THE mother of murdered pizza delivery girl Julie Hogg has demanded a personal hearing with the country's top legal brains to urge them to change the double jeopardy law.

Ann Ming has written to the Law Commission and Home Secretary Jack Straw expressing her desire to speak about why her daughter's self-confessed killer should stand trial again.

Her appeal comes as the Government made its clearest indication to date that there has been a mood swing in favour of a law change.

Politicians debating double jeopardy in Westminster Hall heard prisons minister Paul Boateng say that there was a groundswell of MPs who were in favour of changing the law.

The minister referred to 22-year-old Julie and spoke of the anger and frustration faced by her family. He said: "The distress can be even greater if, following an acquittal, new evidence comes to light to prove that the accused was guilty of the crime."

Double jeopardy is an archaic law, born in the 13th Century, which stops a suspect being tried twice for the same crime.

Julie was murdered in 1989. Labourer Billy Dunlop was acquitted of the killing but later confessed.

He is serving a six-year sentence for lying on oath about Julie's death, but her family want him to be punished for killing her.

A ten-year campaign lobbying ministers to review double jeopardy initially brought little success.

But Mrs Ming's battle finally fell on friendly ears when Home Secretary Jack Straw agreed that the Law Commission should consider whether or not the law should be changed. The commission is expected to report back early next year.

Were legal experts sitting on the panel to grant Mrs Ming an audience, it would represent the biggest breakthrough since another grieving mother, Pat Gibson, of Darlington, won an historic victory.

Her son, Michael, died after 16 months in a coma following a brutal street attack.

Mrs Gibson took more than 5,000 letters of support to London to address the Law Commission in 1994 in her successful campaign for the repeal of an ancient law which meant someone could not be charged with murder if the victim died more than year and a day after an attack.

Mrs Ming, of Norton, near Stockton, said last night: "I have asked if I can go before the panel and tell my story. If not, I am asking that they make our case a test case.

"The Law Commission is only a panel of people, why can't we speak to them?"

She welcomed the debate in Westminster Hall, adding: "I do feel pleased Julie has been mentioned."

Mrs Ming spoke to the Home Secretary earlier this year about double jeopardy.

Stockton North MP Frank Cook, who led the deputation to see the Home Secretary, last night welcomed Mr Boateng's comments.

He said: "Now we have to try and make the target amended legislation.