Probus Club of Meltham

Today’s speaker was a returning contributor, Mark Braithwaite, a retired Chief
Superintendent of Middlesborough Police Force, here to talk to us about “A notorious
Teesside Murder”.
He first of all tendered us greetings from the Probus Club of Elland, where his father, with
whom he stays overnight, is the current chairman.
His presentation revolved around a case of, for him, “18 years of unfinished business” , until
his official retirement from the force. Given that this is still not concluded means that this is
a case of 33 years unfinished business, as it revolves around the murder in November 1989
of a young woman, Julie Ming. Her body was only found, in March 1990, hidden under her
bath, thanks to the determination of her mother, Anne.
A suspect, Billy Dunlop, an extremely violent man, was charged with the crime, and sent for
trial in 1990, but because the jury could not agree on a verdict, the then judge, Justice
Swinton Thomas, discharged the jury and ordered a re-trial. Regrettably, the same thing
occurred at the re-trial, and Dunlop was acquitted.
It did not take him long to be imprisoned for another offence, and whilst in prison he
confessed to Julie’s murder to a prison officer. Sufficient proof was obtained to charge him,
but then, double jeopardy intervened; he couldn’t be tried again for an offence for which he
had already been acquitted. He could, however, be tried for perjury on two occasions, and
was sentenced to two terms of 6 years, to run concurrently.
This infuriated Julie’s mother, Anne, who canvassed her MP for a change in the double jeopardy law. She confronted Jack Straw, the then Home Secretary, who arranged for her to
petition the House of Lords. Her campaign was entirely successful, and the laws of double
jeopardy were not only totally amended, but more unexpectedly, amended retrospectively!
Following a third re-trial, in 2006, Dunlop was found guilty, and given a life sentence, subject
to a minimum of 17 year. This, however, means that he can apply for parole, or a
downgraded incarceration from Broadmoor to a more normal prison environment, and 2
months ago the parole board agreed to his request. An infuriated Anne appealed to the
Justice Secretary, Brendan Lewis, who overturned the parole board’s decision, and returned
him to Broadmoor. However, he can reapply in 30 months! Will the saga ever end?
Anne’s consolation is that she was successful in changing the law of the land as far as double
jeopardy is concerned, as a result of which a further 18 cases have now been brought back
for re-trial!