Parole hearing told County Durham killer Billy Dunlop 'ready for open prison'

A parole hearing has been told that County Durham killer William Dunlop, known as Billy, is ready to be moved to an open prison.

The public hearing for Dunlop, who strangled pizza delivery woman Julie Hogg in Billingham in 1989, began on Monday (16 December) after more than an hour’s delay.

Ms Hogg's son Kevin Hogg and mother Ann Ming watched the hearing – taking place at the unnamed prison where Dunlop is being held – on a live stream from a courtroom in the Royal Courts of Justice.

The chair of the panel said all professionals involved in the hearing would be recommending a move to open prison.

Mr Hogg told ITV Tyne Tees he "accepts" the recommendation but cautioned it would be a "test".

He said: "These are professionals who are working with Dunlop on a regular basis.

"So because there is no further work that they can do in the current establishment, that would mean an indication that they are really basically saying that he needs to go to an open prison to carry out further work.

"I accept that. I accept that he has to move through the process within the prison establishment to carry out various courses and it's a test, ultimately."

A prison offender manager, who declined to share their name but said they had been working with Dunlop since he arrived at the prison in December 2022, told proceedings they are confident Dunlop can be moved to an open prison.

They said he had shown “genuine remorse” for the murder of Miss Hogg – a revelation that resulted in groans from the victim’s family – and had done sufficient work to address risk factors, ranging from violence to substance misuse.

The hearing was also told about historic allegations Dunlop was not prosecuted for, and which he denies.

No further details about the nature of the allegations were heard by the panel.

The prison offender manager said professionals were aware of the allegations but believed them to be “part of a pattern of behaviours” and that his denial was “more about shame rather than being about him being open and honest”.

During his time behind bars, Dunlop has been employed in a position that includes him supporting other prisoners, the hearing was told.

He has also undertaken development programmes, including an IT course that resulted in him accidentally having access to the internet once the course was completed. The hearing was told this mistake was noticed and quickly rectified.

Miss Hogg’s mother campaigned for 15 years to bring Dunlop to justice for her daughter’s murder.

Dunlop was tried twice for the offence but both juries failed to reach a verdict.

When later serving time behind bars for another crime, Dunlop confessed and admitted lying in court, boasting there was nothing anyone could do about it because of the double jeopardy rule in place at the time.

Ms Ming campaigned to get the 800-year-old law changed so that he could be charged with the same crime twice.

Dunlop’s case made legal history in 2006 when he became the first person to be tried under the new rules. He was convicted of murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years.

Parole reviews typically take place behind closed doors but legal reforms which came into force in 2022 now allow some to be heard in public, when requested, in a bid to remove the secrecy around the process.

Last year Caroline Corby, chairwoman of the Parole Board for England and Wales, ruled Dunlop’s parole hearing could be held in public partly due to the unique legal background of the case.

Dunlop is due to give evidence and the hearing continues.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...