I Fought the Law

In Billingham, in 1989, Ann Ming and her 22-year-old daughter Julie share a close bond, spending time together every day, along with Julie’s five-year-old son, Kevin. When Julie goes missing, the police shrug off Ann’s concerns, as Ann pleads with the police to help find her.

Ann channels her grief into pressuring the police for answers, while battling to save her marriage from crumbling under the pressure. Ann’s hopes of getting justice are boosted when a local man is arrested. Yet when it comes to the trial, with the evidence against the accused substantial and compelling, the jury fails to reach a verdict.

Ann and Charlie try to rebuild their life together. At the retrial for Julie’s murder, the jury once again cannot reach a verdict, so Julie's killer walks free. A shocking confession leads a determined Ann to mount a battle against the 800 year-old law prohibiting double jeopardy--being tried on the same charges following an acquittal.

Determined to overturn double jeopardy, Ann takes her fight to the Home Secretary and the House of Lords. She digs deep, speaking not as a politician but as a grieving mother, and eventually the law is repealed, meaning that Julie’s killer can be retried. In a tense courtroom, will he finally be convicted? Will Ann find closure and get justice for Julie?