Mother of murdered Julie Hogg pays tribute to Sheridan Smith over ITV drama role: ‘Nobody could have done it better’
The grieving mother who changed the law after her daughter’s murder expressed her admiration for Sheridan Smith, who is portraying her in an upcoming ITV drama.
The hard-hitting series, which starts on Sunday, August 31, dramatises the real-life campaign of Ann Ming, whose daughter Julie Hogg was murdered in a case that would ultimately transform British legal history.
Speaking to GB News and other press during the premiere event for the drama’s release, Mrs Ming shared: “When they talked about doing the drama and suggested Sheridan Smith.
“I’m not just saying it because she’s sat here with me, I’m just saying the truth.
“Nobody could have played it better. Sheridan, you know, it was a harrowing story, but the reason I did campaign to change the Double Jeopardy law is because it was a common sense approach.”
Touching on her incredible determination, she added: “It was an 800 year old law. I mean, that didn’t matter to me.
“If there’s been a proper wrongful conviction, I would be the first to say that person should be freed.
“But when it’s been a proven wrongful acquittal, such as our case, when a man confessed in court he murdered our daughter but because of an 800-year-old law he could only be charged with perjury, that was not right.
“So to me it was a common sense approach, approaching the right people at the right time and luckily, it changed and we got the conviction in 2006.”
The 44-year-old actress confessed she was reduced to “a shaking mess” whilst filming the true-crime drama.
“That’s right, yeah, it definitely is,” Ms Smith confirmed when questioned about whether this represented her most difficult role yet.
The veteran performer described becoming deeply affected by the harrowing material, which chronicles the true story of a mother’s relentless pursuit of justice following her daughter’s murder.
Ming fought to overturn the ancient Double Jeopardy Law after her daughter’s killer was initially acquitted, only to later confess to the crime and be given no consequence due to the ruling.
Ming, now in her seventies, served as consultant on the production, working closely with Ms Smith throughout the filming process.
The case resulted in a landmark legal change, allowing retrials in instances of proven wrongful acquittals where new evidence emerges.
Ms Smith explained that she immersed herself completely in Ming’s experiences, researching extensively before filming began.
“When I got the script, I didn’t know the story so I got online and googled and watched all Ann’s documentaries, read a book For the Love of Julie, all in Ann’s words,” she revealed.
“And I just thought, ‘How has his story not been told yet?’ And then Jamie’s [Crichton] incredible script, the team on board.
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“So, yeah, But it was, it was, as you can see, it’s a tiny part of what Ann came up against.
“The strength it must have taken for Anne to keep fighting, to have lived through that, to be here and to achieve what she did, I’m absolutely in awe of her, and she knows.”