I Fought the Law

In 1989, Ann Ming is distraught when her 22-year-old daughter Julie Hogg goes missing, but the police shrug off her concerns, suggesting that she must have fled to London to reunite with her estranged husband. Knowing in her heart that Julie would never leave her brother Kevin behind, Ann uncovers a mother's worst nightmare.

Haunted by nightmares of her daughter's body, Ann channels her grief into putting pressure on the police for answers, while also battling to save her marriage from crumbling under the strain. Ann's hopes of getting justice are boosted when a local man is arrested, but the accused seems to be scrutinised less than Julie when it comes to the trial and the bungled investigation leads to an unthinkably awful outcome.

At the retrial for Julie's murder, the jury once again cannot reach a verdict. Ann finds herself at her lowest point as she faces the challenge of rebuilding her life while her daughter's murderer is at large in the community. Horrifyingly, the killer begins to brag about how he got away with the perfect murder, knowing he is protected by the double jeopardy law. With the Crown having seemingly exhausted its powers, it's down to Ann to find justice for Julie, launching a campaign to change the 800-year-old law.

Determined to overturn the double jeopardy law, Ann takes her fight for justice to the home secretary, while Julie's son Kevin is now a teenager and starts to ask questions about how his mother really died. Ann's crusade takes her to the House of Lords, where she speaks not as a politician but as a grieving mother, and wins them over unconditionally.