whether to implement the historic law change in view of the Law Commission’s recommendations.

Last year, The Northern Echo launched its Criminal Injustice campaign after a local case in the North-East exposed the flaws in the current system.

Teesside man Billy Dunlop, who had been cleared of the murder of 22-year-old Julie Hogg, confessed to the killing during a subsequent perjury trial. He was found guilty of perjury but could not be tried again for murder.

The Northern Echo took Julie’s family to London to present their case to Mr Straw and hundreds of coupons signed by readers of The Northern Echo – as well as a dossier of published articles – were handed in.

Julie’s mother, Ann Ming, praised the Echo for taking up the case and said Dunlop must now be retried because the Law Commission’s recommendation includes applying the law change retrospectively.

Editor Peter Barron said: “The implications of the Law Commission report are incredible.

“Not only could it have an impact on the Julie Hogg murder in the North-East but the Stephen Lawrence case in London.

“We recognise that there are some dangers in taking this route and the law change would have to be applied with extreme care in exceptional cases.

“Wrongful convictions – as in the case of the Birmingham Six – can be overturned when compelling new evidence comes to light. But it is impossible for the guilty to be brought back for trial, even when they admit the killing in open court.

“That must surely be wrong, especially in view of the huge progress that has been made in forensic science.”

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