I Fought the Law viewers are likely to be left wondering why Julie Hogg’s killer and the actor who plays him aren’t named in the ITV drama.

Neither murderer William ‘Billy’ Dunlop or the man portraying the killer are identified throughout the series, including in the end credits.

The true crime drama tells the story of Julie’s mother Ann Ming, played by Sheridan Smith. Harrowing yet inspirational, it shows how Ann spent 15 years fighting an 800-year double jeopardy law to see Dunlop jailed.

Here, we reveal the name of the actor who plays Billy Dunlop in ITV’s I Fought the Law and why he nor Dunlop have been identified.

What is I Fought the Law?

I Fought the Law is ITV’s new true crime drama starring Sheridan Smith. The mini-series tells the real-life story of Ann Ming, mother of murder victim Julie Hogg.

Ann spent 15 years campaigning to overturn the UK’s double jeopardy law, which had stood in time since the Magna Carta. Her tireless fight took her to the House of Lords, Houses of Parliament and saw her meet countless eminent lawyers.

Julie, 22, had been working as a pizza delivery driver when she was strangled and sexually assaulted by acquaintance Billy Dunlop. He hid her body under her bath, only for poor Ann to make the horrifying discovery 80 days later.

Dunlop stood trial for murder but a jury failed to reach a majority verdict. The outcome of the retrial was the same, so Dunlop was acquitted.

The double jeopardy law meant Dunlop could never be charged with the same crime again. This was an utter travesty, as years later Dunlop bragged in prison that he was Julie’s killer. He even told a police officer, but the most he could be charged with was perjury. Dunlop was sentenced to just six years for lying under oath in his earlier trials.

I Fought the Law follows Ann’s long fight to get the double jeopardy law changed. Ann refused to give up and the devoted mother-of-free finally succeeded. Dunlop became the first person to be charged for the same crime twice when the law changed.

Who plays Billy Dunlop in I Fought the Law?

Billy Dunlop is played by Jack James Ryan in I Fought the Law. But the actor’s name is deliberately kept out of the end credits.

Coronation Street fans will recognise Jack James from the ITV1 soap. He played reoccurring character Jacob Hay. Initially, Jacob stepped foot in the cobbles as a drug courier for Harvey Gaskell. He later returned to Weatherfield as a reformed man. But Jacob bowed out again when Harvey tried to tempt him back to his old life. Jack James was such a hit with Corrie fans they are desperate for him to return to Weatherfield again.

Jack will also be recognised for his role in ITV drama Passenger last year. He played John Trowbridge, opposite Shameless actor David Threlfall. Jack has starred on stage and in the 2019 film Military Wives.

Why aren’t Julie Hoggs’s killer or Jack James Ryan named as playing him in I Fought The Law?

Writers of I Fought the Law made a deliberate and conscious decision not to name killer William ‘Billy’ Dunlop in the drama. As a consequence, Jack James Ryan’s name also doesn’t appear in the end credits of each of the episodes (although you will see it in the opening titles).

Screenwriter Jamie Crichton, who has also written for All Creatures Great and Small, Grantchester and Law & Order: UK, says he was “obsessed” with omitting the name from the script. He was determined for viewers to only remember Ann and Julie’s names.

Jamie said: “From day one I was obsessed with the fact we weren’t going to name the killer, not even in the credits. Jack James Ryan, who plays the murderer, was incredibly collaborative with us on this point, and we’re so grateful that he kindly agreed to keep his name out of the end credits.

“That was really important because it’s Ann’s story. Often crime drama sensationalises murder and makes it all about the killer, and I understand that because humans are interested in the dark side of life, there’s something macabre in us. But so many of the victims of these horrendous murders are names that the public just doesn’t know, and that’s not how it should be. Julie Hogg and Ann Ming are the names we should know.”

Who else is in the cast for I Fought the Law?

Sheridan takes the lead role of Ann Ming in the I Fought The Law cast, with The Beach star Daniel York Loh playing her husband Charlie. Game of Thrones and The Crown’s Enzo Cilenti plays DS Mark Braithwaite.

Julie Hogg is portrayed by upcoming star Victoria Wyant.

How to watch I Fought the Law and how many episodes there are

I Fought the Law airs on ITV and ITVX. The mini-series has four episodes, all one hour long.

It starts at 9pm on Sunday August 31, 2025. Episode two will air the following night, on Monday September 1.

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I Fought the Law will start at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX on August 31, 2025.